Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-05
CHAPTER I.
The Incident at the Bank.

Drummond H NJ s. CONSERVATION. stood
aside to give precedence to a lady. The
lieutenant had visited the bank for the
purpose of changing several crisp white
Bank of England notes into the currency
Of the country he was then visiting. The
lady did not appear to notice either his
courtesy or his presence, and this was the
more remarkable since DrummOnd was a
young man sufficiently conspicuous even in
a crowd, and he and she were, at that mo-
ruent the only customers in the bank He
was tall, well-knit and stalwart, blond as
a Scandinavian. with dark blue eyes which
he sometimes said jocularly were the col
ors Of his university. He had been slowly
approaching the cashiers window with the
easy movement of man never in hurry,
when the girl appeared at the door and
advanced rapidly to the bank counter with
it's brass wire screen surrounding the arch
ed aperture behind which stood the cashier.
Although very plainly attired. her gown
nevertheless possessed a charm of sim
plicity that almost suggested complex
Paris. and she wore 1t with that air of dis
tinction the secret of which Is supposed to
be the exclusive property of French and
American women.
The young man saw nothing of this. and
although he appreciated the beauty of the
girl, what struck him at that instant was
the expression of anxiety on her face,
whose apparently temporary pallor was &C
centuated by an abundance of dark hair.
It seemed to him that she had resolutely
set herself task which she was most re-
luctant to perform. From the moment she
entered the door her large, dark eyes were
fixed almost appealingly on the cashier, and
they beheld nothing else. Drummond, men,
tally slow as he usually was, came to the
quick conclusion that this was a supreme
h..Vs tai,
issues depended He saw her left hand
grasp the corner of the ledge In front OF
the cashier with a grip of nervous tension,
as If the support thus attained was neoes-
sary to her. Her right hand trembled
slightly she passed an oblong slip of
paper through the aperture to the calm and
Indifferent official.
VIII you give me the money for this
check?' she asked in q low voice.
The cashier scrutinized the document for
some time In silence. The signature ap-
peared unfamiliar to him.
one moment madam, he said quietly,
and retired to desk in the back part of
the bank where he opened huge book,
turned over some leaves rapidly, and ran
his finger down page. His dilatory action
seemed to increase the young woman's
panic. Her palior increased, and she
swayed slightly, as If in danger of falling,
but brought her right hand to the assist
ance OF the left and 50 steaded herself
against the ledge of the cashiers counter.
self, there's something wrong here. 1
wonder what it is Such a pretty girl,
tool"
The cashier behind his screen saw moth
ing of this play of the emotions He re-
turned nonchalantly to his station and ask
ed in commonplace tones:
How will you have the money, madam"
Gold, If you please" she replied almost
in a whisper, a rosy flush chasing the
Wilderness from her face, while a deep sigh
marked the passing of a crisis
AT this juncture an extraordinary thing
happened. The cashier counted out some
golden coins, and passed them through the
aperture toward their new owner.
Thank YOU said the girl. Then with
out touching the money, she turned like
one hypnotized her unseeing eyes still tax
ing no heed OF the big lieutenant, and pass
ed rapidly out of the bank. The cashier
paid no regard to this abandonment of
treasure. He was writing some hero
Glyphics on the cashed check
BY Jovel" gasped the lieutenant aloud
sprtnging forward as he spoke sweeping
the coins into his hand, and boiling for the
door. This was action which would
have awakened the most negligent cashier
had he been in a trance. Automatically he
whisked out a revolver which lay in an
open drawer under his hand.
Stop, you scoundrel, or / tire!" he shout
go. but the lieutenant had already dlsap-
peared. Quick as thought the cashier
darted into the passage, and without wait
ing TO unfasten the low door which sepa-
rated the public and private rooms of the
bank, leaped over It, and, bareheaded, gave
chase a British naval officer in uniform
rapidly overtaking a young woman quite
unconscious Of his approach Followed by
an excited, bareheaded man with a revolver
In his grasp, was sight which would
quickly have collected q crowd almost any
where, but It happened to be the lunch
hour, and the Inhabitants OF that famous
summer resort We're indoors; thus fortu-
nateIy' the street was deserted. The naval
100
midday meal on board the cruiser did not
coincide with lunch time on shore The
girl was there because it happened to be
the only portion of the day when she could
withdraw unobserved from the house In
which she lived, during banking hours to
try her little agttating financial experiment
The cashier was there because the hank
had no lunch hour and because he had lust
witnessed the most suspicious circumstance
thet his constantly alert eye had ever be-
heId. calm and -imperturba BILE as a bank
cashier may appear to the outside puhlir
ne IS man under constant strain during
business hours. Each person with whom
ne IS unacquaiuted that confronts him at
MS post is a possible robber who AT any
moment may attempt, either by violence or
cftcanery. to fitch the treasure he guards
The happening OF any event outside The
usual routine at once arouses a cashiers
oistrust, and this sudden flight Of a stran-
ger with money which did not belong to
him quite justified the perturbation OF the
cashier. From that point onward iuuo-
cence Of conduct or explanation so explicit
as to satisfy any ordinary man becomes
evidence OF more subtle guilt to the mind
OF a bank official The ordinary citizen
seeing the lieutenant finally overtake and
e.cCost the hurrying girl raise his cap. then
pour into her outstreached hand the gold
he had taken would have known at once
that here was everyday exercise or
natural pOliteneSs Not so the cashier The
farther he got from the bank the more
poignantly did ne realize that these two IN
front both strangers 10 him. had by their
combined action. Iured him. pistol and all
away from his post during the dullest hour
Of the day. 1t was not the decamping with
those few pieces OF gold which now troubled
him, II was fear of what might be going
or behind him He was positive that these
two had acted In conjunction. The uni
form worn by the man did not impose upon
him. Any thief could easily come by q
uniform. and, his mind glanced rapidly
ba edward over the various points of the
scheme he saw how enfectual the plan was
fTst. the incredible remissness OF the wom-
an in leaving her gold on the counter; sec
ond the impetuous disappearance OF the
nan with the money. and. third. his own
needless plunge into the street after them.
He saw the whole ploc In fash; he had
literally leaped into the trap. and during
hts five ten minutes absence the accom-
pliCes OF the pair might have overswed the
ursrmed clerks and walked OF with the
treasure His cash drawer was unlocked,
and even the big safe stood wide open. Sur
prise had as e1ectually lured him away as