The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-06-17
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chance to forgive you. God isn't going
10 hold this against you, so why should
yotI give your fellow man q chance to
do you harm? You're not guilty OF muir
10 understand. I'm thinking for you
and for Mary. my boy, and I'm think
ing hard. You can trust me. ! Will 90
what is right and just, for i know VIA
these damned brutes Of men do when
they get on a jury, or when they set
out to hound a fellow creature to his
grave. / am your judge, Eric. You are
fhe only witness / shall examine, and
/ will acquit You of all blame on your
W word. You may not sleep wen to-
night, but tomorrow you will realize
that you did what could not be helped
and that the God you speak or took
away Chetwynd's ife-God and a com
munitt that does not keep its bridges
In repair. Now, tell me slowly, care
fully, just what brought on the fight.
Eric told the story from beginning
70 end, from the instant he saw Chef
wynd on the bridge TO his disappear
ance over the edge. "
II couldn't stand 1t any longer when
he said that about my sister. I just
had to fight. 1t was q fair fight, too
as fair as, l know how. II watched
for my chance to get in that blow you
taught me. I-well, that's ALL"
He deserved the licking" said Ad-
am, a grim smile on his lips. And I
won't say he didn't deserve the pun
ishment God gave him, too. He was
a rascal, Erica nasty rascal. l can
tell you who that letter was from. IT
was from a oma In New York, a
woman on whom he was spending thou
sands of dollars that didn't belong TO
him. .
Didn't belong to him?"
Eyes I suppo you believed all that
private instruction rot, too, the same
as his father and mother did. Well, I've
got a few rare facts to lay before the
Blagdens."
There was such utter vindictiveness
In his manner Of speech that Eric
looked 81 him in wonder.
"Oh, / don't profess love for your
fine Blagdens,' said Adam gruffly.
Horace and / used to play together
when we were little chaps. Oswald
Bright was another Of my playmates.
was a poor sailorman's SON; they
were OF the elect. / knew your mother,
Eric. when she was a tiny little girl.
But our family left Corinth long before
she was in shoe top frocks. and ! never
saw her afterwards. That's neither here
nor there. I've never forgotten the
scurvy trick Horace played on me In
school. Somebody in u room was
stealing things from the desks OF the
other scholars. Horace openly accused
me of 1t. I was driven out in disgrace.
Not one of my old playmates would
look at me, except Oswald Bright. BY
George, he was a great judge, even In
those days. He defended me on all oc-
casions, and he-he pulled me out OF
the water once wher / actually tried
To drown myself because / was so I'M
happy. He put new courage into me.
MY father moved to Gloucester a
few months afterward. but one day os.
valid wrote me a letter saying they had
caught Sthe real thief In the act of pill
range of thefts. He was sent to the
house of correction and proved a bad lot
all the rest of his life. But / never for
got Horace Blagden's charge against
me. Years passed before he grudgingly
apologized to me at Bright's suggestion.
l don't mind saying Nv never liked
your Uncle Horace. and that's putting
1t gently. Now my turn has come.
He'll squirm when ! tell him the name
of the man who got away with the
banks money a few months ago. II
will turn his hair greyer hi it is
when he lnds out for a certainty that
Il wasn't John Payson who took it"
"PaysonT The teller who used to
be 49,"
"In Chetwynd's place" completed
Adam grimly. "a lot Of money was
taken out about the time Payson left
the bank. Your uncle sent for me. He
was determined Jack was the thief. ]
went to work. For weeks and weeks
I watched every move that fellow
made. not SO much for the purpose oil
finding him guilty to please Horace
Blagden, but to establish his innocence
TO please myself. Payson was no more
guilty of robbing that bank thar you
are, and / was sure of 1t from the be-
ginning. Horace wouldn't have 1t SO
He insisted that I keep after him. He
said he'd get him If 1t took years
Well, I told him I'd find the thief.
didn't care how long II took. SO
stuck to the case, chiefly to clear JACK
Payson. His dad was my best friend
when we were boys, n his mother Is
one OF the finest women In the world
She's a widow now and Jack supports
her. Tomorrow Pm going up to Hor.
ace Blagden's house to make a charge
against the real thief" .
Eric was leaning forward, staring al
the hard set face OF the speaker, his
eyes wide with understanding.
You don't mean-Chetwynd?' ht
cried.
Il do mean Chetwynd. He was the
thief. / have positive proof. He tool
$1,000 out of sealed packages in the
vault the second day after he went into
the bank to be instructed by Payson
They kept these packages there fol
emergency cases, being a safe old New
England bank, you know" His griE
was the quintessence Of irony. "Tht
money was not missed for weeks, bu'
as some smaller bills had disappeared
from the cage just before Payson left
II vas recalled, and suspicion fell OF
him"
"Chetwynd stole all that money!"
*He needed It," chuckled Adam re
.lectively. TITS an expensive luxury
keeping a girl In fine clothes, carriages
and champagne, let me tell you that
He met her when he was in college
and she knew he was too good to lie
slip. So she hung on. She got mos
Of the $1,000 down there in little ole
New York, and she laughed at hin
behind his back, I've had more thar
one friendly chat with her, and Pv'
drunk some of his champagne, al
though he didn't know OF It. / ma!
add that she looked on me as a ricl
ranch owner from the far west. Sh'
didn't know me for the original Adam
l got a good deal out Of Miss Bunnit
De Vine. Yes. my boy, ] ran you
cousin right down to the ground. 4
day OF two ago i laid 1t all befor,
Judge Bright. He begged me to lie
the matter drop, But I refused.
had told Horace I'd find the thief, an
that IL wouldn't be poor Jack Payson
So there YOU are! Tomorrow I'm go