Evening star., 1915-12-12

cant get out of his shell. He couldn't
stop her from spending money, but he
could take money out of the safe; so he
did. That's the whole story. From be-
ginning to end, it is simply an absurdity.
He once got up courage to forbid Gleason
& Smith here selling her goods on credit.
She bluffed them into letting her have the
goods, and went home and had spell.
That's the way it went"
Again she looked up at the clock.
"You see, bills accumulated little
bills, but more than he could pay He
waited and waited as long as he could.
Finally somebody threatened to sue him,
and he was afraid that would cost him his
job. Mercy is not expected in this plant"
she added, holding her chin a thought
higher and flashing at the figure in the
swivel-chair.
"He took two hundred dollars out of
the safe to pay the bills. More bills accu-
mulated, and after while he took another
two hundred dollars OF course, at first
he could deceive himself. He could say
he'd conquer his wife and keep his eX-
penses in hand, and finally save enough
to pay up what he had taken. But after
a time he knew that was hopeless and
he never could get out. Then this ridicu-
lous affair of the counterfeiting came in."
"Yes; that's the odd part of it,, said
the man.
"You must understand, she went on,
"that he began taking money eight years
ago. You can see how absurd it all is
from that! Only three thousand dollars
in eight years-which is less than four
hundred dollars year! A sad joke rather
than crime, | should call it! We'll, he
had taken several hundred dollars, and he
was mortally afraid, of course, that he
would be found out-that somebody else
would count the cash and find it short.
So one day young man in the Office here
happened to show him circular he had
got through the mail This circular
offered to sell counterfeit money. 1t said
one could order so much counterfeit
money, which would be sent by express
G. 0. D., and the person to whom it was
addressed would pay the amount agreed
upon at the express Office and get the
package
"An old game" the detective remarked.
Il suppose so," she replied. "This
young man regarded it as a joke; but
Pershing got the circular from him and
sent on to the address and ordered
thousand dollars in counterfeit ten-dollar
bills. The package came, and he paid
hundred and fifty dollars to get it out of
the express office; but when he opened it
there was nothing inside except an old
newspaper folded up the size of bank
notes. But somehow that ridiculous no.
ton of counterfeit money stuck in the
poor little mans head. 1t seemed to him
if he could put counterfeit money in the
safe in place Of the money he'd taken, no
one would find him out That was all he
could think of, you see-tormented as he
was by fear of exposure. So he worked
two whole years.
SHE bent toward the detective her face
- aglow with sympathy, and repeated
with touch of awe: 1.-TWO whole years!
Just think of that-working all alone, in
secret, every spare minute he could get
and every minute fearing he would be
found out! Why, it's just like poor little
mouse tunncling through stone wall to
get away from a cat He photographed
ten-dollar bill, you know, and, after failing
i H.. .l..A.s