Pleasantville weekly press., 1898-12-28
An bour after his departure their un

chased each other before her dizzy,
aching eyes. She suddenly tottered for.
ward and fell in dead faint.
Next morning huge posters appeared
from the offices of the Blackmore Times,
making public the robbery. Newsboys
shouted it frantically from one street tc
another. Soon big crowd had gathered
outside the bank, clamoring loudly for
the doors to be opened.
They wanted their money back, their
hard won earnings, and they meant to
get it. That exclusive news sold by
Elsie Maitland ON the previous evening
to the editor Of the Blackmore Times
had caused an appalling run on her un-
cle's bank.
The doors were opened at last. The
crowd surged in. presenting checks to
the full amount they had deposited in
the bank. They looked astonished when
the gold came over the counter in their
direction. Clearly they had expected to
be turned away penniless. They thanked
their stars for being the first. The bank
could not go on paying out for long, of
that they felt sure.
At noon Elsie and her uncle drove up
to the front entrance in an open car
riaee. He had insisted on her accom-
panying him, despite the fact that she
looked wretchedly pale and i'll.
All the way along they had seen those
hideous posters announcing the robbery.
"How did they get the news?" John
Rivers kept repeating. "Elsie, child,
how did they get the news? 1t is mys-
terry to me. If only it could have been
kept from them another "a hours, I
Could have weathered the Storm
Poor Elsie's heart ached. "
81 have done it!'' she cried. 'tThe
fault is mine-mine! Oh, Harold, If
only I could have foreseen all thisl If
only could have foreseen it all p
As yet Elsie had not told her uncle
who supplied the news to the paper.
She prayed fervently that she might be
able to keep the knowledge to herself
forever, safely hidden from the fond old
man who believed in her. Fate would
decide.
For hours she sat in little room over
the bank, listening to the persistent
clamorings below for gold.
How much longer could it 60 on?
''Not much longerl" John Rivers
said dejeotedly to his suffering niece.
"Not much longer, Elsie, my girl.
They must have paid it nearly all out
by now. Soon they will have to close
the doors. Don't cry, child. 1t is the
will of Providence, suppose. but it's
hard to get such blow as this at my
time of life!"
Presently there were sounds of cheers
ing in the street. A well known mill
lionaire had driven up to the bank.
"My God !" muttered the old banker.
"This is the last straw Reginald Fair
fax has turned against me with the rest.
When he has withdrawn his money,
there won't be penny left ~
go and see him, uncle" Elsie
pleaded. "He is SO rich he might be
persuaded to leave it,"
"No, child. could not speak to him
or any one else today"
"Then I will, uncle. Oh, do go and
send him here to~mei must see him !!
Reginald will save us!"
John Rivers went blindly out, and
Elsie waited for Reginald Fairfax to
come to her. Twice this self made man
had asked her to marry him; twice she
had refused. He was rich, but he was
also coarse. Life with him would be a
nightmare, she had always told herself.
She did not love him.
But now
He was standing there in front of
her, loudly dressed and looking more
commonplace and vulgar than ever.
How could she appeal to this boorish
parvenu? She must, though; she had
worked the mischief, and she must right
it if possible.
At the end of another five minutes
she was telling him everything-all
about her brother and her selling Il
news of the robbery to the editor. F
listened in silence. She humbled herse
to the dust before him and begged hin
not to withdraw his money from the
bank.
He smiled queerly. :
= "You twice asked me to be your
wife," she wound up feverishly, "and
refused you. Would you still marry
me, Mr.. Fairfax? Oh, do answerl If l
said yes, would you still marry me?'
The smile broadened.
cam 1 to understand that you are
proposing to me, Miss Maitland?" he
asked. -
"Don't seek to humble me any more !;
don't, don'tr' she cried. 81 have fallen
far enoughp'
Eyes" he said, sit must indeed be a
terrible fall for the proud Miss Matt
land to offer herself to mel You offer
to become my wife if will only leave
my money in your unole's bank. Con-
sidering that love you-and that you
love some one else-it is rather hard on
me, isn't it?"
"Oh, don't, don'tl If you only knew
how loathe myself for having said all
this to you'll You are quite right to re-
fuse me. How dare ask you-or any
man-to take me under such conditions?
You are quite right to refuse me. !"
81 don't know, F" he answered slowly.
"If you did not love another man al
ready, it might have been different. But
as it is--yes, I certainly won't marry
you. Miss Maitland. You have humbled
yourself to me unnecessarily. You cannot
know me very we'll when you imagine
that I had come to withdraw my sup.
port from your uncle at such time as
this. Instead, ! had merely come to place
the further sum Of $50,000 to my ao-
count. The public knows it already,
and the paying into the bank Of such
large sum has restored confidence"
Ere she had time to speak he was
gone.
But the bank was savedl The bank
was savedl A man she had always de-
spised in her heart had come forward
and saved it. Why-why had she never
l. n -