The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-07-07
A Feminine Deficiency.
.[Original.ll

plainly about her. He said she was q
dear, good girl and had been brought
up to bear any household responsible
ity that might devolve upon her. She
could cook and sew and knew very
we'll how to manage servants. He had
also tried to inculcate in her some.
thing of ordinary business methods.
In one thing he admitted he had failed
-he had found it impossible to teach
his daughter anything about keeping
9 bank account. He excused her, how
ever, by saying that there was some-
thing In the female mind Incompatible
with check and deposit books. He had
tried the same thing with Dora's moth
er and after many explanations had
found that his Instructions had been in
vain. She had once inadvertently de.
stroyed a check be had given her and
supposed that the money 1t represent.
ed was a dead loss.
i told him that 1 was sure I could
make the matter clear in Dora's mind,
that / considered It essential for a wo.
man to understand how to use a bank
and l would not rest till l had made
my wife entirely at home in keeping
her account. Dora and I had not been
married long before I opened a bank
account in her name for our house
hold funds and gave my wife instruc-
lions how to keep it soon taught
her to draw a check and make a de
post Sometimes she could make her
check book balance tally with her de
post book balance. and sometimes she
couldn't. But what surprised me most
was that at times when there were
many corrections to be made In the
check book before It would agree with
the deposit book she would have 1t all
beautifully Strengthened out. Then
when the matter was very simple and
l asked her to make them agree while
I was watching her she couldn't do 1t.
She said I bothered her, but l after
ward learned that she was paying a
bank clerk to do these jobs for her.
I did not know anything Of this
when ! went OF or a trip. Indeed, !
supposed she had become quite prof
Client / had been away a week when
I found 1t necessary to make q further
trip rendering a longer absence neces.
sary. Needing more funds, I thought
It a good opportunity to test Dora'A
financial ability. I t~elegraphed her to
send me a hundred dollars. felt so
d r that she would acquit herself well
In the matter that 1 bought her a pref
ty finger ring to take home as a token
Of my appreciation.
In twelve hours after sending my
dispatch / received a telegram from
her begging me to come home at once.
Confident that some terrible calamity
had happened, l took the first train.
Driving ~furiously from the station to
my house. l. entered. Dora was not
there. The maid came running to me,
crying: GA sakes. sir, she's been ar
rested. They've taken her to the police
station" Great %heavens!" l cried.
ION what charge" II don't know. sir.
but they said it was criminal"
I returned to the cab I had left and
told the driver t. take me to the near
est police station. There l found
Dora. She had not been locked up.
but was held in the Office.
"Good gracious. Dora" exclaimed.
What does this mean?"
"They say I'm a forger."
"a forger"
eyes, but I don't know what II
means"
What did you forge2"
why. when | got your telegram !
drew a check on my bank for the
money and took it to the bank. They
said the account was already w
drawn. Then l went home. found
your check book and drew another
check. l thought they'd give me the
money when l told them was your
wife. ! signed your name and copied
your signature from one Of your let
tiers as nearly as l possibly could. !
don't see how they could tell the differ.
ence. Then ! went to what | sup
posed was your bank. but 1t wasn't.
I asked them for the money, and they
told me to come inside while they
counted 1t out. I waited an hour.
when a policeman came in and made
me come here with him. Oh, dear!
VIII I have to go to prisony
1 looked at her in blank amaze
ment. Was 1t possible that l had mar
ried an idiot? Then l remembered the
warning her father had given me on
| this particular matter. l remembered,
too. that on one occasion she had
warned me against trusting a man be.
cause he had two prominent pointed
teeth, one on each side Of his mouth
how l had made fun Of her woman's
logic and how the mar had turned out
a swindler, relieving me Of a consider
able amount. Then the truth rushed
upon me. The male and female minG
is differently constituted. What is the
strength of one Is the weakness of an
other. It is not In the scheme Of ma
ture that women should be bankers.
took my weeping wife in my arms.
I persuaded the man at the desk t.
60 with me to the bank that had mad.
the charge, and a policeman. my wifi,
and got into a carriage and drove
there. l approached the cashier ant
made an explanation. A broad gril
spread over his face, and, looking a
the clerk, ! saw the same on the coun
tenance Of each. The cashier apollo
gized for having been too hasty ant
Immediately withdrew the charge.
It was not till we reached home tina
the absurdity Of the affair rushed upol
me. Then I sat down and laughed I'll