Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-21
THE
Social Bucaneer
By Frederic s. Ishom
Copyright 1s1o by Merrill Company
Copyright 1910, by the Bobbs- Merrill Company.

i
save Miss Wood. who seemed rathe.
preoccupied.
The Peoples National" observed
Miss Tucker when the brief merrimen
had subsided. That" looking at 6
check she held in her hand. is one o.
the banks Mr.. Bruce does bushes!
with. At least. he has an account
there"
And a box, too, no doubt, If the
amount of his wealth is not overesti.
mated"
No doubt" said Madam President
with a smile. The Peoples Nationa
has vaults that are supposed to be al
impregnable as those Of the Bank OF
England"
which makes this alleged occur
renee the more curious! But how
much does Mr.. Page claim is miss.
ing?"
Fifty thousand dollars!"
And haven't they any theory of how
they might have been taken?"
NO. Mr.. Page hasn't been to his
box for some time. 1t is his belief the
bonds, extracted in some ineXplicable
manner have already been sold. II
they had been registered he could bet.
ter substantiate his claim and trace
them: but they weren't for fear, nc
doubt, of the information leaking out
to the tax commission. Anyhow, Mr.
Page has repeatedly sworn to having
no personal property like taxable
bonds, and now his explanation Of their
not being registered puts him in pc
culiar light, especially as the newspa-
per published a reproduction Of his
own sworn statement that he never
had any. My husband says that un-
der the circumstances the bank people
can afford to laugh at his claim"
Serves him right" From Miss
Tucker, soto voce. She had approach
ed Mr.. Page several times herself with
a subscription list.
IF there was thief. and l suppose
of course there was, I'll warrant, he
also, is having a fine laugh" said the
secretary, smiling.
Especially as the tax commission
are threatening to sue Mr.. Page on his
own statements!" went on the presi-
dent. But 1 am forgetting. There
was one thing it is alleged the thiei
did leave behind him, that Mr.. Page
showed to the police. A tiny drawing
on a scrap Of paper; something that
looked like a spike, or nail or needle
and an animal that might have been
buffalo or a camel-anyway it seems
to have hump. This, Mr.. Page claim
ed, lay in the place where the bonds
had been. The police couldn't make
anything out of the crude drawing"
Might not the thief have had ir
mind a certain biblical quotation?'
suggested one of the board.
Mr.. Page thought it might be the
device of some secret society; but the
detectives scout the idea. They seem
in fact, to take the bank officials view
of the situation"
But why" asked Miss Wood
should Mr.. Page stir up all this trou.
BILE for himself to no purpose?"
Since he had the grippe, some peo.
pie say-well, he hasn't been quite the
man he was" answered Madam Presi'
dent, tapping her forehead lightly,
And besides" said the secretary
you forget, my dear the boxes in the
security vaults are absolutely CLOSED
to all who have not the right of acces!
to them"
The girl did not answer. 1T is true
however, there has been an unusually
large number of robberies in New
York lately" observed Miss Tucker
tentatively.
AN epidemic" asserted a voice.
1T is really reprehensible the police
do not find the perpetrators" said tht
president in her most severe tone. "A
family coronet Of diamonds here, an(
wonderful rubies and sapphires there
missing and never found; no trace
Of them, Another Mysterious Rob
berry in High Life sensational head
lines in the newspapers; and, aftel
that-'no clue to the perpetrators. Al
outrage on society, l call it-this in
action of the authorities"
Perhaps they are too busy col.
lecting perquisites in what Is called the
'tenderloin,' to look after these Other
matters" commented the secretary
cynically.
Iadies"-warningly the presiden
of the board spoke-'I fear our tall
has today drifted into unusually irrel'
evant channels. The blame Is partly
my own"
Il believe we had transacted all nee
essary business, Madam President" the
secretary ventured to remark, in milo
apology for herself and her sister
members Of the hoard-if, indeed any
apology were needed,
Before we adjourn, there IL one 9th
er little matter" observed the treas
urer MIR. Chatfeld Bruce's gift o
ten thousand dollars-his past gener
osity-I believe some action on tn,
part of the board"
Move the board pass a resolution o
thanks and that the same be for
warded to the gentleman by the sec
retary,"
The motion was carried; also mo
ton to adjourn. The ladies began L
put on their wraps; Miss Wood wa
the first to go. As she descended tn
steps of the old, downtown mansion
home Of one of the ladies of the board
| a young man walking briskly by
glanced up. 4 sudden quick look o
recognition swept his face.
who is he: the young mar VIII
| just bowed tn Miss Wood?" a ney
member of the board inquired.
That" Madam President. emerging
from the front door, paused at the hea'
of the steps. tn regard the retreatin
| figure of the person indicated-"that,
| impressively, lis our very good friend
Mr.. Chatfield Bruce"