The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-06-27

ment, grew cold-now, suppose l had
SOME secret, some bad habit. Well.
suppose 1t wasn't exactly q habit, but
suppose | had done something that
| ought not to have done. Wouldn't
you want me to tell you about 1t?
Molly's face showed no emotion,
but her little brain worked fast, and
her inward confusion increased. Ap-
parently Brad had discovered In some
way that she had been writing, though
how this had happened she could not
imagine. Had she not signed the
story Jane Daw, and had she not had
the check made out to the same name?
And why. rel II he did not approve
of her writing. did he speak OF It as
a bad habit almost as a crime?
am sure that what l have been do
Ing is not ut all wrong, she said, and
then a hot tear trickled down her
pretty cheek and another and then her
confused little head was on Brad's
shoulder and he was explaining very
gravely.
Ill tell you exactly what l know,
then there will be no misunderstand-
ing. This morning we had word that
q certain check we had honored was
worthless-that Is, the person who
made it out had ordered payment stop.
ped. l am telling you very simply SO
YOU will follow. When people order
payment to be stopped It is because
| Tho nhnnk hn, hnar Inaf Ar 1kN1a. n-l
may get into the hands Of persons to
whom it does not belong. We'll, l ask.
ed Jones. the cashier, about 1t and he
told me that he had honored' the check
because You had presented It. He also
told me that when you came into the
bank you asked him not to let me
know that you called and to say moth
ing about the check. The amount was
not large, and as far as the amount
goes 1t doesn't signify, but II puts
Jones In a bad light to have accepted
the check without absolutely knowing
that the person who presented the
check vas honest. I'd patch, it up IL
| understood you better. But some.
thing is wrong somewhere or you
would have told me about 1t. 1t isn't
too late. Molly, for Heavens sake,
tell me who is this Jane Daw and how
did you get into possession Of checks
made out to her? Molly sat up very
straight and explained infinitely about
the story she had written, the check
and the loss Of the purse. And then,
she continued. after | had telegraphed
and asked the editor to stop paymen.
| found the purse after all. l was SO
glad. had been SO happy and excit-
ed that l didn't know what | was do
and that's probably why l dropped the
purse into the tea caddy and l never
found 1t till we were making afternoon
tea. The very next day, / hurried down
to the bank and got that nice Mr..
Jones to give me the money, and Of
course I told him not to tell you, be-
cause l didn't want you to know l had
been writing. l thought | would write
some day and tell the editor not to
bother to do anything about the checks
as l had found 1t. oh, dear, I think
banking Is very hard to understand.
II l ever get to be a really truly writer
and have many checks come for my
stories, l do hope. you'll take care Of
the business side of things.
Well, rather, was Brad's reply, and
when you get an answer from the mag.
azine there will probably be q new
check. Let me have that before you
start to do any more banking on your
own account, and maybe then / cau
%straighten things out. But thereafter,
remember, I'm the banker OF this fam.
ly. But I'm as proud as Punch that
your little story was accepted.