The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-18

y o'clock Decius Babb dis
n played the CLOSED" sign at q.
~ having window a of the Nam
moth National Bank. He re-
moved the currency I'll from the
horseshoe counter at his right and
,l,,ed 1t in a black trunk resting on a
table desk in the rear of his cage.
H. locked the trunk. tried the cage
rate behind him and walked toward
the locker room at pace which
moved flippant teller to exclaim:
Guess the old mans in a hurry to-
day
Mr. Babb was year or two under
GO and to the underlings who set the
driving pace of a ,arge bank he was
m old man. In point of service he
was old indeed. having worked in the
Mammoth for nearly forty years. And
nj late he had begun to feel old in
spirit. He didn't stand quite as
Straight and his hair was whitening.
His hands trembled little. especially
on saturdays. when payments were
heavy.
IS Mr. Babb was shedding his back
ofi,e coat he overheard snatChes of a
conversation which was being carried
ON in another aisle of the locker room.
Hes getting pretty slow and shaky
-ousht To resign. by and by he'll
oyerpay some one. and then-clever
sw.nd,cr could"
Mr. Babb did not move until the
voices had left the room. OF ocu..e
they had referred to him. 1t was Ike
II. .J.v g Nxl
promotion. He had been ranking pay
ing teller for score of years and now
younger blood was after his job. One
Of the voices Mr.. Babb had recognized
As that of Arthur Kllum. the spare
teller who was next in line for regu-
lar place.
1t was hot July day and Mr.. Babb
ordered seasonable lunch of graham
crackers and milk. But he didn't feel
hungry and ate only a few spoonfuls.
He could still hear that nasty remark
OF Kllum's: Hes getting pretty
slow and .shaky." And Arthur Killum
was going to take over his cash! He
must hurry back and see that every
thing was right.
As senior paying teller paying
clearing" and the big drafts Decius
Babb carried working balance o
about 100000 OF coarse it would
come out right as usual. Still there
was always chance. Anyway III
ought to straighten out his cage a bit
for tomorrow he would begin his an.
nual vacation and the spare teller
would pay at window a during hi.
absence.
~ II, 81 ..
his vacations. He usually saw a bi
Of the country and returned to worl
moderately tanned. But conditions
would be different this year. He al
most wished his vacation were over
II would be hard to derive much pleas
ure from il. knowing each day that hi
substitute was undoubtedly trying {
root him out of job.
The veteran teller returned to tn
hank and methodically listed the day
payments. Next he inventoried HI
cash and found it apparently correc
As had been his practice for twent
years he rechecked the inventory an
again ran over his additions.
After proving his work Mr. Bah
began to feel easier in mind. The FOL
man" might be slowing up a Bit h
reflected but he was still as accura'
as the best Of them. Not even bach
biting Arthur Killum could gainsa
that
With a return of confidence in hin
self Mr.. Babb half resolved to te
Killum what he had overheard in II
becker room and demand an apolog
He fused around the paying Gag
putting everything in precise ord
and conjecturing the possible dialogu
At I o'clock Martin. who paid