News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1898-08-10
MISSING MONEY.

Erastus Twopeny was a lawyer, ex-
pert in real estate values and an apt
c~onveyancer, and as he practiced in the
days before the title guarantee hawk
had swooped down upon the legal barn
yard and captured the geese that laid
the golden eggs he made money. AS
soon as he found himself in a condition
to marry be took to himself a wife. She
was energetic and ambitious, and while
she proved heRself IN excellent house
wife she was at the same time inf1amed
by a strong desire to acquire wealth on
her own account.
Her husband was all that a woman
could desire, and she had nothing to
complain of on that score. He was even
generous and showed it by giving refuge
in his comfortable home to his wife's
brother Charles, who had proved him
self incapable of retaining any position
which his friends had procured for him.
He was a good looking, agreeable young
fellow, but lacked those staying quail
tiles which make one a good man of
business. In society he was all right
and a favorite with the families where
he visited He had no vices so far as
known by his family, except smoking
can be considered such, and when be
was out Of funds his sister always man
aged to supply him with money enough
to enjoy that luxury,
Erastus was devoted to his profession,
and often after quitting his office for
the day continued to transact business
during the evening at his home. The
house was an old fashioned one, with a
back piazza and an alley at one side,
leading from the front to the yard in
the rear. The front and back parlors
were originally separated by folding
doors, but a dainty curtain, tastefully
festooned, had been substituted for the
doors.
One evening in August a client called
to pay Erastus So, 500 ON a real estate
transaction, and, as the back parlor was
dark and the front parlor sufficiently
lighted by the setting sun for the work,
Erastus and his client seated themselves
at a table therein, while Mrs. Twopeny
sat near the window. Though she was
chiefly occupied in watching the pass
ersby and the children at play in the
street, yet she could not help hearing
what passed between the two men at
the table. Presently her brother Charles
came down stairs and glanced in at the
door. His sister arose and spoke to him,
and both at the same time looked to-
ward the table on which could be seen a
small parcel Of g~reenbacks, with a thin
slip Of white paper around them.
Charles quilted the house and soon
afterward Mrs. Twopeny arose and stood
between the window and the lace cur
tain, looking ont. In a few minutes the
men at the table arose and Mr.. Twopeny
accompanied his client to the door. I'm
mediately afterward Mrs. Twopeny
heard a slight noise and turning saw the
curtains between the front and back par
lors moving. She thought nothing of it
at the time, fancying that it was the re.
suit of a draft occasioned by her hus.
band closing the front door.
The house was only a few steps from
the cross street, and as the client cam
down the stoop and turned toward the
corner Mrs, Twopeny followed him with
her eyes. To her surprise she saw hel
brother just turning the corner and
wondered what could have delayed
him. While still at the window mus
ing, she was startled by her husband
eXclaiming:
"Why, Bertha, what can have be,
come of the money l left on the table?'
"Become of it?'' she replied. "Why
1t must be there, of course, if you LEFT
it there"
"Well,. 1 can't find it," her husband
said. II left it right here in front o.
these papers. They are all right, bu.
the money is gone"
sob, that is absurd" she said
"Light the. gas, and then you will fine
it, no doubt"
While she pulled down the blinds
Erastus lighted the gas, and then boil
set to work to look for the missing
notes. They were not on the table, no,
could they be found anywhere about thu
room or in the hallway.
"Look in all your pockets" said thu
wife. "You may have inadvertently
put the money into one Of them.
"No, no" was the reply. CIV
searched every one of them already
It's gone. No doubt about it. Blu
where?"
"There's no one in the house but our
selves, +" the wife said. Il allowed tn
cook and Nancy to go out Immediate.
after supper. Brother Charles went GU
while you were at the table with you
client, and there isn't even a cat in tn
house to blame for it,"
Then they made another search, bu
it was as vain as the others. And ther
each of them stood, looking this wa.
and that, as one will do when one lose
anything and fondly hopes to discove
it in some unexpected spot.
you're sure your client paid your
Mrs. Twopeny said.
"Oh, yes, and | gave him a receipt,