The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1910-01-13

UnDellevlng, he examined every on
in the packet They were collateral
to the last one
Armstrong had put them away
accounted for them Louise-an III
holy JOY was his for a moment as h
saw his rival in disgrace and shame
Then his face went pale at tn
thought of the anguish to the woman
he held above all. When he left thu
vault, beads of perspiration studdec
his face, but his hands were dry ant
feverish. During the long hours o
the afternoon his eyes never once lef
the handsome, dissipated face of tn,
man he now hated with hate more
bitter than that of jealousy. He
watched the expression of almos
acute illness that passed across the
features Of Armstrong when Blail
went once to the vault and came out
again with a packet of something in
his hand But his own eyes were un
/ seeing; for between him and the
guilty man ever danced a vision of a
beautiful woman, tall, lithesome and
blonde.
He did not know when and how the
theft was discovered; but he felt the
heavy touch OF the bank detectives
hand on his shoulder before it fell
there. Without a word he followed
to the presidents office where he
found that official and Blair, each
hard-faced and cold For a moment
temptation swayed him; he went sick
all over. Weakly he sank into a chair
as the accusation fell from the presi-
dents lips. Then, the vision of Lou
Use returned, smiling, the light of hap
piness in her eyes He Strengthened
as though battery had touched his
spine.
q did it, took them" he muttered.
his face CHASTITY, his jaws set hard.
Il substituted the collaterals-the 9TH
ers?-they went in the crash" Fin
ished in his sacrifice, he sank back
weakly again and held his head dumb
ly between his hands until they came
and took him away.
The trial was mercifully short. Not
a word did the young teller with the
set jaws and the faraway look in his
eyes say in his own defense. He had
taken the bonds; that was all. Once
Armstrong; beseeching eyes came to
him in the dock from where the cash
Ter stood for a moment in the door of
the courtroom. Vernon flashed back
a look of scathing contempt; but in
it Armstrong also real security. If
was but a month or so later when |
they found Armstrong crumpled
across a rickety bed in cheap |
rooming house. The draught of I
air that came with the breaking
open of the door fiuttered his erratical- |
ly scrawled confession to the faded
carpet of the room. Discovery of
heavy populations of which the Third
National was the victim followed the
ast honest, honorable act of the man
who had been unable to pull himself
rom the mire. Exoneration of the
nan who had begun the patient ply
ng OF his hands in the manufacture
If coarse articles of barter within
he cold walls of the penitentiary,
anne too.
1t was Louise Pierce, quiet, pale
nd trifle nervous, who with sweet
lightly asked the stern-faced warden
hat she might be the one to break
he glad news to the man who had
ollowed the deadly dull routine of
be prison without a murmur of COM |!
laint at his sacrifice. The face of him
Tho had dealt only with the dregs of i
sOftened as he looked a mo- !:
lent into the eyes of the beautiful /
oman. In whispers he gave an or |:
err and as firm footsteps sounded !;
trough the concrete hall, he grace !;
lilly withdrew that they might be /:
lone al the meeting. He passed Yer. !;
on, a strange light burning in his /;
yes, just outside the door and smiled i:
indy into the set face above the dis. !;
racing uniform. |:
Unheralded, the warden's return /:
alf an hour later was not heard; and /;
? paused in the doorway before Civ /:
g the hoarse cough of warning that IT
'oke in startlingly above the soft /:
from over uear the win. i:
wv. If
With slender arms clasped about Il;
5 neck, Louise stood close in the Il:
nbrace of the man who had regained II;
nor. Unheeding of its roughness. a II;
ushipg cheek, damp with tears. was II;
essed tightly against the coarse Il;
cket. Vernon looked down upon II;
+, the tender light in his eyes eras- HI;
g every hard line of suffering from Il;
) face; quite gently he was stroking II;
e golden strands that swept back iii
st above her ears. Il:
But we must wait at least a year." i:
soft voice murmured, openly invit- HI
) contradiction fl
Not week, DEAR" Vernon an i;
cred in the commanding conviction ~
rights justly VOL =:
Tor answer, she raised the flaming Il;
eek from the rough jacket Slowly II:
: head went back and their lips Il;