Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-12-21
woros about it! That's what | should
do, mind that!"
Wilton laughed lightly.

matter to Uncle Sam? And l should
send each of you $3.50. Think it over,
Dad
Think it over? l shall never for
get this talk of yours, Wilton A
crime conceived is half executed.
May l never hear more of this COM
bination of yours, In joke or in fact,
will be my prayer from this day to
God in heaven"
And shaking his head angrily the
father strobe into the house.
A few days after this conversation
Bertha Hackett sat in the Office of the
Redemption Division assisting Mrs.
Lawson, the senior lady of the depart
ment to count a package of big
bills" Greenbacks of large denom-
ination were allotted to the senior
lady in the ordinary course, and the
juniors would take it in turn to work
with her for the sake of becoming ac-
customed to every kind of note, and
by such familiarity detecting any
forgery that might fall into their
hands. Bertha was serving her ap-
premiership in this department, and
that day she sat at Mrs Lawson's
desk to learn all that this good lady
could teach her.
| NOW, dIuOuS llit pdthtIo VI olu piiio
sent in from all parts of America to
be Cancelled and exchanged for new
currency, it was not unusual for the
Ranchers' National Bank Of Phila-
delphia to contribute to it's quota.
Bertha's bright gray eyes took side
long glance at the heap of parcels be-
| fore her companion wondering whether
chance would so far realize their fam
cied combination as to bring into her
hands a consignment from her brother
| Wilton. Like pestilent tune that
keeps echoing in the brain, that fam
lily talk of a conspiracy to defraud
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 a pity they should all go to the
macerating machine to be ground into
pulp! One more or less would make
no difference to the wealthy Nation
but would work wonders for an under
paid official who found it hard to make
both ends meet. She told herself it
was horribly wicked to think of mis-
appropriation, but she could not con-
troll her thoughts, and they pictured
for her persistently the staff of the
three departments reduced to herself,
her father, and her husband, and
figured out the fortune they might ac-
cumulate by the aid of sticky fingers.
While thus musing, she was startled by
remark of Mrs. Lawson, as that lady
placed before her heap of thousand
dollar bills which she had been critic
ally examining with a magnifying
glass. That's big charge from the
Ranchers' National-a hundred bills
of a thousand each. | make them
right, but you go over them again one
by one, count them in two packets of
fifty each, and bind them with a paper
band in the usual way for me to initial
and pass forward"
Mrs. Lawson proceeded with an
other packet, so absorbed In her work
that she did not notice how strangely
young Mrs. Hackett stared for mo-
ment at the task before her. With
the heap of bills lay the paper band
that had inclosed them when they
came from the Bank at Philadelphia.
!, 1t was indorsed with the number and
denomination of the notes, and bore
. the signature, wilton Loring, Cash
ier." Mrs. Lawson vouched for them
! as correct, and yet Berthas fingers
: trembled as she turned them over
She counted half of them backward
from 100 to so, and made packet OF
them, as instructed, and the other hall
she counted in the usual way, begin
| ming one, two, three, four, and SO on
/ When she came to the end of this
: count she paused, and counted this
Y second half again backward. Their
: she slowly fastened band around the
;, packet.
e You're not very smart at present
my girl" remarked the elder lady, OBJ
l. serving her sluggish action. Il have
T. to hunt for counterfeits, but | SHOULD
It never get through II | took so long a.
a? you have done with that simple check
But maybe you reckon to find w,
passed a wrong count?" she addet
/, with a little touch of irony. "Afte
thirty-four years at this work, m,
n dear the bills that have passe,
( through Rosina Lawsons hands cal
be taken as right if she says So"
(, Mrs. Lawson was rather tetchy, an
- had a good conceit of herself, born O
,e long infallibility. Bertha in silenc
,r wrote her own initials on the wraI
pers of the two packets and this az
a, tion notified the senior lady for b
ID thus taking responsibility for the co
to rectness of the packets Mrs. Hacke
ut seemed to convey an expression {
lie confidence in her. But something els
es was on Berthas mind for she mu
rt tered to herself as the packets weI
m taken away to the cutting machine
be further checked in the offices of tn
SIS Secretary and the Register There
ne just one chance!"
40 An hour later Edmond Hackett S;
ne at his desk in the department of tt
L. Secretary to the Treasury, countiI