The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-07-13
W0RLD'SW WAY
A Story of . DefAulter Who Was
Guiltloaa.
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the leading bank of San Francisco for six
years. On his twenty-frst birthday his ia
theirs influence had placed him in that
responsible position. He had never been
obliged to angle discouragingly in un-
profitable waters, as is the common lot
OF boys not born with the traditional sill
yer spoon in their mouths. Allan Went
worth, ST., had fought the breakers in
the surging whirlpool of money getting
and money losing with sufficient win
nings on his side to enable him to start
his only son in the exciting game of
finance many points ahead Of contempt
rary struggling beginners. Young Went
worth dashed right into the battle Of the
business world without any preliminaries
whatever.
Six years he worked continuously and
well, with attention unfagging. evincing
the greatest business tact, the utmost
fidelity, the most scrupulous honesty. As
ISOLATION with older men advanced him
much beyond his years. At the age of
p he was rightfully recognized all over
the state Of California as the young Ma
poleon Of finance, the model of every ia
theirs SON, the coveted parti of every
mothers daughter. He selected from
the social whirl Miss Sylvia Lawrence
as his life partner.
After the necessary days grudgingly al
lotted by the busy man for the honey
moon the newly made husband rushed to
his Office with the avowed purpose Of
making up FOR lost time"
To him business was all absorbing. He
never left it, carried it with him always.
In his home. at his table, by his freside.
it was the theme with which he enter
tanned his young wife, his young wife's
friends when he had time to speak to
them; it was his political law, his reli-
gious dogma, his theory of social econo-
my, his domestic discourse. his every
thing.
But a few months elapsed. Even while
their honeymoon was in its first quarter
clouds of such impenetrable thickness SO
obscured the sky of these young people
that they must needs grope in the dark
ness of deepest sorrow and abject shame.
Allan Wentworth. the steady going, the
perfectly proper Allan Wentworth, was
a defaulter, fleeing for fear Of arrest, a
sneaking semblance of his old fascinating,
magnetic personality, afraid 10 look his
brother man in the face!
Pity only intensified the wife's love.
Without a murmur Sylvia shared Allan's
shame. Faithfully she followed him in
his hide and seek game with the officers
of the law. She could never forget her
terror when Allan, with true bluntness,
told her Of his crime nor how her heart
almost failed her when he tremblingly
told her that they must leave their home
that very night. stealthily ON foot, for
the sleuthhoupds Of the law were al
ready on his tracks. How nervously his
hand twitched wien he took hers and
his furtive eye glanced in the darkness
as together they stepped out in the night
How with nervous energy he hurried her
along the darkest streets. How cautious
ly they entered the railroad station and
took train south bound. How at mid
night they left the car at a small town
and Immediately sought refuge in a dingy
railroad hotel.
When on the morning following Went
worth's flight note was found upon his
Office desk blazoning 10 the world his I'm.
faithfulness.t his brother officials treated
1t as a huge; though ipdiscreet, joke. 1t
was without IN envelope. and had prying
eyes seen it rumor might have been
started not ut oil pleasant for the institu'
tiOn. 1t read:
am defaulter to the bank. have distracted
many thousands Of dollsrs-how many only
close examination Of my books will show. All is
gonei ALLAN WENTWORTH.
When the usual hour for his appearance
had passed and he had not come, q mild
surprise was expressed by his associates.
When noon arrived and he was still alb
sent. the surprise had become o subject of
anxious discussion. Such a thing had not
occurred in the six years of his service.
When the messenger boy returned and
said that Wentworth had left home the
night before and that no one knew just
when or where he had gone. the anxious
surprise became fearful wonder. Wonder
engendered' suspicion. Suspicion once
born. GREATNESS. it lives and grows into
belief.
The note was brought forth and exam
ined infinitely. The writer was nervous
but it was his Enthusiastically, most irres.
ular, but it was there.
1t was useless to try to hush the mat
ter. The cashiers confession OF guilt
had been made too public for that. Soon
there were whispers that dare not be
spoken. Then rumors that would not
down began to float in the air, first softly
and vaguely. then louder and yet louder
they were agitated in tones Of holder as
sertions, until the bank was gradually
thrown into CONSERVATION. The presi.
dent called meeting of the directors.
well. can scarcely believe my own
eyes,, he said he finished reading
Wentworth's note to them. There is
one thing sure, be added. with bated
breath-''if Allan Wentworth has de.
faulted. It must be for enough to close
these doors. He would never do any
Su,o1l-nn nall thaff ~
Experts were put upon the books at
once and private; detectives engaged to
trace the whereabouts, Of the fugitive.
Haven't you nGflced how queerly
Wentworth has been acting lately? ask
ed the teller of the accountant.
Eyes: no one could help noticing the
change. He lost nil his usual frankness.
His eyes for a month haven't looked an
aonest nj n in the face, not even when
ae talked. A bad sign, my friend--a bad
sign when a fellow can't look you In the
face. Poor Wentworth"
"He has been extremely nervous lately
and seemed to shun every one Of us. No
wonder. guess it kept him pretty busy
trying to cover up his tracks. have no
doubt his systematic swindling has been
going on for u long time. l never did
like him. Always thought he had much
too wide a scope for such young fel-
low"
After a few more like comments they
separated, each one perfectly satisfied
with his own conviction of the guilt OF
their very recent friend, one sympathetic
another condemning without mercy; this
one with a shrug Of the shoulder, that
one with q glance Of the eye, according
to their different ways Of expressing opin'
ions of guilt.
1t was utterly impossible to keep the
scandal from the newspapers. Within
"a hours the world was informed that
Allan Wentworth, most promising
business and society young man of San
Francisco, was q thief and a fugitive
from justice. Some of the writer's men
toned his noble traits-Others had no
recollection Of his good qualities, notwith-
standing that he had many. They were
not at all surprised that the crash had
come. They had been expecting 1t with
journalistic prescience.
Before the end Of another day n run
was made on the bank. Men who had
prospered had large sums Mt stake; sad
eyed women had trusted their all to it;
the widows mite was in its haDds-men
Of all grades. conditions and nations, wo-
men from the hiGhsst rank Of society %