Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
Under SUSPICION.
IOriginaL-1

| To-day at noon went 10 the CLOAK
room to get my handkerchief. which 1
had left by mistake. and found the
large INSIDE pocket of my cloak filed
| with Iaces.''
Good gracious. What did you doT'
81 didn't do anything. l knew that
was in a dangerous position and want
| ed to take the right course. l went
! back TO my counter to think it over
and concluded during the afternoon to
take the things to the office and state
the case, but when 1 went back to the
! cloakroom the Iaces were gone"
Taken out by some one who put
| them there?'
| ~ don't know. They my have been
| taken by one of the store detectives
what are you going TO do about itY'
Nothing. If they were taken away
| by the thief there's no need to say
anything; if by n detective, he will Ell
ther accuse me at once or watch me-"
Elizabeth Childers was the daughter
| of Archibald Chiblers, Who had lived
rich and died poor. Her mother taught
music, and Bessie sold fancy articles
| in the dry goods store of Banning &
Co. The next day Bertram Banning,
| son of the head of the firm, walked
past her counter, looking at her with
an expression that might mean any
| thing. but surely meant something.
Bessie naturally ascribed it to the fact
| that she was a suspected thief. That
night she renewed her plant to her
mother. and the two were in an agony
of distress, expecting that an arrest
would soon follow.
But the arrest did not follow, and
the mother and daughter agreed that
the firm was waiting further evidence
of her guilt. Mr.. Bertram Banning
whenever he passed Bessie's counter
gave her the same interested glance.
She made every effort to appear COM
posed, and she succeeded admirably.
Then one day Mr.. Banning stopped at
her counter and had little chat with
her. She had no doubt that he was
intending to draw from her some evil
dence to criminate her, but he con-
fined himself to very ordinary topics
that could not possibly bear on the
subject of stolen goods. A few days
later he spoke to her again, this time
intimating that he had made the dis
covery that she was the daughter of
the once wealthy banker, Archibald
Chiders.
That he had been making inquiries
about her was apparent, though his
detectives had doubtless gathered the
information. The poor girl was in
dreadful suspense. She wished that
it might end even If by her arrest.
Bertram Banning was evidently man.
aging the case, and she wondered that
so affable young man with so much
wealth at his command or in prospect
did not leave such unpleasant matters
to some one else.
One day Bessie was notified that she
was promoted TO n higher position at
very largely increased salary. The
first flash of pleasure in this advance
was dashed by the suspicion that it
was intended to get her where she
could be the more easily entrapped.
She talked the matter over with her
mother. and they agreed that possibly
the thief of the laces was at the bot
tom of 1t all. At any rate, influences
were at work to get positive evidence.
To find stolen goods on her clothing
might not be sufficient. She must be
caught in the act. As she did not in
tend to steal anything she had no fear
of being caught. but she did fear be-
ing made to stand in the place OF a
thief. Her suspicious were confirmed
when she found that she was placed
in charge of a stock of goods kept in
n room by themselves and where she
would be great deal of the time
alone. That there was peephole
through which she would be watched
she did not doubt.
The day of her entry on her new dn-
ties Bertram Banning came in and
congratulated her on her advance, es-
peciaIly as she would not have to sell
the goods, only to be responsible for
them. She received him in her usual
constrained manner, and the more in
terested he appeared in her welfare
the more confirmed she became that
he was trying to decoy her of her
guard.
Weeks went by. and as there was no
denouement of the plot Bessie conclud-
ed that some one had been fooled.
One day Bertram Banning came into
her room with an expression on his
face that convinced her the bomb was
about to explode. He did not at once
explode it. He beat about the bush
with embarrassment. Finally, bracing
himself for an effort, he said:
Miss Childers, l have something
ooh. don'tw cried Bessie, covering
her face with her hands.
You know, then. You have looked
beyond
"Oh. Mr.. Banning, that you should'- |
She could not go on.
And why not? Is there anything |
dishOnorable in
No. not dishonorable, but If you |
only knew how unjust
"Unjust?'
''Yes. / am absolutely innocent"
as it innocent to steaP'-
81 did not"
Miss Childers, you are a thief Of the |
rCnrSt Lind Trr1n rnI1 haze Sfnlarl an |