The Florence daily tribune., 1899-01-25
THE RELIEF CASHIER.

SuDuTbs iiikinE company Ht ldEt
was an elcratly dressed man Of little
over 80, wearing his silk hat just IA de
gree or two out of the perpendicular.
and shifting the carnation in the lapel
of his frocl. coat.
He entered the bank, passed through
the private door leading behind the
counters and had taken of his hat and
coat, while the manager of the branch
glanced at the letter he had brought.
1t was an ordinary letter of introduc-
tion from the general manager of the
company, stating that the bearer was
Arthur Gordon Durrant, whose sigma
ture would be found attached, and who
had, in accordance with adyices pre-
viously forwarded. been instructed to
join the Westminster branch on tenn
porary service as relief cashier.
The manager having watched this
new member of his staff sign the book.
mechanically compared the autograph
with the firm, bold arthur q. Durrani"
at the foot of the letter of Introduction,
handed the newcomer his supply of cash
and retired into his own sanctum.
Arthur Gordon Durrant, who had
now been with the London and Suburbs
Banking company for some years, had
long been eagerly anticipating the time
when he should become attached to one
Of the London branches, for it had been
Durrant's fate to spend a month or
two at most of those branches which
were at the greatest distance from the
metropolis.
The specific hardship of this destiny
will not be apparent until il is men
toned that it was in Kensineton that
Miss Florence Kendall abode, and that,
therefore, Kensington was the center of
the universe, according to Durrant's
geography.
And, to be perhaps unwarrantably
frank about the heart affairs of a lady
Miss Kendall had not heard the news
of her admirers transference TO Lon
don without revealing glow of pleas
ure.
Her father had arranged to call for
Arthur at the bank and bring him home
to tea, and as the hour of their antici-
pated arrival approached, the sprightly
f'lorence's trills became merrier, and
more critical became her inspections
Of the pretty diinpled face, framed with
clusters of loose and wayward browu
curls, which smiled saucily at her when
ever she passed a mirror.
But MIR. Kendall came home alone,
and little cloud rapidly trateled over
her face and obscured the sunshine
which had hitherto played there.
where's Arthur" She demanded,
coming frankly to the point with n di-
rectness which made her parent avoid
her gaze.
We'll" he replied, with marked hest
tution, Il don't exactly know. He
wasn't at tine bank when 1 called. and
| didn't wait"
PerpleNity took und'sputed posses
sion of Miss kendals face, causing her
eyes to dilate and her little mouth to
open and expose the regular ivory teeth
behind her coral lips.
'Nvhy. father she exclaimed, '.you
are strange!"
Can you stand piece of most un-
pleasant news, dear?" asked Mr.. Ken
dal, very gravely,
Tell me, father"
"Nyhen ! called at the bank Mr.. Scot
land the manager, informed me that
Arthur Durant had duly arrived at the
bank in the morning, had gone out Mt
lunch time and had not returned. His
cash was then overhauled, and-shall
go on, FLOP" rr
The girl would not trust her voice.
She nodded panied assent.
There was found to be missing S5 900
in gold and a smaller amount in notes,
OF course, there was only one inference
to be drawn"
Not that Arthur" Poor Florence
could not frame the sentence. Her
father interrupted the attempt.
well, my child, there can be no other
possible explanation. The young man is
now being hunted for all over the
country, and the manager told me he
had wired TO the head office for instruc-
tions about issuing reward"
Had the door opened tt second later
Florence would have been in Mysteries.
But her father had involuntarily called:
Come in" in response to the knock,
and the parlor maid tripped over to Mr..
Kendall with n card upon the salver.
Had it been n message from mahat-
ma, pIecipllSlleu lhrougn tie supstan-
tlal ceiling under which he sat, he could
rot have been more astounded. Sudden
ly he jumped up, and, without word,
darted through the door.
There in the hall, looking i'll and pale,
but obviously in the highest spirits his
feebleness permitted, stood Arthur Dur
rant.
1t was with a mingGng of blank
establishment and distant constraint
that Mr.. Kendall met the young mans
cordial greeting,
But Florence, with little scream,
ran at him, and was caught in an em-
brace which she returned with an inter-
est which Arthur willingly set off
against the fathers chilliness.
MY word! it was an adventure,