Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-05-23
THE BtIRAytR
sy NELLIE cRAvEy GILMORE.
tcopyrishs. BY Daily Story Pub. Ca

"hcn man ucioefately, nay de-
signedly entices his friends 10 exces.
slve drink. has them carried to his
room-in burst Of good fellowship
cares for them. furnishes them up to
meet their lady friends. and incident.
ally relieves them OF ten-twenty-
NIFTY, as the case may warrant. you
would call that man tilef. would
you notg And with all coed reason.
So then, Bettison was thief But
walt; a thief from necessity. not pref.
erence. Certainly not the pinching
necessity that makes men beg bread.
shovel snow or work In mines. but a
sort OF refined want-the lack OF those
little dainties Of life without which
some people find 1t next TO impossible
to exist. The paltry two thousand a
year. Bettison argued. would be scarce
ly sufficient to keep him in trousers.
to say nothing OF enabling him 10 wed
the fair lady OF his heart. she who
claimed all that was good and best In
him.
A thief from choice is essentially
mean. scheming. without honor. A
thief from necessity may be none OF
these things-or at least not all OF
them-only weak. pitiably weak. and
with conscience.
Still We shall have to admit that
Bettison was thief. a common thief,
Notwithstanding this nicely Of distinc,
ton.
On this particular morning the gen.
tleman In question reclined before an
open window. reading and rereading
curious letter that the morning.
post had brought him. II was the
third OF a series. The first had caused
him some uneasiness-mostly amuse
ment-the second looked serious. and
now this other forced a sense Of dis
tinct alarm upon him. The following
is what he read:
Il have appealed to your honor
your conscience. your pride-all to nc
avail. ! am now going to try your
common sense. Stop this miserable
practice at once. At present 1t Il
known certainly only to myself. who
am your best friend. ! don't wish tc
disclose my identity, so take this, the
one way to help you. Common sense
will show you that, although over ar
anonymous signature. there is only
truth In what l say. The time viii
come when exposure will be inevita
bic. Take my advice. The world pro
vides labor for every honest hand
and you yourself have keen distast,
for this business. A FRIEND"
Bettison crumpled the sheet OF pa
per viciously and tossed it in the fire
place.
"D-n such letter." he fumed. 81
the fellows really my friend, as h
| says, why In thunder doesn't he com
to me in decent way and talk l
over?" He snapped his finger with
little gesture of annoyance and tool
one or two excited turns up and dow
the room. Then he paused in from
| of the crate and fished out the crun
pied letter from the charred ashes an
| studied 1t narrowly 1t is fact tina
our attention to trivialities Is YER
marked at a time Of great seriousness
| or Importance, and 1t is no less tru
that our faculties are extremely dul
| in the direct face of overwhelmin
evidence also. at such time.
Bettison studied the paper CAREFUL
for traces OF familiarity in the hant
writing to that of his friends-thos
he numbered as such, rather. Their
was something subtly familiar abou
the shape Of the ps and his, but
close comparison failed to disclos
any even distant likeness to the wri
ing contained In letters he had n
ceived from time to time from III
friends and acquaintances.
| No one-not one of them. his VII
tins, could have been the author Il
felt almost sure of that much. In tn
first place, they had really never SUI
pected-indeed, what should a ma
suspect upon recovering from spe
of alcoholism, except that he ha
played the fool, spent or gamble
away his money, and been charitabl
spirited off by thoroughly good re
low who was bent only on protectin
his reputation. as any gentlema
would? Furthermore, even supposin
they could talk. would they? Hardl.
In all probability some one wa
playing a practical joke on him-c
maybe one of the men did vaguei.
Just vaguely, suspect him and wa
stretching this neat little trap to cate
him. That settled one aspect OF tn
case. Under no circumstances mus
he cease suddenly to practice thes
somewhat furacious little courtesie
Such had been his intention Will
; hack. but the letters put all thought
that out of the question for the pre-
ent. His marriage must be postpone
anything but that he should fall I'M
the trap, If trap it really was. Il
could not be too cautious.
So the days came and went, wit
every now and then a renewed appe'
from the unknown friend Inc le