The suburban citizen., 1900-03-03

y
as it doesn't bother you. Dad knows
all about it and he's with me-"
The Judge wanted to shout "Good
for dad, but he didn't.
Then they got up to go, aud after
another longer silence they left him
alone. He knew all about the trouble,
and pretty mean ne felt about it, too
AS he rode slowly home he turned
the little tragedy over and over in his
mind, and the more he thought about
it the more he felt that he had made
a mistake by staying and listening.
At last he evolved plan calculated
to ease his own conscience and give
the young man some courage. So the
! judge sent him this letter:
"Mr. Edwin Grant-I had themlsfortune
| to overhear part Of yO0r conversation with
Miss Rand to-day, although in quite an ae-
! cldental manner. If, as l surmse, You are
the son OF Grant, OF the Supreme, you are
| made OF the right sort OF stun to regard
! Miss Rand's views as only a TEN porary OBJ
stacle to your happiness. / sentenced
| Rand, and IL you care to call on me l should
be glad to see you. Perhaps we may think
| OF some arguments to make Miss Rnnd look
at the case differently. At any rate agree
with his honor, your father, and am also
I with YOU Yours, ROBERT SroERow."
The next day the Judge was obliged
to go to distant city to act as referee
in case.
The Rand case was almost purely a
circumstantial one and hung on the
handwriting in which the false entries
had been made in the books. The
handwriting experts all agreed that
the entries had been made by Rand
indeed, theprisoner admitted as much.
He had pleaded "not guilty" and
when he admitted the identity Of the
handwriting there was little left to do
for him. His counsel was completely
baflled by the admission and Rand re-
fused to explain it in any way Try
as he would, the lawyer could elicit
nothing further and the jury had to
bring in q verdict of guilty
1t could never be found how Rand
had disposed of the sum he embezzled.
In fact, not a penny of the missing
money was ever found, and the bank
charged it to profit and loss.
Hooper, the president of the bank,
was in constant attendance ct the trial
and expressed great sorrow for Rand.
Shortly after the sentence Hooper left
the bank and went to another city,
where he engaged in private bank
ing and brokerage business. 1t was
in this city that Judge Storrow was
now sitting.
One night at the club the conversa-
tion drifted round to money and bank
ing. The judge made the remark that
he wished to procure a letter of credit
for his niece who was going abroad
and some one suggested Hooper's
house as the best place to get it.
'By the way" said his adviser,
'you sentenced the cashier of the
bank OF which Hooper used to be
president, didn't you?" The Judge
said he did.
"Well," continued the man, chats
the way some men treat those who
have been kind to them. My wife
grew up in the village where Hooper
and Rand were boys together. Rand
was not in very good circumstances,
while Hooper bad plenty of money.
At that time Hooper was quietly buy
ing up a great deal of land through
which he knew a railroad was pro-
iected. He let Rand in on the ground
floor, lent him money and then, when
they realized, collected Rand's notes,
and in this way they both made money
and Rand's share was o moderate for
| tune to a man in his circumstances.
1t wasn't many years before Rand had
lost his money in foolish investments.
Then Hooper got him the position of
cashier in the bank where he was
president. It seems pretty tough for
Rand to have stolen all that money.
The directors asked Hooper for his
resignation, of course, and he was
obliged to come here and start fresh. -"
Now this was a part of the story
that the Judge had never heard be-
fore. 1t little agreed with his per-
sonal impressions, which of cc
had nothing to do With the Flaw
evidence" He had an idea that ld
was not that sort of a man, and .,i-
ously enough, he had acquire B..
antipathy for Hooper.
That night he woke thinking Do
case. Gradually he found hi
forced to a conclusion for which a
was little reason-he som .r
thought that Hooper was the
man and Rand the innocent. H, .a
known a few similar cases of qui il
gratitude.
The next day he called at the /
ing house of Hooper & Co. As h
leaving he met Hooper face to
The man went white and stagg
against the door iamb as if he ..I
been struck.
"Why-how d'y do? Why'd
expect to see you," he stammt
Anything we can do for you?"
The Judge looked him square il