The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-03-10

Doroiay's mother was a prudent anl
conscientious woman. but she was
product Of an earlier epoch. She 81
not understand the subtle WAYS il
which the expenses 0f EFiag hare Zee,
{ Increased. They lived beyond theii
means and were soon IN debt. but Al
the Christmas season the corporation
made presents of money. and Sfaunarc
saw 10 II that Dorothy was handsome
iy remembered. The debts were paid
Shortly after this Dorothy was pul
In charge o. the petty expenses of fhs
office. There wss q certain sum in cash
for this purpose. and accounts were
balanced monthly. Dorothy rendered
1 her report with vouchers. and the ex-
hausted fund was made good BY !
Z check descending from On high
Meanwhile The debts were accUmu.
+ iafing again. and Dorothy began 70 be
Z pressed for a certain small sum q
money. She spoke TO stannsrd about
H. His pockets happened 70 De empty
at the moment and he said. Take it
out of the cash and put ID your ticket.
Dorothy did So and st the end of
the month that ticket was still there.
snd she had no money 10 redeem it.
She confessed TO Stannard. and he
laughed and loaned her the money n
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 a license
10 steal She was always In debt to
the cash drawer. and the amount was
ever increasing. At the time of the
summer vacation stsnnsrd secured
her a present from the company which
relieTed a 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. be 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 800
That viii 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 a change
III the atmosphere. The clerks were
talking IN hushed voices.
-sfannard 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 q friend u Stannard's.
II StaDnard had indeed fallen. he
Mutation was desperate She was a
th;ef. and detection was inevitable.
1t 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 hitch" that be had
gone 10 headquarters to "straighten
things out" that be would return
presently. and that she must not
worry. The note closed with some af-
fectionate expressions. the first that
be had ever addressed to her They
were scarce more than friendly, but
they revealed one thing to her as clear
ly as possible that Stannard looked
upon her as vaguely and indefinitely
bound 10 him by some sort Of tie and
that no such tie existed. she did not
love him; she was not even truly bis
friead She had accepted favors from
him in mere blindness and folly.
In the course Of the day the conyic-
ton spread through the department
that Stannard was down and OUT
that Gattling was 'fn 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
ful.
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 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 a man. be
was an epoch. He represented the time
before she had plunged into these fran
tic ways.
She took his hand with a sort or
clutch that startled him, and her no
less for the action had been wholly
automatic.
"Why. Dorothy" said he, whats
wrongw
The tears sprang from her eyes and
trickled down her cheeks. there in the
crowded streets She felt an embar
ra esmenf fuore for him than for her