The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-11-14
HE sent u messenger, as he usually

He sent messenger, as he usually
does''
Betty nodded The bank swan and
for an instant he" brain reeleJ us she
turned away. perpleScd and vaguely
conscious of impending evil.
Ten thousand dollars!
Even to Bstty's vague business rea-
soning $4,000 seemed Il COOL deal to
lose track of. But there mus be some
good reason why Gordon hal filled in
the check for so much, for Miss Max
wells methods of dealing with the
management Of her estate had not
changed, and, though she still signed
her hands of further responsibility,
and Gordon usually filed them in.
Once at home she hurried to her
desk. She had prejudice against
keeping her check book in orelc". and
an appalling number of hastily scrawl-
ed stubs confronted her. She worked
busily, covering a pad with figures and
counting up totals on her fingers. But
it was slow work, and near the end
one stub stared out from the rest pro-
vokingly.
1t was blank.
She leaned her elbows on the desk
and, resting her chin in he: hands,
stared hard into space. There was the
check unaccounted for. and he had
filled it out for $4,000. No one knew
how many others he had used He
was welcome to the money. She would
not fight it if she could But he had
seemed SO different, and she had trust
ed him. Slowly her head sank on the
desk, and the heiress of the Maxwell
millions cried her eyes out like any
ordinary lovesck girl.
1t was ten hours later-ten dreary
interminable hours-that the clock on
Betty's dressing table chimed 1.
Betty shivered. No sleep had come
to her eyes. Getting out of bed, she
slipped into q dressing gown. She
would read. Anything would be bet
ter than lying in bed open eyed an(
slecpless moaning over James Gordon
|
opened her door and ran hurriedly
down into the hall below. Pushing
open the library door very gently. sht
entered the room, then uttered fain
scream
The room was lighted by the fain
rays of a bullseye lantern.
Standing at her desk with his bacl
to her. opening her check book, wa
Tom Cornish
Starting convulsively at sound of he
Cry. he turned and confronted her
white to the lips. Betty" he STAN
mered.
Miss Maxwell stood very still.
''Tom." she said, "why did you d.
ft?'
But Tom had fallen into a chair an,
hidden his shamed face in his hands.
"It's all up" he said hoarsely. "I'n
dead broke. and I thought stood
chance to stake myself once more rv
had the devils own luck lately.
lost every cent of that other check"
Betty looked at him as if in a dream
"The check-yOur check. was dea
broke-debts everywhere-and l &c
hold Of your check book. knew Gol
don did about as he ~pieased-and
was your signature all right. mean
to give it back to you, Betty. as 500
as my luck turned, l really did"
But to his mystitication Betty wa
looking at him with shining eyes. 81
was you who cashed the check fC
ten thousand" she repeated softly. 81
was you-it was you"
1t was weeks before she told Go
don and he, being wise young ma
in his generation, said no word of he
hygone injustice, but his arms wei
round her, and he held her close. viii
she. crying quietly, hid her face again:
his coat.
NO other man would have unde
STOOD" she whispered softly.