The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1909-03-11
Aunt Diana
The Sunshine
of the Family
CHAPTER XII.-(Continued. J

CHAPTER XII.-( Continued.)
i Roger" exclaimed Alison, passionate
ly, this must be Fergusson's doings he
must have tempered with your letter and
cut out the entry in the ledger, and of
course the check is in his possession
Wait moment, Allie" returned Rog-
er, looking very stern and pale 1.-THE
check was cashed the next morning by a
clerk of ours who was turned away for
dishonesty; but the bank did not know
that, and thought him still in our employ,
so the money Is lost to us. My father is
dreadfully angry and puzzled about the
whole affair, but he does not suspect Fer
gusson. He flew in perfect rage when
limited about his gambling debts. He
blames me for carelessness; he saws
ought not to have left the office without
| locking up both the check and the ledger
in the iron safe. Ferguson has told my
father that he saw Ibbotson the clerk we
dismissed hanging about the yard talking
to the men. He declares that while we
were in the yard Ibbotson must have got
into the office, turned over the letters and
distracted my receipt; he must have read
| the entry in the open ledger, and he knew
all the keys, and would easily find the
check. He has gulled my father complete
ly; he has actually made him believe that,
IN ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour at
the most, Ibbotson could cut the page in
the ledger, track the check to the private
drawer, hunt out my receipt and make his
escape-and all this without any precon-
eeived plan. Why, the whole thing is mon
MT hob Ia I
tive that the only thing Ibbotson has done
is to cash the check"
Roger, oh, how dreadful it all isl OF
course, there can be no doubt in your
own mind who did it all?'
There is not g shadow of doubt in my
own mind, Allie; but how am l to bring
my father to believe it? Ibbotson has left
the place, OF he was actually going to set
the detectives on him. Ferguson has COM
pletely hoodwinked him. Circumstantial
evidence is strong against Ferguson, to
my thinking. Judge for yourself, Allie
he was with me in the Office when l open
ed the check; he saw me make the entry
in the ledger, as well as write the receipt
he also must have seen me thrust the
check hastily into the private drawer be-
fore | ran out into the yard. No doubt
he returned to the Office as soon as my at
tention was engrossed with poor Mitchell |
A few minutes was all that was needed to
accomplish the job, Allie. l have found
out to-day that he is terribly involved and |
that his creditors are threatening him. |
told you things are coming to crash. |
am afraid we shall lose more than the sum |
we received from Simmonds Brothers.
"Oh, Roger, how blind your father is I! |
What are you to do to open his eyes?"
Il am going to watch Ferguson" re-
turned Roger, with a frown of anxiety. |
allie, l never meant to have told you |
this. l have been about the town CLEAN
ing facts to-day, but / mean to keep them |
to myself for the next four-and-twenty |
hours Ferguson has arrived at some
sort of crisis in his affairs. l am afraid
he will do something desperate. A sum
of money has come into our hands to-day |
after banking hours, in notes and gold. l
wanted my father to bring it up to the
house, but he secuted the idea as ridicul-
Gus, as though any thief could open an
iron safe but, Allie, I am not comfortable
in my mind. Supposing Ferguson has
a duplicate key? My father is so hopeless
ly duped that it is no use saying any more
m him have mode mn nv rnind -
uatcb the of4;oo +o-niob+u
But not alone, dear?"
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