The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-05-03
WORLD WAY
A Story of a DefauIter Who Was
Guiltless.
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Allan Wentworth had been cashier of
the leading bank of San Francisco for six
years On his twenty-frst birthday his fa-
theirs influence had placed him in thar
responsible position. He had never bonn
obliged to angle discouragingly in nm
profitable waters, as is the common Iot
Of boys not born with the traditional sill
yer spoon in their mouths. Allan Wont.
worth, Sr., 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 contcmno-
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 untlagging, evincing
the greatest business tact, the utmost
fidelity, the most scrupulous honesty. AS
sociation with older men advanced him
much beyond his years. At the ace of
- he was rightfully recognized all over
the state of California as the young Ma
poIcou Of finance, the model of every ia
thcr's 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
lottcd 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"
10 lin 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-
N.Y. his domestic discourse, his every
thing.
But few months elapsed. Even while
their honeymoon was in its first quarter
clouds of such impcnetrable thickness 50
obscured the sky of these young people
that they must needs grope in the dark
ness of deepest sorrow and abicct shame.
Allan Wentworth, the steady going, the
perfectly proper Allan Wentworth, was
defautcr fleeing for fear of arrest, a
sneaking scmblance of his old fascinating,
magnetic personality, afraid to look his
brother man in the face!
Pity only intensified the wife's love.
Without Il murmur Sylvia shared Allan 5
shame. Faithfully she followed him in
his hide and seek game with the officers
\ of the law. She could never forget her
Il terror when Allan, with true bluntness,
"A told her of his crime nor how her heart
almost failed her when he tremblingly
told her that they must leave their home
n that very night, stealthily on foot, for
the SleuthhOunds of the law were al
ready on his tracks. How nervously his
hand tWitched when he took hers and
h 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
iy 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 dingy
railroad hotel
When on the morning following Went
Worths flight n note was found upon his
ONCE desk blazoning to the world his un-
falthtulncSs. his brother officials treated
II as huge though indiscreet, joke. 1t
was without an envelope, and had pryine
eyes seen it Il rumor might have been
started not at all pleasant for the institu-
ton. 1t read:
am dafaulter to the bank. / have abstractel
many thousands of dollars-how many only a
co'e examination Of my books will show. All is
goHe ALLAN WENTWORTH.
When the usual hour for his appearance
nag PASSED and he had not come. mild
surprise was expressed by his associates.
"ueh noon arrived and he was still alb
sent the surprise had become a subject Of
"uAlous discussion. Such thing had not
occurred in the six years of his service.
"ueh the messenger boy returned and
s!la lhat Wentworth had left home the
H'sNl before and that no one knew Just
"neN or where he had gone, the anxious
surprise became fearful wonder. Wonder
sn-ehlered suspicion. Suspicion once
Uoln' breathless, it lives and grows into
belief. " ~
me note was brought forth and exam
inca mtnutcly. The writer was nervous,
m ul' IL was his unmistakably, most irrcg-
ulgr bnt it was there.
was useless to try to hush the mat
"r The cashiers confession Of guilt
uau heen made too public for that Soon
5poEen Then rumors that would not
ooWn began to float in the air, first softly
I %uu vaguely, then louder and yet louder
rVI We're agitatcd in tones of bolder as
%f,uonS' until the bank was gradually
I""n INTO CONSERVATION. The presi-
V.y a,,. called a meeting of the directors.
ven, / can scarcely believe my own
WS' he said as he finished reading
"eul|orth's note to them. "Thcre is
ue tllng sure" he added. with bated
egH'l-'n Allan Wentworth has de-
S0l'ed, 1t must he for enough to close
T, .Se doors. He would never do any
',,s is SInaIl-no, not even a small theft.
o, ,,ApeftS were put upon the books at
s ,e ana private detectives engaged to
a,, the whereabouts of the fugitive.
W haven't You noticed how queerly
oa.9 oda.99'~orth has been acting lately|' ask
NJ arP tel'er of the accountant.
oh I%' no one could help noticing the
ITg'"V' lie lost all his usual frankness.
lo YES for month haven't looked an
, man in the face, not even Whcn
"ihrd A bad sign my frend-a bad
su When a fellow can't look you III tue
've, We, Poor Wentworthr
ne has been extremely nervous latey
uu seemed to shun every one of us. NO