Middletown transcript., 1908-03-07

u
employees had been asked to ust
extra care and vigilance, ant
the most light hearted girl theit
felt worried and uneasy.
Was it a cleyer shoplifter'
Could there be q thief among
them? Did the firm suspect any
one? Was there perhaps q de
tectiye watching them even now
And did detectives not some
times make mistakes? Evers
one was painfully nervous. and
impatient to have the mystery
cleared up.
And I believe you know some
thing about it, Floy, said Jennie
Rurnham, under her breath, to
a fellow clerk.
Why, what makes you think
that? F'loy asked, startled.
Iknow it. | know by by The
way you hold your tongue when
we are all puzzling about it
Now what is it?
No, said Floy Irving, very
slowly as if weighing every word,
no, 7 do not know any more than
the restofyou about this. I Tdon't
even know what is missing.
But you have suspicion. Now
own up.
No. even more slowly. And If
I had, it might be doing great
injustice to tell.
Oh, you obstinate little mule!
| wish there was an x ray SO we
could look through peoples heads
and find out what they knew
But some one came up just then
and Floy seized the opportunity
to slip away, with a deep breath
of thankfulness. For she did
know something-only, had it any
thing to do with the case? If
she spoke, all in the store or all
but two. perhaps-wo would say at
once, That solves the riddle.
But would it? Or would it only
practically convict one who might
after all, be innocent?
Oh, il there were only some
X-ray by which one might look
into a SOU shd see if it were true!
There he stood at an opposite
counter, quite and faithful, al
though be must know that one
word from her would concentrate
all this dark cloud Of suspicion
on his head.
Yet why should she not say,
] do not know who is The thief
now, butt know who was rcspon-
sible for a similar course of petty
losses few years ago, and not
SO many miles away. He calls
himself Robert MurdociS now,
but he was sent to the reform
school then under the name of
Bob Jameson.
Yet was it quite fair to con.
clude that because Bob Jameson
ill-fed, ill-clothed and ill-ad-
vised by an inscriptions
stepfather, had robbed the en-
ployer who provoked the act by
refusing to pay fair wages, there
fore Robert Murdoch, some years
older, wiser, and to all appearance
strickly honorable, was equally |
guiltys
He had been in the store some
months now, and apparently
she alone knew of this old
trouble. She hardly knew why
she had not told that he was an
old schoolmate of her own part
", perhaps, because so much had
been said of girls inability to
keepa secret, and she resented
the idea, but more on account Of
. kindly relutance to make trou-
Bile for one trying to start anew.
No one but himself knew that
they had ever met before. I,
MurdocE's behavior had been
faultless almost too good to be
natural, it seemed to Floy. Still,
this might mean only that be
was determined TO retrieve his
good name and bury the old dis
grace from sight forever. What
ninstice, then, practically to con-
pict him Of this new theft, with
out one particle Of proof, and
make the cloud above him darker
han ever.
Yet thesword once spoken could /
never be recalled. And there {
before her eyes every day stood i
Robert Murdoch, waiting the
yord that should hnrl bin 70 de- !
;truction yet neither BY word /
lor look appealing for mercy. !
She slipped ont hurriedly Id
shen the days work was over, I
sst Jennie should overtake and
'ly her with morequestions. She i
Iid ylflf. want ia faIls--rsy N, fbiy,l, !.