Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1902-05-01


| Tarnley Faldis to the position of re-
| ceiving teller of the Thirteenth Ma
| tional Bank he began to show signs of
the widening of his horizon. He SPELL
ed out his middle name in full and ac-
| quired the art of appearing at ease
| in dress suit. He narrowed his So
cial orbit until he felt justified in
| classifying himself as exclusive,
and then he discreetly fell in love with
the daughter of Abel Lingar, the presi-
dent of the bank.
Fortunately for him Miss Lingar
was not beautiful of face, and there
was neither symmetry nor grace in her
| figure. These gaps in her structural
charms made his love course easy.
In visiting her fathers bank her
keen eye fell on Faldis. He was rather
pleasing in appearance. with light
blue eyes, blonde mustache and a
pink and white complexion. He could
sing all of the popular and sentimen-
tai songs. He sang the sentimental
ones for her and before the end of the
season he was calling her Ethyl when
| no one else was in hearing.
When he asked her to marry him,
she gave him her hand and their Sc
cret troth was plighted. All that re-
manned to be done was to obtain the
consent of Abel Lingar. Here Faldis
training was a hindrance and not a
help to him. He could not disassociate
Ethyl's father from the president of
the Thirteenth National Bank, and he
could not summon sufficient courage
to ask President Lingar for the hand
of his daughter in marriage.
When he arose in the morning his
resolution was fixed, but at night he
returned fretfully to his couch with
the dreaded task still ahead of him.
Whenever he would put himself in the
| presence of Ethyl's father it was only
to discover the great president of the
Thirteenth National Bank and he
would retire in deferential confusion.
One evening when closing his &C
counts he found they were wrong.
There, in his own handwriting, was a
false entry of $4,000 Over and over
the books he went, but the studied
examination only confirmed the awful
evidence that he was short $4,000.
At the sight of President Lingar
stalking majestically through the
counting room of the bank to his pri-
waite office, Faldis shook with terror
1t suddenly occurred to his over
wrought mind that perhaps the bank
had an unexplained overplus of $780,
600. With the impulse of this vagary
he rushed off to the Office.
Il beg your pardon, Mr.. Lingar," he
81
overplus of $4,000 -
"What?"
Has anyone made an error"
can error? An error of $40, 000?"
Numbered Lingar
The cold, accusing manner of Lingar
sounded the depths of Faldis' abjec-
ton. The reaction was instantaneous.
The pale blue eyes of the teller ceased
to waver in their glances and became
as fixed and steely as those of the
president. No longer cringing, he
Strengthened up defiantly.
Did you say there was an error of
$20,000?" said Lingar in slightly soft
ened tones.
! 81 did not, but there is an item of
that amount in my books which 1 am
unable to explain"
You are i'll, Faldis. Take rest of
a day or so. Johnson viii take your
place"
Faldis went back to his cage. A few
minutes later Johnson. the assistant
cashier, entered it. Faldis had on his
hat and was buttoning his overcoat
johnson did not notice that Faldis
| hr11o OF ha
GO through my accounts carefully
Mr.. Johnson, and find the mistake, l
i am ill"
| Faldis walked slowly out of the
bank A thick jawed, athletic looking
man stepped quietly out of the office
from behind Lingar. and followed like
a shadow on the footsteps of Faldis.
A few hours later Johnson entered
the presidents office with a sheet of
paper in his hand.
st find that this item of 5000 is
merely a clerical error, Mr.. Lingar,"
he said.
"Then there is nothing irregular in
Faldis' accounts?" said Lingar, bright
ening up.
"Nothing-that is nothing in this
COHuSCIlOH nave uOI IOuSuL Iu6
| figures up to date yet
Then do it. I'll watt
Johnson returned to the presidents
office late that afternoon with tremb-
bling hand and quivering lip.
What is it, Mr.. Johnson" cried
Lingar. springing from his chair
'Faldis is short $3.50, 900 on to-day's
slip"
Lingar gasped, but with his return
ing pulse his eyes flashed with quick
| glare of triumph.
I'VE will not lose it, he cried. 'He
had the money in his pockets when he
| walked out of here this morning He