The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26

l lovers again and told Julia that while Alfred for the present must keep away she would take her revenge on his fla ther by making that impertinent upsart beg for the alliance as an honor.
 My dear" said the level-headed wom- an to her daughter, "I know that man. 1 He is d walking avarice. He thinks we are poor. As a matter of fact we have always lived within our income, and your l father is bringing home with him. this very voyage from India the bulk of our | savings, which amounts to e14000-not a large fortune, but a big sum to have in 1 hard cash as Hardie would say and I wlA make you happy with it. I shall de- | post three or four thousand every month with MT. Hardie-he is our banker, you know-and he will begin to open his eyes | and reopen negotiations
 If he does not I shall call at the bank and draw check for the entire four teen thousand pounds. No provincial bank | CT has that amount of ready cash lying loose in his tills, and his commercial honor the one semi-chivalrous feeling he possesses, will be in peril. He will yield | and with grace; none the less readily that 1 his bank and his house, which have been long heavily mortgaged to our trustees. | were made virtually theirs yesterday. I set that on foot within twelve hours of MT. Hardes impertinent letter. When he finds I can post him for not cashng | | streets by virtue of our trustees owning his house and his bank building, never fear but he will come to terms
 Oh, mammal" cried Julia am to be | bought and sold?'
 My dear" replied Mrs. Dodd calm ly. you must pay the penalty for loving a pavenu's son."
 Mrs Dodd walked her quarter deck quite as authoritatively as Captain Dodd walked his, so all that Julia could do was. to go away and have a good cry. Mrs. Dodd had an interview with Alfred, in which she told him that Julia would yet | be his and said My poor boy, pray for my husbands safe return. for upon that depends Jullas happiness and yours''
 Meantime Captain Dodd was homeward bound with the fourteen thousand pounds of hard cash--although 1t was in soft bank uotes-earried in an oilskln- covered pocketbook worn next to his heart. The hard cash seemed to be a veritable Jo- i nah. The ship Agra, which Dodd com manded, was attacked by pirates and just escaped capture; then was almost lost in a typhoon, and finally was wrecked on the | French coast.
 Captain Dodd got ashore in safety. made his way to England and hastened | toward home, where anxious hearts awaited him. It was his great desire to 1 reach home before the news of the loss | of the Agra could get there.
 When he came to Hardie's bank, an in- | stitution which he regarded as the Bank of England for solidity, he said to him. self I'll just stop and deposit this 1 money. I don't want it about me minute 1 longer than necessary"
 Never did a depostor enter a banking | house at a more opportune moment-for the bank. Richard Hardie had been for | some time preparing to fail. When a bank l somebody n | order that 1t might not be himself Hardie | had kept double set of books and laid away a snug little fortune to enable him | to live the rest of his life as a highly | prosperous bankrupt.
 | His aged clerk, Noah Skinner, had de- l tected the little plan and had announced his knowledge to his employer just be- i fore Captain Dodu came in Naturally Skinner expected some of the spells and the more so as he had that morning saved the bank from failing prematurely, when | a man had come in to draw out nine | hundred pounds-more money than the bank had in it's coffers-by paying him | in bills of Hardie & Co As the man could not read, he thought the bills were good hard cash and was content. So was Hardie
 Now in rolls Captain Dodd. god from the machine, rips out his fourteen thous- and pounds and deposits it. The pleasure which Hardie and Skinner expressed at seeing the captain was as genuine as ever greeted returned mariner since the sing ing of the first charity.
 q would like a receipt for it. if you please" said the captain.
 "It Is unusual" replied Harde, ''but If | you wish it-why-yes-of course" 1 "Hardie's bank is saved for another hundred yearsr cried Skinner, as the door closed behind the captain.
 Hum. I don't know" replied Hardie. "We will not enter this on the books Just we'll-well put 1t in the safe" Hardic was one of the trustees for his son, who had inherited from his mother fortune of ten thousand pounds; and five of that ten Hardie had "borrowed'' for his private hoard. If his son mar ried there would be some sort of mar riage settlement and the borrowing would be discovered. That was the req son he had so curtly answered Mrs. Dodd's letter He now concluded to add the captains fourteen thousand to the same fund which had received Alfred's s five thousand.
 Captain Dodd met in the street old Max ley. who took care of his garden and who was the man who had called for his nine hundred pounds that morning and got 1 Hardie's notes Maxley was devoted to the captain, greeted him enthusiastically and then whispered: 'I seen you comin' out of Hardie's. cap'en Hope you didn't l ltdfc io Hloiey. OOl liliS itlltI lIoHi ny son in Candy this morn'. Little gal spelled it out for me She didn't sense it. so keep it quiet. cap'en.'
 The captainj read. The letter announced that Hardies agent in Canada had dis honored a bill and said there were no more assets, Captain Dodd rushed back to the bank and burst in with, MT. Hardie. l want my money back. Certainly said Hardie, "call tomor- row. Bank opens at 10 o'clock and it shall be paid you in the usual way"
 T want ir now" threatened the Cap tain.
 "1mpossible. It is after banking hours and the cashier has gone,'' said the | banker.
 Wildly with many threats and way ing his receipt in one hand. Dodd de- manded his money, and then, realizing that he had been trapped, fell to the floor iE fit of apoplexy. Skinner and Hardie took him to the sidewalk and called help. They had found him there, they said. So Captain Dodd was borne to his home, unconscious and lowering between life and death.