The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-05-03
WORLDS WAY
A Story of n Defaulter Who Was
Guiltless.

@..:E.:H:...>:.. 800 80
Allan Wentworth had been cashier Of
the leading bank of San Francisco for six
years. On his twenty-frst birthday his fa-
Tiers influence had placed him in that
responsible position. He had never been
Obliged to angle discouraeingly in nm
profitable waters, as is the common Iot
of boys not born with the traditional sill
yer spoon in their mouths Allan Won't
worth, Sr., had fought the breakers in
the surgng 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 contemno-
Tary struggling beginners. Young Went
worth dashed right into the battle of the
business world without any preliminaries
whatever.
Six years he worked continuously and
vel, 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 ace of
- he was rightfully recognized all over
the state of California as the young Ma
poeon Of finance, the model of every fa-
Tiers 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"
To him business was all absorbing. He
never left it, carried it with him always.
In his home, ut his table, by his fireside.
it was the theme with which he enter
tanned his young wife, his young wifes
friends when he had time to speak to
them; it was his political law, his rcli-
giou~ dogma, his theory Of social ceono-
my his domestic discourse, his every
thing.
But a few months elapsed. Even while
their honeymoon was in its first quarter
clouds of such impcnetrable thickness 50
ob~cured the sky of these young people
that they must needs grope in the dark
ness of deepest sorrow and abjcct shame
Allan Wentworth, the steady going the
perfectly proper Allan Wentworth, was
dclauter, fleeing for fear Of arrest a
snoakng scmblance of his old fascinating
magnetic personality, afraid TO look his
brother man in the face!
Pity only intensified the wifc's love
Without a murmur Sylvia shared Adams
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 bluntucss,
tod her of his crime nor how her heart
almost failed her when he tremblingy
told her that they must leave their home
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
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
" they entered the railroad station and
took a 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
WoWh's flight 4 note was found upon his
otIlco desk blazonng to the world his I'M
faithfulncss, his brother officials treated
1t as huge, though indiscreet, joke. 1t
was without an envelope, and had pryine
eyes seen it a rumor might have been
started not at all pleasant for the institu
ton 1t read:
am defaulter to the bank. have distracted
many Thousands Of dollars-how many only a
to-e examination OF my books will show. All is
4 gone, ALLAN WENTWORTH
Il When the usual hour for his appearance
a had passed and he had not come Il mild
surprise was expressed by his associates.
When noon arrived and he was still alb
sent, the surprise had become a subject Of
anxious discussion. Such thing had not
occurred in the six years of his service
81 N.on the messenger boy returned and
~ Slb that Wentworth had left home the
"a night before and that no one knew just
"a WHEN or where he had gone. the anxious
surprise became fearful wonder Wonder
H ndcred suspicion. Suspicion once
PORN GREATNESS, it lives and grows into
Va beIuC
The note was brought forth and exam
med infinitely. The writer was nervous,
N 1lt u was his Enthusiastically, most irreg-
ular but it was there.
IL was useless to try to hush the mat
lcn The cashiers confession of guilt
Aad been made too public for that. Soon
uer" were whispers that dare not be
M H llCl IullOIS luUl NpUlu u't
do"u began to float in the air first softly
ana vaguely, then louder and yet louder
AL lher were agitatcd in tones of bolder as
@gons, until the bank was gradually
lu'wn into CONSERVATION. The presi-
N7l called a meeting of the directors
Wen, | can scarcely believe my own
SgeS he said as he finished reading
N'hiWorth's note to them. There is
one thing sure" he added, with batcd
ofe1tl-''if Allan Wentworth has de-
quilted, it must he for enough to close
,,esa doors. He would never do any
',i2 small-no. not even small theft. "
EXPERTS were put upon the books at
oH'e and private detectives engaged TO
Ua.e the whereabouts of the fugitive.
", haven't You noticed how queerly
non,Wouh has been acting lately?" ask
el mo teller Of the accountant
les; no one could help noticing the
IIItnhsc He lost all his usual frankness.
'> eyes for month haven't looked an
man in the face, not even when
~ U4hed. bad sign. my friend-a bad
lgn when fellow can't look you III the
iace. Poor Wentworth
lie has been extremely nervous lately
'lnd seemed to shun every one of us. No