Norwich bulletin., 1913-12-17


 Ada Foster was looking eagerly for
 ward to the midday reprieve. now less than half hour distant. Her head ached. but the typewriter clicked on busily, and she looked up with smile as Johnnie, the 15-year-old office boy, passed her. He had been feeling low 1 spirited, IF" all down -at- the-h heels" he l described it,-but he walked out of the office with a light heart Ada's smiles were to him as a tonic
 i In the corridor man passed him 1 and 8 moment later he heard the l junior partner calling him back.
 Here, Johnnie, take this telegram to the Western Union at once. No reply. Y You can deliver that package after wards" observed MT. Lowe at the same time, writing rapidly upon a bit of paper. Meanwhile the stranger stood beside him hurriedly counting out a roll of bills and piling them one by one on the desk close to pile of torn paper. With a true Yankee desire to make every minute count" MT. Lowe had acquired 8 habit of throwing opened envelopes and other scraps ot paper to one side, when busy at his desk, until he wished to close it. when he would brush the whole mass into a waste basket
 After Johnnie and the stranger were gone, Mir. Lowe gathered up the bills and recounted them; then placing them in their former position, sat re- garding them thoughtfully. Presently he rose and, standing behind Ada's chair, dictated some letters
 This done, he turned again to his desk, gathered up all the bills but two and laid them a little to one side upon a certain document which was a note for large sum. and very important. Then he picked up waste basket and was in the act of sweeping the paper from his desk into it, when his senior partner suddenly called to him from the inner office. Hastily finishing the operation he dropped the basket and went thither
 After a somewhat long discussion the two men emerged together; the sen- for was going out to lunch; Miss Eos ter had already gone; Mr. Lowe would wait until their return so as to keep the office open-
 It's a good venture, and no mis- take" the senior was saying. The success of the whole thing depends on our making that deposit this very af- ternoon-"
 I've telegraphed Burns that sy- mond's note will be deposited to his credit before four o'clock. By the way. Symond paid that little matter of $75 an hour ago." Mr. Lowe replied turn ing to his desk and rummaging among some papers.
 Presently he looked up with an ex- pression of blank dismay.
 Tt is gone, and the note too, I don't know what possessed me to leave them here. only know that l had laid them aside intending to put them into the safe.-all but two fves, which ] meant to leave here for a bait, and that your sudden call drove everything else from my mind
 MT. Loves absent -mindedness was frequently a great trial to his senior partner; but this was no ordinary case: the loss of that note meant the falling through of a splendid scheme, besides the loss to themselves~p person ally of several thousand dollars.
 The men searched diligently, but in vain. At last they faced each other: each knew what the other was think ing.
 T don't like to believe it of her, but 1t is too evident after that affair of confess and restore our property, would prefer not to expose her., re- marked the senior.
 T should hate to do that" MT. Lowe l replied But her guilt is only too evil ] dent She could easily reach the bills 1 from her seat at the typewriter, and probably took them just before leaving. 1 The note can do her no good, though i and I wonder that she took it" ,
 When Johnnie returned to the office after lunching and delivering the pack i age, it was nearly two o'clock. Ada ! was alone sitting before the type writer, but with her hands folded Her face expressed keen distress, and there | were traces of tears upon it. Johnnie | eyed her sympathetically, but did not | know anything to say.
 It was Ada who spoke frst:-
 Come here, Johnnie; I'm going to l tell you something. They've dis | charged me from the office because | they think I've stolen some bills a man left here this noon. and a note. l said | I didn't, but they don't believe me, and | they say, too that I took that gold | pencil of MT. Lowe's that disappeared | last week I wouldn't care so much if mother,-she's an invalid you know didn't almost depend on my salary"
 T believe you, anyhow Johnnie de- 1 clared vehemently, then walked over to the window and stood there for l some time. He was thinking hard. i People had no right to accuse his 1 grapher-wellt she was his I Wasn't this his office? He had worked | here longer than MT. Lowe, hadn't he?" |
 At last a bright thought came; MT | Lowe had just come from the inner office after another long discussion 1 with his senior.
 Please excuse me, MT. Lowe, John 1 nie said but I think that-that money | must be in the waste basket"
 That is so reasonable that you had | better explain your ground for think 1 ing so'' returned Mir. Lowe, regarding ] Johnnie with evident amusement.
 Well. there was lot of torn paper on your desk and I saw that man lay brushed them off with it."