The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-27
The EMPTY ENVELOPE
BY EVELYN LEE.

quickened breath told of unusual men,
tai stress.
It was in the brokers' office where
Worth was employed that he stood
wrestling with his conscience. Only
the bookkeeper was in the outer room.
The vault was open. To this Worth
had ready access at all times, but
now he skunk toward it and into it
with the ste8lthiness of a thief.
Mrs. Malinda Parr'-he knew the
labeled manila envelope well, knew
that it contained one $500 bond, Rex
Construction gold 6.
1t was a somewhat out-of-the-way
trust. Their client, a struggling
widow, had purchased the bond. For
safe keeping, she had always left it
with the Office. Twice a year she had
appeared to collect the interest. That
was all.
A friend had come to Worth in dire |
| distress. He must have 5000 at once, |
or he would be involved in serious |
trouble.
And, through mistaken loyalty to a |
| person who did not deserve it, Worth |
made his first misstep. /
His plan was to take the distracted |
bond to a money lender he knew, Dor |
row 5000 on it, and when this was
! paid off return the security to the Of
| fee vaults, and nobody would be the
wiser.
/ Worth slipped the familiar envelope
into his pocket. One hour later he
left the office. His feelings were
tense, he seemed to have suddenly
| assumed a load that weighed down
body and spirit.
Worth reached the hotel where he
had arranged to meet his friend. He
had decided to tell him of the fear
full sacrifice of business honor and
peace of mind he was making for his
sake.
An hour went by. The friend did
not come. He would never come, as
Worth later learned. The friend was
a scamp, had learned that the police
were already on his trail and had fed
the city. Worth waited YEARLY. Fl
nally he arose to leave the hotel.
"Fire!"
The cry took Worth momentarily
out OF himself. He saw smoke and
flames issuing through an open arch
; ing leading into one of the parlors.
The heavy silken draperies all
B around the room were getting ablaze.
He tore down the fire-kindled curtains
at the door. Then he shouted to a
group of terrified women huddled near
! one of the windows:
Get out into the hall. There is no
= danger yet"
Worth tore off his coat. He used
it as an extinguisher. beating at the
blazing curtains of the windows. He
= was perspiring, singed, his face and
G hands bIackened as the advance fire
e patrol came to the spot. Some one
/ asked his name. He saw the blaze
under control, and, pretty we'll ex'
O cited and exhausted, passed down to
p the street.
al Worth did not return to the Office al
- once. He went to his room to tidy up
There he made a discovery that
thrilled him. The envelope was gone
from his coat pocket. He FASTENED
Is back to the hotel. With eager delight
y. he left it again, for he found the en-
lr velope where it had switched out oil
n his coat. He started for the office
glanced within the envelope, ant
,e found it-emptyi
+ Some one has distracted it from
20 the envelope" he unused desperately
- Il dare not make any move toward:
49, Its recovery without exposing my OWL
y wicked foolhardiness!"
in Worth placed the empty envelope
n back in its place in the vault Tha
a evening he planned what he would do
BY saving and skimping he might pu
he aside $500 by the next interest date
He could sell some jewelry he had
His name got in the paper as tn,
H. hero of the hotel fire. 1t made Ad;
Mason, his fiancee, very proud of him
but her JOY was dampened by a grea
change in the man she was to marry
he He called upon her less frequently
He no longer planned Of how the.
er would furnish the little flat they ha
Oh discussed so comfortingly in the past
Vainly Ada tried to learn wha
- trouble he was brooding over.
Then at the end of month WORT
broke down one evening. He cor
fessed all to Ada. Never did a ter
der. loving heart move to rescue an
= consolation as this dear little soul.
Yes she said, you must max
reparation, and l must help YOU" an
her sister wondered at her now col
slant attention to fancy work.
At the end of five months Wort
had the exact amount needed to cove
bond value and interest 1t was
happy moment when he went to tn
vault to place the money in the el
velope. 1t was gonei He went
the bookkeeper, fearing some ne
complication in the case
'The Parr envelope?" he tried I
say carelessly.
"Oh, threw it out yesterday" wa
the indifferent explanation. Had I