The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-09-08

| kanchers' National Bank Of Phlladel-
phia, 10 contribute To its quota Ber-
I ina bright eyes took a sidelong glance
| at the heap Of parcels before her COM
! panfon. wondering whether chance
| would so far realize their fancied COM
pnation as 10 bring into her hands a
consignment from her brother Wilton.
Like a pestilent tune that keeps echo
ing IN the brain. that family talk of a
conspiracy 70 defTaud Uncle Sam could
not be dismissed from her Thoughts
THESE slips OF dirty paper authorizing
the payment To bearer of large sums of
money. what pity they should all go
10 the macerating machine to be
ground into pulp, One more or less
would make no difference to the
wealthy nation. but would work won
ders for an underpaid official who
found IL hard To make both ends meet.
she told herself IL WAS horribly WICKED
TO think OF misappropriation. but she
could not control her thoughts and
they pictured for her pers silently the
stan OF the three departments reduced
TO herself. her father and her husband.
and figured out the fortune they might
accumulate by the aid of sticky fin-
gers. While thus musing she was
startled by a remark from Mrs. Law
SON, as That. lady placed before her a
heap OF thousand-dollar bills which she
had been critically examining with n
magnifying glass. That's "A big charge
for the Ranchers' National-a hundred
biils OF Thousand each I make them
right. but you go over them again one
by one. count them i'm two packets of
fifty each. and bind them with a paper
band in the usual way for me to ini-
tial and pass forward
Mrs. Lawson proceeded with another
packet, so absorbed in her work that
she did not notice how strangely Young
Mrs Hackett stared for n moment nj
the task before her With the heap Of
bills lay the paper band that had en-
closed them when they came from the
bank at Philadelphia. ft was endorsed
with the number and denomination OF
the notes. and bore the signature will
ton Loring. Cashier" Mrs. Lawson
for them as correct. and web
Bertha's fngers trembled as she turned
them over. She counted half of them
from 100 to 90. and made a !
packet OF them as instructed. and the
other half she counted in the usual ,
way. beginning one. two. three. four.
ind so on. When she came To the end |
" this count she paused. and counted |
his second half again backward. Then |
nc slowly fastened band around the |
packet.
You're not very smart at present. |
my gifl,' remarked uss elderly lady, |
observing her sluggish action "r |
have to hunt for counterfeHs. but 7 |
should never get through II. I took so |
Iong as you have done with that sim |
nic check. But fNaybe YOU reckon TO |
ind I've psssed n wrong count?"- she |
added. wath q little touch OF irony. |
AFTER thirty -four wears at thls work |
my dear the bills that haNt. passed |
through Roeinn I.awson's hanis can |
be- taken "a right VI she says so"
Mrs Lawson VAS ather tatchy. and |
had a Rcpd concen " herself born OF |
hong lnfalifbility. Bertha. I'm silence |
wrote her own initials on the wrappers |
of che two packets and this action moi |
llhed the senior iady. for-by thus taking |
responsibility for tho co, rectncss ~ the |
packets Mrs. Hackett seemed to con- |
vey an ~ ~rxpressos oI ,oniidcnce in her.