The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-03-26

spent about twice as much as she had
Intended.
Dorothy's mother was a prudent and
conscientious woman, but she was a
product of an earlier epoch. She did
not understand the subtle ways in
which the expenses of living have been
! increased They lived beyond their
means and were soon in debt, but al
! the Christmas season the corporation
made presents of money, and S5annard
saw to it that Dorothy was handsome
| ~ remembered The debrs were paid.
| Shortly after this Dorothy was put
| in charge of the petty expenses Of the
! office There was a certain sum III cash
| for this purpose, and accounts were
balanced monthly. Dorothy rendered
| her report. with vouchers, and the eX-
hausted fund was made good by
check descending from on high.
Meanwhile the debts were accumu-
lating again, and Dorothy began to be
pressed for a certain small sum of
| money. She spoke to Stannard about
it. His pockets happened to be empty
at the moment, and he said, Take it
out of the cash and put in your ticket"
Dorothy did so. and at the end of
the month that ticket was still there,
and she had no money to redeem it.
She confessed to Stannard, and he
laughed and loaned her the money to
tide her over. At the end of the next
month the same situation existed and
was solved in the same manner.
In effect. Dorothy now had license
to steal. She was always in debt to
the cash drawer, and the amount was
ever increasing. At the time of the
summer vacation Stannard secured
her a present from the company which
relieved very tense situation, but by
October the debt had risen above $500.
Dorothy had lost her balance wheel.
In December she bought her mother
fur trimmed coat out of the cash
drawer, and Stannard knew of it and
approved In fact, he suggested it.
Mrs Trent had come to the Office one
cold day in a rather thin coat, and
Stannard had said it was a shame,
The debt to the drawer was now
nearly $400
'"That will be all right at Christmas
time.'' said Stannard.
About a week before Christmas,
Dorothy came to the Office one morn
ing and had no sooner crossed the
threshold than she observed change
in the atmosphere. The clerks were
talking in hushed voices.
"Stannard has been called to head
quarters" said one of them to her
'Gattling is in charge
Gattling was a man from another
department, and Dorothy knew that he
was not friend of STANDARDS,
If Stapnard had indeed fallen, her
situation was desperate. She was
thief. and detection was inevitable
It was quite upon the cards that Cat
ting would discharge her, in which
case she would get no Christmas pres
ent and would be absolutely incapable
of making good her deficit.
A note from Stannard Informed her
that there was a hitch" that he had
gone to headquarters to 'straighten
things out" that he would return
presently, and that she must not
worry. The note closed with some at
fectionate expressions, the first that
he had ever addressed to her They
were scarce more than friendly, but
they revealed one thing TO her as clear
II as possible-that Stannard looked
upon her as vaguely and indefinitely
bound to him by some sort of tie and
that no such tie existed. She did not
love him; she was not even truly his
friend She had accepted favors from
him in mere blindness and folly.
In the course of the day the convic-
ton spread through the department
that Stannard was down and OUT"
that Gattling was Gin the saddle" that
reprisals would be made upon the
Stannard party. and that no friend of
STANDARDS was secure in his position
The girl was nearly insane She
went home that night with such de-
spair in her heart as made life hate
full.
For several days. however. affairs
moved on with no notable change, but
on Saturday the rumor was circulated
and received with credence that Mon
day would witness the upheaval
Dorothy left the office at o'clock
distracted with anxiety Upon the
street she heard a voice calling her
name. and she turned to meet Stuart
Ainsworth. the man who had first Of
fered her employment before she went
to the bank.
As will happen at such times to
minds disturbed. the sight of an old
friend was like revival of the past
Ainsworth was not merely man: be
was an epoch. He represented the time
before she had plunged into these fran
tic ways.
She took his hand with sort of
clutch that startled him, and her no
less. for the action had been wholly
automatic.
''Why. Dorothy" said he, what's
wrongg'
The tears sprang from her eyes and