The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-01
WHERE THE MONEY WENT !
BY GEORGE MuNsoN.

saio, ana si - was the only member o
the bank stan that did.
Thc|situation was this: Jim Elem
ip5s accounts were three thousan,
dollars short at tho end OF the day
Three bills OF the denomination of |
thousand dollars apiece were missing
Fleming said that he had put them il
the drawer. But they were not in th,
drawer, and could not be found.
The president accepted Fleming,
explanation. Fleming retained his DO
Hition in the bank as assistant paying
teller. He was earning seven hundred
and fifty a year
Jim not only retained his position
but was promoted to be paying teller
the second year-still at seven hun.
dred ahd fifty. Ordinarily the position
VOID have started at twelve hundred
End fifty Then Myra. the managers
stenographer, and Jim could have got
married. Now marriage was impos.
sible. The fellows in the bank grinned
and wondered where Jim had ''salted'
the money away.
Old Moss, the president, was as hard
rs nails. He never let up on man.
He had seen at once Fleming's idea
and determined to checkmate the man
whom he regarded as a brazen thief
Out Of his own pocket le paid the hire
OF the detectives for the first six
months. but &c the annual meeting It
was decid,s to spend the money which
woulo. hormally have gone to Jims sal
" In having him watched.
Year after year the watch kept up
Jim knew about it. 1t was impossible
for him not to know
With that fellows genius for
secrecy he would mako first-rate
politician or criminal said old Moss
grimly, at the second annual meeting
Of the directors.
Talent misapplied," growled the
manager. My stenographer is still en-
gagged to him."
She'll be too old to marry him be-
Tore he gets d raise,' growled Moss.
Aud If they do marry, we'll know
where the money comes from"
FIVE, six, seven years passed. The
detectives were less obtrusivo now,
but they still followed Jim Fleming.
ile was still liable to return home to
lind that someone had tampered with
his desk or trunk.
Jim, dear, | have saved up thou
sand dollars" said Myra one day. Let
us be married anyway"
He shook his head grimly. He would
not marry her until the bank had Of
hcially pronounced the stain upon his
character wiped away. He had often
urged Myra to release him.
III stand by you till the end, dear"
she answered
BY this time the directors had come
20 waver In their opinion of Jim. Traps
had been laid for him, opportunities
placed in his way. He evaded them
Or did not seem to recognize them. He
still remained paying teller. His sal
ary should have been seventeen hun
ired and fifty. The bank was making
thousand a year out Of him. Half
hat money went to the detective
agency, but still Jim had almost made
lp the missing money.
The town was growing. At last 1t
was decided to build new bank 1t
lad outgrown its limited premises. A
magnificent structure Of marble was
going up. New desks and counters
lad already been installed, and on the
lay when the papers and money were
removed the old fixtures would be
urned over to the junk man.
Everything was ready at last. The
manager was experimenting the re-
noval of the money Old Moss stood |
,rimly by, watching the ceremony. |
lin opened his drawer, which he had |
,ulled out and closed so many thou
ands of tines during the course of his
ervice in the bank. He took out the
ills and packages Of coins and hand
ID them to the manager, who counted
hem and placed them in the safe,
which stood in the main office. ready
or removal
The drawer had stuck--for the first
ime in all those years. Jim pulled
out half way. 1t would come out
10 farther
Moss, seeing him tugging, strolled
p. The manager was looking at him.
rom her seat at her typewriter, Jim
aw Myra looking at him. He tugged
nd tugged. and the drawer would not
udge.
Suddenly he was lying upon his
ack, with the empty, broken drawer
pom his chest, and the old cou0ter
roken into half dozen pieces.
Suddenly the manager uttered an ex-
and stopped down. From a
revice he extracted three-three brand
ew thousand dollar bills. He held
lem up significantly. Moss came for
ard. Jim got up and stood staring
them speechlessly. Then, with a
~, Myra ran f.om her place and flung
er arms round Jim and stood facing
lem all with love and defiance upon
err face.
1t was easy to see what had hap
ened The three bills had slipped
n.