Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-04-30
A COMEDY OF
LOST NUMBERS
IOriginal.l

lSCIlS
ooh, Maria, Pm ruined. Our we'd
ding will have to be postponed"
For heavens sake, George, what's
the matter?"
ave lost twenty 500 bills"
"Where?"
"Where? What nonsense! If knew
where, wouldn't | go and find them?
I've been robbed"
Robbed"
Zone of the customers of the house
came into the office last evening when
was alone and insisted on paying me
$1,000. l told him that l would not
receive it, as the safe was locked and
l didn't know the combination. Then
he said he had to take a night train
for New York and l must receive it, as
he wouldn't carry it with him. Fear
ing he would report me to the firm
and they would blame me. consented
and gave him receipt. After he had
gone put the bills in my inside peck
ct and started for home. l can remem-
Der leaving the office and walking a
short distance; then my memory stops.
AT the end of blank l was lying on
the sidewalk, with a crowd around me.
The first thing l did was to put my
hand in my pocket to feel for the bills.
They We're gone"
Gone? Oh. George
"a couple of policemen took me home,
and mother persuaded me to go to bed"
But what was the matter with you?"
"Why, the policemen say that 1 was
undoubtedly followed by some person
or persons who sandbagged me and
took the money. Any one could see
into the office, for the gas was on and
the curtains not drawn. They may
have seen me counting the bills and
making memorandum of their num-
bers after the customer hah gone.
You have the memorandum"
"That's what troubles me. If l had
that, the bills could be recovered.
can't remember what | did with it,
Don distress yourself, George. dear.
Since you remember making it, we
must find it. First the office must be
ransacked'
'The office has been ransached. l
don't believe left it there"
Nor L. 1t would be more natural
for YOU to take it With you. l hope
you didn't put it in with the notes.
II don't know whether l did or not.
My head aches yet, and l can't re-
member much of anything
do they blame you at the Officer"
"Oh. yes. They say that had no
business to receive the money"
'And do they intimate-have they
shown any disposition to suspect
YOU
They don't say so, but they look it."
"George, that memorandum must be
found. You may have put it in some
| safe place in the Office so unusual that
it will be very hard to find it. You
must attend to that. l can't help you.
| If you put it in any Of your pockets, I
will find it, for l will go home with
you and turn them all inside out"
Mother has done that already. No,
nothing can be done. There's no hope
of tracing notes the numbers of which
we don't know. We are taken from
height of happiness and plunged into
an abyss of misery. Tomorrow in
stead of being married I may be be-
hind bars
Cheer up. Come; let us go to your
home, and | will make u search"
=
First give me your coat"
'Here it is"
| NNnu- nd
Here they are"
"Your hat. You may have put the
money in the lining. No; it is not in
any of your pockets nor your hat. Did
you have on gloves"'
| "No.'
you wouldn't have put it in your
shoes. I've examined all your outer
clothing. | don't suppose you have
any pockets in your underclothing?'
Not except in my nightshirt, in
which l have a pocket for my handker-
chief. but (contemptuously) l didn't
have on my nightshirt on the street"
Certainly not. Have you got on the
shirt you had on when you were rob-
bed?"
| NO. MOtner gave me clean one
to put on this morning."
what did she do with the soiled
one?"
ooh. my dear. you are wearing me
out"
IF you will get me the soiled shirt,
I'll not trouble you any more"
Here it is in the closet. But l must
say. that it seems very ridiculous to
overhaul shirt to find memoran-
dunn. But father gave me long lee
ture the other night to serve me, after
being married, about the singular
ways women have Of getting at things,
and it may be that after all very con-
temptuously) there is some connection
between $1,000 and soiled shirt. Here
1t is"
"Where is the collar?"
"Oh, that's in the closet too. sup
pose you want the cuffs?"
eyes, do
well, here's the whole thing. By
thunder"