The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-02

" A1S Tie WuOtG dnd1T Kept 04l~
official and secret. said Harris. |
the bank manager.
November Joe nodded. he was
seated on the extreme edge OF chair
in the managers private Office. looking
curiously out of place in that prim.
richly furnished room
1.-THE truth IS continued Harris. "we
bankers cannot afford to have our Gus
toners minds unsettled There are.
as you know. Joe. numbers Of small
depositors. especially in the rural dis
tricts. who would be scared out OF their
seven. senses If they knew that this In
fernal Cecil James Atterson had made
or with a hundred thousand dollars.
They'd never trust US again"
"a hundred thousand dollars Is
wonderful lot Of money" agreed Joe.
'0ur reserve Is over twenty millions,
two hundred times a hundred thou
sand" replied Harris loQuently.
Have you ever seen AttersonY"
mo"
'sI thought you might have. He al
ways spends his vacations In the
woods. fishing usually. The last two
years he has fshed Red river. This IL
what happened On Saturday | told
him to go down to the strong room to
fetch up a fresh batch Of dollar and
five dollar bills, as we were short. 1t
happened that in the same safe there
was number Of bearer securities. at
terson soon brought me the notes had
sent him for with the keys. That was
about noon on Saturday. We closed at
o'clock. Yesterday. Monday. After
son did not turn up. At first thought
nothing OF It. but when it came to
afternoon and be had neither appeared
nor sent any reason for his absence
began to smell a rat. | went down TO
the strong room and found that over
$1OO,OOO In notes and bearer securities
were missing.
II communicated at once with the
police. and they started to make in
Quiries The constable at Robervflie
replied that q man answering to the
description OF Atterson was seen by q
farmer walking along the Stoneham
| road and heading north on Sunday
morning early"
At this point clerk knocked at the
door and. entering. brought I'm some
| letters. Harris, stiffened as he noticed
the writing on one Of them. He cut It
open. and when the clerk was gone ont
he read aloud:
Dear Harris-I hereby resign my splen.
did and lucrative position in the Grand
/ Banks OF Canada. It is dogs dirty life
Anyway II Is so for man OF spirit. You
| can give the weeks screw that's owing
to me to buy milk and bath buns for the
next meeting of directors. Yours truly.
c. J. ATTERSoN
whats the postmark7" asked Joe.
"Rimouski. Sunday. $50 a. M"
1T looks like Atterson's the thief, =
remarked joe I'm inclined that way
because Atterson had that letter post
ed by con-con- what's the word r
Confederate?
you've got it. He was seen here in
town on Sunday at 1890. and he
couldn't have posted no letter I'm Ri
mousld in time for the 9:3O a. N. on
/ Sunday unless he'd gone there on the
7 O'Clock express on Saturday evening.
| Yes. Attersons the thief. all right.
And If that really was he they saw
Stoneham ways he's had time to get
thirty miles of bush between us and
him, and he can go right on till he's
on the Labrador. / doubt you'll see
your 100000 again. Mr.. Harris
"H'mv' coughed Mr.. Harris. my
directors won't want to ray you 81 a
day for nothing
1.-TWO dollars dayT said Joe in his
gentle voice. II shouldn't "a thought
4 ~,
sand dollars could stand strain like
that"
l laughed. Look here, November
think I'd like to make this bargain
for you. III sell your services to MIR.
Harris here for s. day If you fail
and 10 per cent OF the sum you recov-
er If you succeed. Well. Harris. Is ii
on or offY' | asked
"Oh. on. | suppose. con1ound your
said Harris
Twenty hours later Joe. police
trooper named Hobson and | were
deep in the woods. We had hardly
paused to interview the farmer al
Roberville and then had passed or
down the DID deserted roads until al
last we entered the forest. or, as it Is
locally called, the bush.
Where are you heading for?" Hob
son had asked Joe
Red river. because if 1t really was
Atterson the farmer saw | guess he'll
have gone up there. None of them
trappers there now In July month, sc
he can steal canoe easy. Besides. q
man who fears pursuit always likes e
get into a country he knows. and yoJ
heard Mr.. Harris say how AttersoI
had fished Red river two vacations