New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-11

fenly to ndfroin the short width Of the deck his short
legs moving rcstlcs;y and his short cct with thc pau
cnt leather shoes and white CATERS almost t"inNhng
as they struck the panks.
@Wbo in the deuce can Lester be, anyhow he asked
himself in perpIexity. "Whcrc did he come from lie
was there fshn' the first time saw him. and mad OLD
Slaqgs and Flay for his only friends and sort Of got
the de, that he was lust tcndOllar week clerk out
on q vacation Then he made me think he was tnere
for his health and liked the outdoors stun But me-
been there now moren year and a hail. save pI d mp
of somewhere about IN three or tour ph.n7' anu
he never seems 10 have money to blow around the CLUB
and he amt never short Of money, and he don 10
nothin al all except make love to Arabca, ana -nafs
him wonder if he had finger in this game,
For quite time ne debated this feature, and at last
came 10 the conclusion that Lester nothing more
than dawder Of lust sufficient income 10 live modesty
in some isolated situation like Port Hatch. II was
chance alone that had brought the crash Of the card
castle he had lived in 50 long successfully and 80
happily.
THE boat drew slowly into dock at Seattle and he
walked down the gangpanl with suitcase IN hand,
and was 50 abstracci that he failed TO recognize the
Captains friendly parting salute or to deliver his can
luggage to the porter who had always welcomed mm as
a find He walked across the tracks to the railway
station and frowncd at the timetables that were con-
vencntly hung in frames for the benefit OF travellers,
and his sharp ewes ran rapidly down the column devoted
to through trains, eastward bound He was the Oh
Burmah tones. again covering his tracks and thinking
that ne must first take local train and ticket 10
nearby station then suddenly change his mind. drop
off take a through train and disappear. There were
plenty Of trains that would his purpose and he
made a mental selection.
Now he must 90 to the different banks in which he
had scattered his deposits and draw closely as he
Ia. f,.-, latin ffra Il b p.tr e.
that had 50 often served hn,hat Of requiring cash %
satisfy an unreasonable customer with whom long
transaction was going through. Also ne would drop the
hint in an ofhand way, that the bank might be COM
PEELED to meet some drafts in he was called East
Then from Chicago he would draw upon them for the
larger sums, and from there also would telegraph the
Colonel that he had been unexpectedly called away on
a biz deal and would return within two or three weeks.
That would give him ample time to get away to South
America or Europe before the wreck in the Colonel
still had some shred Of faith in him. OF that he had
small doubt because the Colonel would decline to be-
cve ANYTHING i'll Of him until he had been given chance
to defend himself He laughed at himself for these pre-
cautions; for quite well he knew that he had done
nothing unlawful only he had the craving TO retain
their confidence the last possible moment, the con
fdcnce with which he was so oath to part.
A STRANGE indecision mastered him as ne turned
"A out to visit the first bank and at the very doors
Of the big granite building facing Pioneer Square he
paused rresolute 80, he would first 60 to the Com
mcrcal Bank where he had long cultivated the friend
ship Of William Shoemaker the cashier. He could get
away with it" better there, because they believed in
him Then. at the doors Of the Commercial. he thought
OF the trust granted him by that ceareyed little
cashier and hated to bctray it. Here was another man
who believed in him. Better try some other bank be
cause he wanted Shoemaker to respect him as long as
possible He decided to leave the suitcase IN cigar
stand and in this palace Of nicotine was compelled to
listen to conversation between two old Alaska pros
pectos recountng how pair Of partners had lost their
lives