Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1903-09-03
A COMEDY OF
LOST NUMBERS

tOrtg1nal.J
~Oh. Maria. I'm ruined! Our wed.
ding will have to be postponed"
For heavens sake. George. what's
the matte:r'
I've lost twenty 800 bills."
''WhereT'
|Where7 What nonsense! II knew
Ahere. wouldn't I 60 ard end theml
I've been robbed"
'Robbedr'
Zone Of the customers Of the house
came into the Office last evening when I
was alone and insisted on paying me
$1,000. I told him that would not
receive II. as the safe was locked and
{ didn't know the combination. Then
he said he had to take q night train
for New York and must receive Il. as
he wouldn't carry It with him. Fear
Ing he would report me to the nrm
and they would blame me, consented
and gave him q receipt. After he had
gone put the bills In my inside peck
ct and started for home. I can remem>
Der leaving the Office and walking q
short distance; then my memory stops.
At the end Of blank I was lying on
the sidewalk. with a crowd around me.
The FIRST thing did was to put my
hand in my pocket to feel for the bills.
They were 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 your
why, the policemen say that I was
nd toll FOL hxv
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 a memorandum Of their mum.
bers after the customer had gone.
e "You have the memorandum
That's what troubles me. II had
that, the bills could be recovered.
can't remember what did with It"
Don't distress yourself. George, dear.
must find II. First the Office must be
ransacked."
The Office has been ransacked.
don't believe left 1t there"
Nor 1. 1t would be more natural
for you to take 1t with you. I hope
you didn't put 1t in with the notes."
II don't know whether I did or not.
My head aches yet. and I can't re-
member Eluch Of anything"
do they blame you at the Officer
"Oh. yes. They say that I 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 he
found. Yon may have put II in some
safe place In the Office so unusual that
1t will be very hard to find it. You
must attend to that. can't help you.
II you put ii in any Of your pockets, I
will find II. for I will 60 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 q
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 as go to your
home. and I will make a search"
First give me your coat"
"Here IL is"
snow your vest and trousers"
Here they are"
your hat. You may have put the
money In the lining. No; 1t is not in
any Of your pockets nor your hat. Did
you have on glovesT'
mo"
"You wouldn't have put II in your
shoes. I've examined all your outer
clothing. I don't suppose you have
any pockets In your underclothingr'
Not except i'm my nightshirt. in
which have a pocket for my handker-
chief. but (contemptuously) didn't
have on my nightshirt on the street."
Certainly not. Have you got on the
shirt you had on when you were rob-
bedY
mo. Mother gave me a clean one
to put on this morning"
What did she do with the soiled
oneY'
"Oh. my dear. you are wearing me
out"
III you will get me the soiled shirt.
I'll not trouble you any more
Here II Is I'm the closet. But I must
say that II seems very ridiculous to
overhaul shirt TO find a memoran-
dun. 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 Il may be that after all very con-
temptuously) there II some connection
between 5000 and a soiled shirt. Hero
Il ia"
"wbere IL the collarY
ooh, that's In the closet too. I sup
pose you want the cuffsT'
yes, I do"
"well. here's the whole thing. By
tbunderr'
These marks in pencil on the cuYI
What are theyT