Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-08-16
A PAGE OF SHORT STORIES FOR THE CHILDREN

Some one in the Office had hickman
ed him DUMMY because he was such
a quiet boy and not because he was
stupid He seldom had anything to
say, but he was never sullen and never
impertinent. His duties were well and
faithfully performed He had way of
whistlng softly while about his work,
but he was never noisy. He never had
to be told anything twice and there
was not more truthful boy in the
Office.
Dumby was the shabbiest boy in the
whole office, but if silence was a mat
ter OF choice his shabbiness was not.
He had gentlemanly instincts and
would have liked to be we'll dressed.
He could not do this On salary of
IS week
1t took half of all he earned to pay
the rent of the tnlee tiny rooms in
which he and his widowed mother
and his two little sisters lived. His
mother earned s. week in shirt
factory The money the boy and his
mother earned was the sole income
of the family. Dumby's mother called
him by his right name of Edgar and
he never told her that the boys in the
office called him Dumby
There were eight or ten boys and
fifteen men in the office where DUMMY
worked. Dumby was at the beck and
call of several of the clerks, and when
certain bell rang he had to present
himself in the private Office of Mr.. De
Witt, the manager of the entire busi
ness
Mr.. De Witt generally addressed
DUMMY as Boy Sometimes he said
my boy, for he was Of a kindly dis
position, although he did not MANI
fest any interest in Dumby. The
cashier, Mr.. Cole WAS abrupt and bus
iness-like, and when he spoke to
DUMMY he usually sal. Come, boy, ,,
look alive now
Mr. Cole was next in authority to
Mr. De Witt and when Mr. De Witt
was away, which was much of the
time. Mr. Cole was manager as we'll
as cashier. One day Mr.. Cole called
Dumby to his desk and said:
Il want you to take the deposit to
the bank today. Heffern, the boy who
usually takes it, is at home sick You
can do it, can't you?'
Yes, sir
You will need to be very careful
with it,
Yes, sir, | know"
There's over So 0o0 in cash and /
checks that are the same as cash.
Have you an inside pocket in your
jacket? ?"
Yes, sir.
well put the bank book and money
in there and button your jacket up
tight before you go out
The bank was put few blocks dis
tant 1t was on the second floor in
large business house. fight of
marble steps led from the street en-
trance up to the floor on which the
banking rooms were. DUMMY unbut-
toned his jacket and took out the bank
book as he climbed the marble stairs.
He stopped for half minute at the
head of the stairs to arrange the bills
neatly, then he walked down wide
hall to a door leading into the bank
with the bank book in his hands. tie
paid no heed to a man standing by
an open window at the top of the
nal apparently doing nothing but gaz
ing down into the street below.
The man turned around when he
heard the boy S footsteps on the mar
BILE floor of the hall. His small, gilt
tering. black eyes fell on the bank
book. He looked quickly up and down
the hall There was no one in 1t
but himself and Dumby. He waited
until the boy was within six feet OF
him. then he sprang forward, snatch
ed the book and its contents from
he boy and gave him a violent push