The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-01-04
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
WHENONEG GOES WRONG.
BY E. |. BACON.

Before leaving his desk to start OF
his annual two weeks vacation, Ian
yon stuffed twenty-one thousand dol
lars in bills into the inside pocket o.
his coat. Three thousand dollars more
were already slowed away in another
pocket, and, as he intended to TAKE
both rolls with. him, he was prett!
well equipped for such short perios
of rest.
1t must not be inferred, however
that he was a spendthrift or a mil
honaire. He was very far from bein,
either. Frugality was his most dis
tinguishing characteristic. A modes
glass Of beer, cigar now and then
an occasional shot at the races-eyel
such small vices never entered init
his sphere of life.
For ten years he had lived In al
unpretentious clearinghouse across
the bridge. For ten years he had gone
to bed at ten o'clock sharp with ma
chine-like regularity, with the excep
ton of Saturday nights, when invari
ably he allowed himself the luxury o
taking his landlady's pretty daughte
to the theater That, so far as any
body knew, had been his only indul
gence.
Yet he felt that for the vacation h
was about to take he needed ever.
penny of the large amount with which
he had provided himself He needed
all this money to live on during hi
vacation in his usual thrifty fashion Il
a town where living was considerabl.
cheaper than in New York, and wher'
the opportunities for a spendthrif
would have been exceedingly meager
The fact Of the matter was tina
Lanyon had made up his mind to pro
long this particular vacation indef
initely. He had kept this resolution
a strict secret
Not even his landlady had received
so much as hint of 1t. What wal
stranger still. he had breathed not {
word Of 1t to Dwyer his employer, ant
he did not intend to.
The fact would have to dawn upor
Dwyer gradually, and the longer ths
truth took to penetrate to the old gen
tIeman's understanding, the more
would Lanyon be pleased. For the
roll he had stuffed into his inside
pocket was Dryers money.
The smaller amount represented his
own savings Of ten years of hard and
faithful work 1t might have been a
good deal more if he had not sent a
tidy sum each month to his old moth
er, who lived alone in a sleepy little
village on the Maine coast
After slowing the money away, he
arranged the things in his desk very
neatly, brushed It OF with little
broom that he kept for the purpose
and gently closed the roll-top. He
took a last look at it as he went Out
Of the door,
On the way downtown he stopped
at a wholesale house in lower Broad
way where his friend Berrian was
employed. to say good-by.
ssYou look run down." observed Der
Ran. "Old Dryers been working you
too hard But never mind. Maine
will fix you up, all right"
tits not going to be Maine this
time, Freddie" returned Lanyon with
a serious air. TITS going to be Tru
jillo."
What! Trujillol Where the deuce
is Trujillo?"
Nice little town in Honduras. Sea
air, beautiful tropical scenery-an
ideal place for a vacation II the fever
don't get you
Berrian merely stared, his mouth
hanging open in establishment. Look
ing cautiously around to make sure
that nobody was within ear-shot, Lam
yon continued:
Fred, you're the only real friend
I've got In the world. You're the only
man in this city I've told about my
having been in prison. can trust
you.
Nov, perhaps you'll understand
when / tell you that, in the noble
words of its constitution, the repub-
lie Of Honduras is a sacred asylum
to every person fleeing to its terri
tory"
Berrian drew back with a gasp.
you mean-you mean-you've gone
wrong again." he demanded
Gust that" admitted Lanyon grave
ly. I've come to tell you because
/ don't want you to have any worse
opinion Of me than you can help hav-
ing under the circumstances.
IT don't suppose a man ever can
have good excuse for turning crook
ed, but mine is as good one as there
ever was, / guess. I've got an old
mother up in Maine dependent on me.
If my reputation were the best in the
world. I'd rather lose it than see her
starve."
"But-I don't understand" STAN
mered Berrian you've managed to
look after her all right, haven't your"
Il wouldn't, though. IL I were out
of a job, with prison record keep
ing me from getting another. And II
I don't go now. Dwyer would see that
did next week, even If I hadn't taken
cent from him.
IAN old enemy Of mine drifted into
town last week. He's going to send
Dwyer my history in day or two.
81 know Dryer well enough to
know what that would mean. So, you
see how 1t is. II l had only myself
to look after, wouldn't care much
oua ia <~<k <,.k nth oIoou hordr A.
1t is, I'd rather turn thief than face
the alternative"
The next moment he was in the
street running for a car. Berrian had
started to follow; but. seeing the fulfil
ity of pursuit, stood staring after his
retreating figure.
ITO think that he's come to this
after all those years of living
straight" he muttered.
Two hours later Lanyon arrived in
Jersey City with q good half-hour to
spare before his train was due to
start. He sat down in a corner Of
the waiting-room and pulled out his
timetables. But, instead Of porting
over them as he had intended, he gave
himself up to his thoughts.
Somehow, he could not get his land
lady's pretty daughter out. of his mind.
He had tried hard to forget her, but
his thoughts always came around to
her again before long, and every now
and then he would ask himself how
she would regard him after she had
heard the news.
He glanced up at the line Of people
sitting facing him on the opposite
benches, and over their heads to the
big clock on the wall 1t seemed to
him that the minutes were dragging
terribly. He was getting nervous.
He gave startled look over his
shoulder toward the entrance. He
= Is 81 -.