The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-02-11


Break it open!" cried Walter testify.
You'll drive me crazy"
She soothed him with a kiss, then
tore open the envelope, remarking at
the same time that it was dirty enough
to have gone around the world. 1t con-
tanned cheap looking valentine, and
within the valentine was folded several
thicknesses Of newspaper. Ellen I'M
folded the newspaper and took out two
$500 bills.
For heavens sakew she ex laimed.
Walter simply gaped at the bills.
what does 1t meanT was Ellen's
next comment
By this time her lovers curiosity was
excited. With a. trembling hand he
took the valentine and the bills from
her.
"WhE. these are old state bank bills"
he said, wonderingly. Then. taking the
envelope, he scrutinized it. This val
entine was mailed in 1882 he went
on, "and those letters are not Col;
they are Cal. It's from San Francisco,
Cal"
Many time Ellen Crane had heard
her aunt tell about the valentine her
lover was to send her, about which she
was to make inquiry If 1t did not come
and which it was supposed he had been
cut of from sending by sickness and
death. A food of light burst in upon
her. This was that valentine. 1t had
hoon sont hut bad haaY r,anv 1oa-c -,
the way. The happy girl did not wait
to explain this to her lover Holding
the bills high up above her head, she
danced around the room, crying:
Now we can restore the missing
money"
Later Browning went to the postofice
with the valentine and learned from
the postmaster that postoffice build
ing had recently been pulled down on
the line the valentine had travelled, and
the letter had been found on the re-
mOval of fixture behind which it had.
slipped, doubtless while being sorted.
1t was forwarded and fell into the
hands not of the Ellen Crane to whom
1T had been written, but to her name
sake and heir, who lived in the house
to which it had been addressed
Ellen placed the bills In BrownIng's
hands. Going to a money broker, he
learned that though the banks that had
issued the bills had gone out of en-
istence a fund had been put aside for
payment of all demands against it.
Then Walter went to the bank that
had issued the bill he had lost and ex-
changed his money for one Of its
$1,000 notes and with it made up the
deficiency for which he was respon-
sibIe.
The act removed all suspicion, and
there was a happy wedding, made
happier by the great load taken of
the shoulders Of the contracting par
ties.
The $1,000 was in time returned by
the bank. One of the employees Of
the institution proved dishonest, and a
long series Of populations was discov-
cred He confessed the stealing Of the
bill that Browning had lost On that
occasion he was acting as paying teller
in the next cage to Browning. When
the latters back was turned, seeing
that no one was looking in his direc-
ton, he took out from a pocket In his
coat slender piece Of whalebone with
hook on the end Of it and, passing it
through an opening In the grating that
separated the cages, removed one of
the bills lying on the counter
This occurred shortly after Brown
ing's marriage and caused so great
reversal in the feeling toward Brown
ing that the officers of the bank
thought they should make some repa-
ration to him for his misfortune. Be-
sides returning the 81, 900 that he had
made good, they created the office Of
assistant cashier and gave him the po-
sition with large increase Of salary
So his misfortune turned out to be a
blessing In disguise And it served
him in more respects than one. It
made him far more careful man and
extremely cautious In condemning 9TH
ers under suspicion. He eventually
became the president of bank, and
whenever shortage occurred he in
variably protected the one suspected
from being unJustly condemned For
this alone he was much beloved by
the employees.