The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1909-03-04


Very wei, you shall have your psow1 |,
only it SKILL mot be solitary any longer,
for Tiaa not tired in thsSiast, and mean
to come, too"
VERY well, then" he said, leading The
way tesard quiet, shady road, Il am
just in the right mood for a talk. and
you are the right sort of scompany"
Il am 50 glad satisfy you, Roger" she
said, looking at him affectionately, Il
wish all brothers were like you, and cared
as much for their sisters.E
= So they would if all sisters were your
sort" was his fattering answer only
Roger meant What he said. Allie, of
ae'ilae know you viii go back to Aunt
Diana one day, but you must promise
me not to leave us just yet
"Oh, Roger, OF course not. How could
I go while you wanted me?''
''My dear, in that case you would never
50 selfish as that One day you shall go,
Allie, but not just yet, not till things
are more settled, and we are all happier.
DO you know, dear, | wonder sometimes
how l held on those two years without
you your absence made me miss mother
more" And Rogers lip trembled little.
Alison pressed his arm without speaking;
there was no need for other words be
tween them, they were SO sure of each
others sympathy. ~
Roger, wish you would tell me what
has been troubling you for the last few
days, she said. Something has
gone very wrong; you have been
terribly grave all the week, and
yesterday you were too worried to eat
properly. l hope you mean to take me
into your confidence, dear; perhaps !
could find some way of helping you"
Il wish you could, Allie" he returned,
sadly; Il wish could see way out of
our terrible difficulties Promise me you
viii be as secret as statue, and | will
tell you little of what has happened"
"Oh, you may trust me-" she replied,
lifting her honest brown eyes to his face.
81 believe l may. and it viii be a re-
lief to speak. Allie, Ferguson is going too
far | am convinced in my own mind that
he has tempered with the accounts; we
shall come to a crash directly"
What do you meant turning a little
pale. Roger spoke so vehemently.
Tt would take too long to tell you ALL
but something very unpleasant has hap
pened this week You know my father
went to Lancaster the other day Well, a
check in payment for a consignment of
timber was Unexpectedly paid in during |
his absence. OF course l Endorsed the
check, wrote out receipt, inclosed it in
an envelope and put it in the usual rack |
for postage | rhen made an entry in the |
ledger, and was just going to lock up the |
ledger and the check in the safe, as it
was nearly time for closing. when the sud
den cessation of the machinery told me
some accident had happened, and Of
course / ran ont of the Office. and so did
Ferguson, our manager.
-Oh. know when poor Mitchell was
hurt" returned Alison, with shudder.
Il remember. seeing both you and Mr.. Fer
gusson standing bare headed among the
men in the yard you were sending limo /
thy for a doctor"
''Yes; | was detained for nearly half an
hour. Ferguson must have gone back to
the ofice-at least I missed him after the !
first few minutes. When they had taken |
Mitchell off to the hospital went back to
lock up things for the night. Ferguson /
was just coming out of the office and 1
handed me the keys. Everything was
locked up, he said, and the messenger had I
fetched the letters. | had put the check 4
into my fathers private drawer and had 1
locked the drawer. but the ledger had been
eft open on the table, with my entry writ
ten on the top of a blank page. | had
noticed the page was a little loose, as
though the corresponding one had been
,ut out some time previously, but | was
IN a hurry, and l thought it did not mat
Ter. When Ferguson told me everything
was locked up for the night and handed
ne the office keys, of course there was
for me but to take them Allie,
what do you suppose were my feelings
when we opened the private drawer the
lext morning and there was no check
here? Neither was my entry
h. u-oS