The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-26

bank and 90 to the rival institution"
That's part of the scheme. The rest
10 this: Next week the interest accrues,
/ II there Is run and the money Is with
drawn this interest is lost to the de-
positors. The First National will get the
use Of the money until the scare IL over
They announced tonight that their In
terest would be paid When the scare
Is over they will cut off the interest and
send the money back to their savings
bank, while, in the meantime. the stand
ing OF my bank is lost"
There 10 just one thing to be done"
said Degnon. producing a blank form.
Put electricity into your bank"
How will that help?" asked the
banker. TT Is q sign of enterprise, but
am afraid in few days I shall have
no bank to light"
Degnon smiled.
Il have an idea" he explained. Il
think 1t is good one" +:
With trembling hand. Morrow signed
the contract and Degnon rose to 60 In
the hall he stopped to say good night to
Daisy and explained that he had to see
some one on business on his way home.
hence his haste.
The some one" was the mayors Sec
rotary, and as a result of the visit q
permit was issued the following morn
ing as soon as the office was opened. to
tear up the street for the purpose of
installing the light service in the Union
bank.
had gathered in front of the two saw
ings banks when the construction gang
put in appearance. The First National,
in which Ridgley was silently interest
ed. occupied corner building and the
Union, Morrow's bank, adjoined It.
Ridgley's savings bank, the Provident,
stood diagonally opposite, and 1t was
IN front of the Provident that the men
began to dig to tap the main. feeder
The men worked stolidly on, unmindful
OF the excitement around them. At the
Union, Morrow was paying off slowly to
defer the announcement of suspension.
In the hope that help might come. At
the Provident. on the other hand, an ex-
ira force kept the line moving briskly.
paying Off as rapidly as the money
could be counted out.
Clerks were busy bringing up money
from the vaults downstairs and over In
the First National other clerks were
receiving the money and opening new
accounts. Ridgley had devised the
scheme as reprlsal' gainst Morrow His
son had been Daisy's favored sutton UNI
til Degnon had stepped In and cut him
out Ridgley had not forgiven the bank
er for the lfancied slight, and with his
usual business instinct was making
his revenge profitable,
1t was nearly noon when a clerk
dashed out Of the Provident and hurried
into the First National In a moment
he came out again accompanied by
Ridgley himself. They were making
their way to the Provident through the
crowd when suddenly Ridgley stopped
at the edge of the excavation.
one OF the Iaborers, an Italian, was
working with a crowbar at the bottom
Of the pit seeking to dislodge the bar
from some obstruction 1t had encoun-
tered. Ridgiey shouted excitedly to the
man, who smiled pleasantly into his face
and began to climb out of the pit
The crowd left the line and crowded
around the opening. The Italian was
waving his permit. blandly confident of
his rights; and in his excitement Ridg
ley could not make himself understood.
At last the italian seemed to compre-
hend and dropping back into the Dit
sliced a pickaxe and smashed through
the obstruction, proudly handling out a
bulky cylinder, now gaping wide to
show its load of crisp bills.
!. No taxa da mon'," explained the
Italian. Homes man. Ver'hones' man.
No TAXA da mon'."
In flash the crowd understood. The
Provident was meeting the run by pay
Ing out money sent under the street
from the First NATIONAL The money was
making an endless chain, being paid
out over and over again. Half a dozen
men in the crowd began to explain how
the bank was profiting by the evasion
of interest, and Ridgley retired hur-
rtedly. With the crowd in its present
temper, he was not anxious to be with
In its reach.A little talk would precip-
itate q riot.
But Degnon had planned skillfuIly,
and his orators talked just enough to
check the run in the Union. There were
muttered threats. but the drain was
stopped and back flow of depositors
was started toward the Union. Ridg-
ieys reprisal had proven a boomerang.
That evening Deghon explained to
Daisy and her father his Inspiration.
Il was looking over the installation
In the First National" he told them"
and I saw that there was pipe out of
the building.
81 thought it odd at the time and
when you spoke of the relations be-
tween the two banks. realized the
game. They could shift the money back
and forth as It was needed and no one
was the wiser got a permit to open
the street and drove crowbar
through the pipe. That was ALL"
Il should like to give something to
that italian foreman" said Daisy.
You might give him a kiss" sug-
gested Degnon. AT college I was one
of the stars of the dramatic club"
You were the foreman?" cried Daisy.
she made no protest Nat Degnohs
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