The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-10-13
CHAPTER Iv.-fcorr,rrrrurp !,

Il CHAPTER IV.-l CoNTI NUED.i $3
That same night the clerk entered
B upon a bout Of drunkenness SO con-
sistent as to surprise even his intimate
+acquaintances. He was speedily elected
slrom the boarding house; eposited his
sportmanteau with perfect stranger,
who did not even catch his name; wan
sdered he knew not where, and was at
last hove-to, all standing, in a hospital
4 mt Sacramento. There, under the I'M
:penetrable alias Of the number OF his
bed, the crapulous being lay for some
more days unconscious of all Things,
and Of one thing in particular: tn at the
police were after him. Two months
bad come and gone before the conval-
ascent in the Sacramento hospital was
identified with Kirkman, the aDscond-
ing San Francisco clerk; even then,
there must, elapse nearly a fortnight
more till the perfect stranger could i pc y.
hunted UP, the portmanteau recovered coy 9
and John ST. etter# carried at length 81 TO
Its destination, the seal still unDfoheE,3
the Enclosure still intact. sss%,E q 81
5@, Meanwhile, John had gone upon MS
holidays without a word, which was IT..
sregular; and there had disappeared
with him certain sum OF money,
which was out Of all bounds OF pallla-
Hion. But he was known to be careless,
and believed TO be honest; the manager
besides had a regard for him; and Ill III
tile was said, although something was va!
MO doubt thought, until the fortnight 1't
was finally at an end, and the time ne had
come for John to reappear Then, in
deed, the affair began to- look black;
and when inquiries were made, ana the
penniless clerk was found to have
samassed thousands of dollars, and Kept
them secretly in arrival establishment,
The stoutest Of his friends abandoned
him, the books were overhauied Tor
traces of ancient and artful fraud, ana
though none were found, there still
:prevailed a general impression OF loss.
The telegraph was set in motion; T. and nc
the correspondent of the bank in Edin-
burgh, for which place twas under
stood that John had armed himself
with extensive credits, was warned to
communicate with the police.
Now this correspondent was friend
Of Mr.. Nicholson's; he was we'll &C
quainted with the tale of Johns calam-
ttous disappearance from Edinburgh;
and putting one thing with another,
shasted with the first word OF this scan
dial, not to the police, but to his sfriend.
The old gentleman had long regarded
his son as one dead; Johns place had
been taken, the memory Of his faults
had already fallen to be one Of those
old aches, which awaken again il deed
upon OCCASION, but which we can al
ways vanquish by an effort OF the Will;
end to have the long lost resuscltated
In a fresh disgrace was doubly bitter.
3 ~.Macewen,'' said the old man, this
must be hushed up, if possible. II l
give you check for the sum, about
which they are certain, could you take
tt on yourself to let the matter rest?"
q 81 WILL said MaceWen. Il will take
Ahe risk of it." - - s 2.- = -
"You understand" resumed Mr..
Nicholson, speaking precisely, but with
ashen lips. Il do this for my family, not
Tor that unhappy young man. II it
should turn out that these suspicious
are correct, and he has embezzled large
sums, he must lie on his bed as he has
made it, And then looking up at
Macewen with nod, and one Of his
strange smiles: Goodbye" said he;
and Macewen, perceiving the case to be
too grave for consolation, took himself
of, and blessed God on his way home
xssaat he was childless: 2 ~ ,-,ss gss
go" y ,a's= st$s s. d #s> = - r.