Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-04-11
BY ROBERT BARR,

coincide with lunch time on shore. The
girl was there because 1t 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 agitat-
ing financial experiment. The cashier
was there because the bank had no
lunch hour and because he had just
witnessed the most suspicious cir
cumstance that his constantly alert
eye had ever beheld. Calm and i'm
Derturbable as bank cashier may
appear to the outside public, he is a
man under constant strain during BUSH
ness hours. Each person with whom
he is unacquafnted that c0nfronts him
at his post is a possible robber who at
any moment may attempt either by
violence or chicanery to fitch the treas
ure he guards. The happening of any
event outside the usual routine at once
arouses the cashiers distrust, and this
sudden fight of a stranger with money
which did not belong to him quite JUS
tilted the perturbation of the cashier.
From that point onward innocence OF
conduct or explanation SO explicit as
to satisfy any ordinary man becomes
evidence of more subtle guilt to the
mind of bank official The ordinary
citizen, seeing the lieutenant finally
overtake and accost the hurrying girl,
raise his cap, then pour into her out
stretched hand the gold he had taken,
would have known at once that here
was an everyday exercise of natural
politeness.
Not SO the cashier The farther he
got from the bank the more poignantly
did he realize that these two in front,
both strangers to him, had by their
combined action lured him, pistol and
all, away from his post during the dull
est hour Of the day. 1t was not the de-
camping with those few pieces of gold
which now troubled him. # was fear
of what might be going on behind him.
He was positive that these two had
acted in conjunction. The uniform
worn by the man did not impose upon
him. Any thief could easily come by
uniform. and as his mind glanced rap
idly backward over the various points
of the scheme he saw how effectua!
the plan was. First, the Incredible re
nissness Of the woman in leaving her
gold on the counter; second, the impet
uous disappearance Of the man with
the money, and, third, his own needless
plunge into the street after them. He
saw the whole plot in a flash. He had
literally leaped into the trap, and dur
ing his five or ten minutes absence
the accomplices of the pair might have
overawed the unarmed clerks and
walked off with the treasure. His cash
drawer was unlocked, and even the
, big safe stood wide open. Surprise
had as effectuaily lured him away as
IL he had been country pumpkin.
Bitterly and breathlessly did he curse
his own precipitancy. His duty was
to guard the bank, yet it had not been
the bank that was robbed, but at best
careless woman who had failed to
pick up her money. He held the check
for it, and the loss, If any. was hers,
| not the banks, yet here he was, run
ming bareheaded down the street like
a fool, and now those two stood quite
calmly together, be handing her the
money and thus spreading mantle Of
Innocence over the vile trick. But
whatever was happening in the bank,
he would secure two of the culprits at
| least. The two, quite obIivious of the
danger that threatened them, We're
somewhat startled by painting man,