The Monte Vista journal., 1916-07-01

rather confidential and we must hav.
some more copies. Make a couple of
caroons and don't let anyone see.
BRING them to me when you have fin.
ished"
Imbrie stared at the paper. 1t was
'ne secret treaty with China which
the Japanese government would have
sold Its soul to obtain.
ihorle made an extra carbon COPY
ana slipped it into his pocket. He
LOOK the remainder in to the high
omclal, and. side by side, they com.
pared the copy with the original.
lmbrie went home in daze.
Dolly and he had long talked of
what they would do If ever, by some
miracle, $4,000 were to come to them
Ihey had envisaged a pretty little
larm IN Virginia, with roses growing
up the walls, horse and buggy and
neids of corn and peach trees And
| now all this seemed about to come
| to pass.
AS he stepped off the car the little
Japanese came up to him. Silently
lmbrie 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
| MIN that $4,000 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.
1t was three months before he sent
in his resignation. He wanted to al.
| lay suspicion.
Then, toward the end of his last
month, he began to realize what his
treachery meant. He knew that, un-
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.
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"
II know. You are going to say that
my happiness is worth more than the
nation. But it isn't, 1t isn't
Il have made purchases. l have re-
signed my position. We shall be beg
gars, even after l have served my
term of Imprisonment"
"At 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 a
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.
1t was a long and difficult wait till
he was able to see the high official
|
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, $25 clerks? Would
not anyone with a sick wife have been
tempted too?
And he had worked himself up to
such a degree of anger that he had
almost decided to turn back when Mr..
Mowbrays secretary came out and
ushered him ill.,
The great man was sitting alone at
his desk, and his face was quite i'm
passive; but there was cynical smile
upon the lips of the secretary as he
sat down beside him.
Mowbray, idly turning over the
pages of a document, did not look up
for an unconscionable time. All the
while Imbrie was growing more and
more uncomfortable. At last he could
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. Wlll
Won read me that letter from File l3?'
he asked.
r,o nooratary read IT, II was from