The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-11-07

and beautiful
She had been spending the winter
at Pass Christian with her aunt, who
was an invalid: and for the invalid's
sake the return passage was taken
on the "Belle Julie" On the morning
of the second day out, when the New
Orleans papers came aboard, the two
of them were sitting in the shade
of the hurricane deck aft. Charlotte
bought a paper and read the account
of the bank robbery with a little
gasp of belated horror.
''What is it, Charlotte?" asked the
invalid.
Charlotte read the reporters story.
Dear me. How shockingly bold!"
commented Miss Gilman.
"Yes; but that wasn't what made
me gasp. The paper says: "A young
lady was at the teller's window
Aunt Fanny, | was the young lady I"
"You? Horrors!" calculated the
invalid.
'It's true. And I had no more
idea-why, it seems incredible"
II should tnlnk III would.
"There wasn't anything about it to
suggest robbery" Charlotte went
on. "The man was smiling, and he
had a good face-a face that one
would trust almost intuitively."
"Charlotte!" exclaimed her aunt.
81 do hope they can't trace you by
your fathers draft"
"What If they could?"
'Don't you see! You'd be dragged
into court to identify the robber.
And that would be simply dreadful"
81 shouldn't want to be dragged.
1T would be simple duty to go will
lingly. More than that, think
| ought to write to Mr.. Galbralth and
give him my name and address"
But at this the invalid protested
with what authority there was In
her, and Charlotte agreed finally TO
wait until the matter of duty had
been submitted to her father.
Here the subject was dropped, ana
Charlotte vsSt to her stateroom to
get a Book for herself and maga-
zine fer the fMgalid 1t was full
hour later, and Miss Gilman was deep
in the last instaEment of the maya
zine serial. when Charlotte gave up
the struggle with the book. Do what
she could, the scene in the bank
would thrust itself between; and At
length she let the thought have Its
will of her.
From where she was sitting she
could see the steamers yawl swing
ing from it's tackle on the stern
staff. In the midst of the reminis-
cent thought, she saw that the ropes
were working loose; that the yawl
would presently fall. When she rose
to go and tell some one, man came
aft to make the tackle fast, and she
stepped aside to let him pass.
1t was Griswold. She saw his face
as he passed. and there was some
thing strangely familiar in it. When
he had fastened the rope and was
returning, she had a fair look at him
and for an instant was fain to grip
the back of her chair to keep from
CRYING out. For in that instant she
recognized him.
Now, this young woman was wise
beyond her years. and she knew
what she had to do. None the less,
she was a true woman. with heart
full of tenderness and pity. So it II
not wonderful that for a moment
conscience turned traitor, and was
dumb. But it was only for q mo-
ment. The simple and obvious thing
to do was to go at once and tell
the captain what she had discovered;
and she was deferred from so doing
only by the reflection that less ter
rible alternative would be the send
Ing of letter to the New Orleans
bank people.
This she determined upon, telling
her aunt nothing of her discovery,
but merely saying that upon second
thought she felt that she must write
to Mr.. Galbraith at once. Miss Gil
man withdrew her objections reluc-
family.
"If you must, Charlotte. But it
seems like a very dreadful thing for
you to have to do"
'It is very dreadful" said Char
Iotte, with a sob in her voice. New
ertheless, she went away quickly to
write the letter which should set tho
machinery of the law in motion.