Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-28
A Passage in the Life
of an Honest Man ~
BY HOWARD FIELDING.
Copyrighted BY Daily story Pub, Co


~ GORGE was a thief. at 2 o'clock
earlier he had been merely an i'm.
prudent young man who had neg
lected a matter of S25 borrowed by him
from Cash
Fay If his account had been stunned
over to anybody elsea bltS WillIanlsI
the matter might not appear sd
black, but George had been promoted
over Williams head; the fellow hated
him, and would carry the matter
straight to the supreme head of
everything.
$25-but ho had tried all hts friends
in the Office, aud it would not Hbe
easy to get out" Yet it must be
done; the alternative was criminal
prosecution-sheer ruin.
George laid his hand upon the lid
of his desk to pull it down. With or
without an excuse he must go out
and find that money. 1t was impos-
sible that he should wreck his life,
destroy his prospects just as they
were beginning to be so bright, and
break his fathers heart. with shame
--all for suns not much greater
than his wages for a week.
just as he arose from his seat, a
hand was laid upon his, arm. and he
turned to face Old BEN the soft
footed messenger, mysterious as a
demon of eastern fable, who did the
will of the supreme head of the ess
Establishment.
Mr.. Hartman wants to see you"
said this STRENGTHENING,
George uttered faint sound as If
some one had struck him lightly in
the pit of the stomach He tried to
say lall right" but his vocal organs
moved like those Of the dumb.
This must be the end of him.
Either his crime had been discovered
already or his interview with Mr..
3 Hartman would take the time in
which he might have saved himself
IL mattered not which way fate
might choose.
Il wonder If there is anything in
making clean breast of it?" he said
to himself, as he walked toward Har-
riman's room; aud then he remem-
bered what had happened to a. cer-
tain young man who had done that
very thing.
At the thought. George shut his
teeth firmly, and endeayored to
stiffen his legs which felt like two
pieces of string. It seemed that the
floor was no longer on level and he
saw four knobs on Harriman's door,
as he stretched forth his hand to
open it.
There was fat-topped mahogany
desk as large as dinner table in the
middle of the room, and at the oppo-
site side of it sat Hartman. His
eyes were smaller, his nose was
larger, his chin was fatter, and his
coloring was a brighter red than ever
before in Georges recollection of him.
The protuberance on the top OF his
head seemed higher than usual, and
the blue-blaek hair stood up on 1t, as
II upon the back of an angry cat.
George had been in the great mans
presence oftener, during the past
year, than any other minor empioye
in the main office. He was an object
of envy on that account. Hartman
had intrusted to him certain portions
of the correspondence with the chiefs
of the smaller agencies throughout
the country, and had frequently re-
ceived the young mans suggestions
with favor. George admired him; be-
heved he was the greatest business
genius between the two oceans; and
had accepted his favor as the highest
blessing in the gift Of Providence.
The idea of appearing before this man
as a thief was thing to die Of.