Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1912-02-23
A FIT OF
PESSIMISM
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

Juhfoi pdltnti. iuueeu. udu uOnt I
great deal to build up the business
and since Mr.. Coolidge was getting ole
| was gradually assuming more anC
more responsibility In its management
As the day of my nuptials with Mis-:
Coolidge approached ! began to dreat
some misfortune that would mar oul
happiness. Expecting to step into q
partnership in a fine business and bt
married at the same time to a girl
loved devotedly, I naturally considered
myself on the pinnacle of happiness
could go no higher and at any change
must go lower.
office We had quite large sum of mon
ey In the safe. went to bed thai
night thinking In this wise:
Suppose the safe should be robbed
and that money taken. Mr.. Coolidgt
would be ruined. would be thrown
out Of employment and my splendit
business prospects bl1ghted. My wed
ding would likely be deferred and pos
sibly never take place. would lose
heart and commence descent which
would probably land me in the poor
house.
This Is the opposite of counting
ones chickens before they are hatch
ed" Lying awake In dark room one
is apt to be stricken with pessimism
and wrought myself up to such q
pitch Of foreboding that became i'm
pressed with the feeling that the safe
would surely be robbed that night.
could not be satisfied till had got out
Of bed. dressed myself and started fol
the Office.
When l arrived I opened the door
with key | always carried. entered,
turned on a light and saw that all
was the same as ! had left it In the
afternoon. | had nothing to do with
the finances of the concern and did
not know the combination or would
have opened it to see that the money
was still there. 1t was rare piece OF
luck that | did not. There was q
lounge In the office. and | felt so IN
easy that. dlsliking to go back to bed
turned out the light. threw myself
down and soon fell asleep.
was awakened by familiar
sound-the turning of the combina.
ton knob to open the safe. Great
heavens! My forebodings had come
to pass. | was not armed and dare
hA lo
fectly still. wondering what / had
better do when the person manipulat.
ing the safe lock flashed an electric
hand lamp on the knob and began
again to turn it. Surely robber
would not be opening the safe by the
combination. Some one who knew
it was there. Who could 1t be. and
what could he be doing there at that
time of night? His identity was soon
established by his turning the light
upon his own face. He was Smith
son. the cashier.
My first impulse was to say: Hello,
Smithson! What are you doing?'
But l repressed 1t. l would see for
myself what he was doing But un-
fortunately at the moment was seiz-
ed with a desire to sneeze. and sneeze
l did. Smithson Immediately switch
ed on the electric light.
"What are you doing here?" he ex-
claimed Oh seeing me.
"What are you doing here?
II got worried about the large
amount Of money we have here and
couldn't sleep. had to get up and
come here to see that 1t was all
right"
"Just my case. l preferred not to go
home and laid down here to sleep till
morning. l haven't the combination,
SO was obliged to content myself
with seeing that the safe hadn't been
blown open. Singular. isn't it. that we
should both have been affected the
same way. and got up in the middle
of the night to satisfy feeling?'
"vsry! Are you going to remain?"
mo; we will walk along together"
He opened the safe. We satisfied
ourselves that the money was there
and left the Office together
The next day | said nothing about
the events of the evening. Smithson
went about looking worried. 1t occur
red to me he might feel fearful that
would misinterpret his opening the
safe in the night | couldn't very well
reassure him. for that would be ac-
knowledging that be was open to sus-
picion. In the evening told Myra
about our strange meeting. To my
surprise she gasped:
, ''Oh. heavens"
What Is ftp
ut was not such a coincidence as
you think it was. He was there to rob
the safe"
why do you think that?" l asked.
nstonished
While you two were at the office |
dreamed that you and he had quar-
rel. and | couldn't separate you.
awoke from a nightmare.
do you mean to condemn the man
on such evidence as that? He was
intending to borrow from funds in the
safe with the expectation Of returning
the amount taken at some future time. -
Nevertheless. | could get no retrac-
ton from her.
The next morning Smithson did not
appear at the Office and has never been
heard from since. He had been play.
ing the stock market and lost.
What strange reasons women give
for what they know! And how did
Myra know it?