El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-17
The Herald's Daily
Short Story

ished- am trembling again. There
is not the least bit OF the desperate
In me
Now listen. Justesen," Gram saws.
Yes, yesr 1 look up. How he is
staring at me. What does he mean2
Now he says very slowly. empha-
sizing every word:
The whole story is fake You
took the letter yourself"
"Whati---T
You took the letter yourself
Gram, old friend What are you
saying"
He bends over me, laws his hand on
my shoulder and repeats:
You took the letter yourself There
never was any money in it."
., groan and fail back in my chair as
limp as a rag. There is no fight in
me I am ready to confess everything
Then the door opens
The man who enters has black pierre
ing eyes and a nose like the bill of a
He is well dressed.
7 beg your pardon" he says. 7
come in regard to the theft"
Gram hurriedly places himself be-
tween him and me
~ am a police official" he says.
The man steps aside so that he can
see my face in spite of Gram.
4 can get back the money you
lost" he says.
You" stammer. What did he
mean? Was 1t a trap perhaps2
on one condition" he SAYS "You
must withdraw your complaint"
Gram turns to me. His face express
es his sorrows at having suspected me
without reason.
"Of course you accept" he saws.
nod my head Ny brain Is para
lyzed. I understand nothing. I only
stare at the man with the piercing
eyes.
Il must have 1t in writing" he saws
"Of course" Gram replies.
The man unbuttons his coat and from
an inside pocket produces a wad of
bills which he puts on my desk.
Please count them There are 2OOn
To make a clean breast of it IT was 7
who stole the money from You. bur
have regretted It and If you are sat-
isfied with getting back your money.
Yes. everything Is correct There
are 1000 crowns in bills. I count them
over and over again. Gram has Dfelre5
agreement, which I sign. declare to
have received from Mr.. Nicholas Kras
berg the sum OF 1000 crowns. in con
sideration Of which consent to drop
all prosecution.
I don't understand one word Of the
whole business except that am saved Z
from bankruptcy and dishOnor.
There simply cannot be any explain
I am a different being now Tho
crisis is past and my business Is tb-f--
Ing beyond all expectations only 90 ]
thing IS lacking to make nv han5fnas. /
complete-the explanation
Sometimes 1 press my hands asst,s.
my JnroDDlng temples The thougb+s
are chasing one another msdI,- = NJ NJ
brain is like an ant heap WIN
How? I see before me the MAJ -.-,.L /
the piercing eyes. Was he na-b r-.iI ?
Ihe Evil one and did 1 sell my inmortsi
soul to him? nm TAI
one morning I get a letter from,
SCUM Africa / do not know m -. IN
writing and finger the enveI(, Llli ~ q
a q. WnlIe before opening it. I read iOI
am sure you have rscl-a5 -,
brains many times for nv So. sSut
nov Will tell you the story PaoJio
call me the master thief 80 TopIe
proud OF the title. for I am q an
master Of the art of stealing past
came to ROskilde on the nth.
train the very night you nanufs c+- - ~
your little yarn about the rno1e,- a.
the letter. The whole town vyas fs1I-
ing ABOUT you the next day ana tbere 1
was not a single person who 5o,SbteS
that you had invented the stor,- 49,
self I listened to all the s0ssi =,
the barroOm of the hotel "a
our letter, you said. had beer
stolen about midnight, the ver,, bonr
when I had cracked a nice UttIe crib
In Copenhagen, getting a snug little
amount or $4,000 out Of a jeWeIrv shop (
You see. much more stylish affair
Il caught the night train at I.15 and
reached Roskilde about , in the morn
ing. I have always found II a good
scheme to go to small town and stay