Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1915-03-04

| see YOU 5 in his office. Say, Mr..
| Terrill, do yuh think they can play
today? It's pretty wet"
10 Haley was sunk in the depths of
his big leather chair. He did not look
up as Ted entered. "Sit down" he
said. Ted sat down and waited,
puzzled
"As a wizard at figures" unused 10
Haley at last, softly as though to him
self, I'm frost A column of figures
on paper makes my head swim. But /
can carry whole regiment of EN- in
my head. I know every time the bar
keeper draws one in the dark. I've
been watchin this thing for the last
two weeks hopin' you'd quit and come
/ and tell me-" He turned suddenly and
faced Ted. tied, old kid" he said
sadly, "what'n'ell made you do it
AGAIN."
What's the joker asked Ted
| Now. Ted" demonstrated 10 Ha-
ley, that way of talkin' won't help
matters none. AS said, I'm rotten at
! figures. But you're the first invest
ment that ever turned out bad, and let
me tell you I've handled some mighty
bad smelling ones. Why, kid, If you
had just come to me on the quiet and
asked for the loan of hundred or
| so, why"
whats the joke, Jo?" said Ted
again slowly
This amt my notion of joke"
came the terse answer. Were three
hundred short"
The last flicker OF Ted Terrilrs old
| time radiance seemed to flicker and
die, leaving him ashen and old.
'Short?" he repeated. Then, my
God!" in a strangely colorless voice
MY Cod" He looked down at his
fingers impersonally. as though they
belonged to someone else. Then his
hand clutched 10 Haley's arm with the
! grip of fear. 80! 10! That's the
thing that has haunted me day and
| night, till my nerves are raw. The
fear Of doing it again. Don't laugh
| at me, will you? I used to lie awake
nights going over that cursed business
| of the bank-oyer and over-till the
| cold sweat would break out again, step
by step, until-Jo, could a man steal
and not know it? Could thinking sc
thing like that drive man crazy? Be
cause if it could-if it could-then-"
Il don't know" said 10 Haley, "but
it sounds darned fishy" He laid a
hand on Ted's shaking shoulder, and
was looking into the white, drawn
face. Il had great plans for you, Ted
But Minnie Wenzels got it all down
on slips of paper. | might as well
call her in again, and Wen have the
whole blamed thing out"
Minnie Wenzel came. In her hand
were slips of paper, and books with
figures in them. and Ted looked and
saw things written in his own hand
that should not have been there. And
he covered his shamed face with his
two hands and gave thanks that his
mother was deaf.
There came three sharp raps at the
office door. The tense figures within
jumped nervously.
Keep QUIT" called 10 Haley, who
ever you are" Whereupon the door
opened and Birdie Callahan breezed in.
Get out. Birdie Callahan roared
10. you're in the wrong pew"
| Birdie closed the door behind her
composedly and came farther into the
room. Pete, tn pastry cook, just tells
me that Minnie Wenzel told tn day
clerk, who told the barkeep, who told
tn janitor, who told tn chef, who told
Pete, that Minnie had caught Ted
stealth some three hundred dollars
Ted took a quick step forward.
Birdie, for heavens sake keep out of
this. You can't make things any bet
ter. You may believe in me, but
Where's the money!" asked Birdie.
Ted stared at her a moment, his
mouth open ludicrously.
"Why-I-don't-kno he articu-
lated painfully. q never thought of
that"
| Birdie snorted defiantly. Il thought
so. Dye know" socially, Il was Wis
tim with my aunt, Mis- Mulcahy, last
evenin'."
There was a quick rustic of silks
from Minnie Wenzel's direction.
"Say, look here. began 10 Haley,
impatiently.
"Shut up. 10 Haley" snapped Birdie.
AS was sayin', | was visitin' with
my aunt, Mis- Mulcahy. She does
fancy washin' an ironin' for the swells.
An Minnie Wenzel, there bein' none
sweller, hires her to do up her weddin'
linens. Such smears av. hand en-
bribery an Irish crochet she never
see tn likes. Mis- Mulcahy says, and
she's seen lot. And as a npecial
treat to the poor ovid soul, why Min
ME Wenzel let's her see some av her
weddin' clo'es. There never yet was
woman who cud resist shown her
weddin' things to every other woman