The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-23

Imbrie made an extra carbon copy
and slipped 1t into his pocket He
took the remainder in to the high
official, and. side by side, they COM
pared the copy with the original.
Imbrfe went home in a daze.
Dolly and he had long talked of
what they would do If ever, by some
miracle, $4,000 were to come to them.
/ They had envisaged a pretty little
farm in Virginia, with roses growing
up the walls, horse and buggy and
fields of corn and peach trees. And
now all this seemed about to come
to pass.
As he stepped of the car the little
Japanese came up to him. Silently
Imbrie slipped the carbon copy into
the mans hand and left him.
A month passed Imbrie had told
Dolly that his uncle had died and left
him that 5000 which they had al
ways talked about and never hoped
for. Dolly was delighted. The color
came back into her cheeks. She was
happy. But in Imbrie's heart was the
burning shame Of betrayal.
It was three months before he sent
In his resignation. He wanted to al.
lay suspicion. He expected to be
| watched. He had omitted to dis
charge his debt to the money lenders
for fear that he would come under
suspicion. It required all his courage
| to send in notice.
J Then, toward the end Of his last
| month. he began to realize what his
treachery meant. He knew that, I'M
der the official silence, somebody was
! suspected, somebody was watched,
somebody was suffering wrongly for
his abominable deed He could not
endure his position. And he told
Dolly.
He confessed to her one evening
when she had questioned him about
his distress. He told her that there
could be no future for them upon the
money earned by his betrayal of his
native land. He bowed his head when
he had ended, for he expected that
Dolly would herself denounce him.
But when he raised his head after
a long silence, it was to see Dolly
standing beside him. her face express
sive Of plying wonder.
"The bitter thing Is that you did
it for me, Ronald" she said, and sud
denly dropped to her knees. Ronald,
dearest, you know now what you must
do"
"But, Dolly"
Il know. You are going to say that
my happiness Is worth more than the
nation. But 1t isn't, it isn't"
i have made purchases. have re.
signed my position. We shall be beg
gars, even after have served my
term Of Imprisonment"
eat least, Ronald, we can hold up
our heads" she answered proudly.
On the following morning Imbrie
went down to the office with a reso-
luton to which he had come, as q
result of his talk with his wife. He
would confess everything; and the
| $4,000 he would turn into charity.
The worlds weight seemed to have
been lifted from his shoulders. Wash.
ington had never seemed so beautiful
nor life so free. He looked 10 years
younger as he went to his desk, and
his fellow clerks, too, noticed the
change in him.
It was long and difficult wait till
he was able to see the high official
who had given him the treaty to copy
AS he kicked his heels in the mans
office, watching dignitaries come and
go. little sense of resentment began
to assail him. What right had Mr.
Mowbray had to place temptation In
his path-in his. a $25 clerks? Would
not anyone with sick wife have beer
tempted too?
And he had worked himself up Il
such degree of anger that he hat
almost decided to turn back when Mr.
Mowbray's secretary came out ant
ushered him in.
The great man was sitting alone q
his desk, and his face was quite i'm
passive; but there was a cynical smil,
upon the lips Of the secretary as b,
sat down beside him.
Mowbray, idly turning over tn,
pages of a document, did not look III
for an unconscionable time. All tn,
while Imbrie was growing more am
more uncomfortable. At last he coult
no longer endure the suspense.
mr. Mowbray!" he blurted out.
Mowbray looked up. "Yes?" he in
quired blandly.
Then Imbrie told him. without ex
tenuation.
When he had ended speaking Now
bray turned to the secretary. xvii
you read me that letter from File 10?
he asked
The secretary read it. 1t was from
the head of Imbrie's department.
with regard to our conversation o
yesterday, can suggest nobody BET
ter than Mr.. Imbrie of our department
He is a fellow of poor character ant
in debt, as I have ascertained, t
money lenders. ! have little doub
that he can be trusted to betray tn
document to the person in question"
Imbrie stood dumfounded.
IT'S all right. Mr.. Imbrie,'' sal
Mowbray. What was a fictitiou
treaty which we wanted to get int
, the hands of certain government"
"Then you have led me on to betra
my country as l supposed" blurte,
out Imbrie.
I'VE had to- answered Mowbray
his thin lip curving in a scoffing smile
, That's what men of your type ar
employed for"