The Southern herald., 1916-07-07

Imbrie made an extra carbon copy
and slipped it into his pocket. He
took the remainder in to the high
official, and, side by side, they com
pared the copy with the original.
Imbrie went home in a daze.
Dolly and he had long talked OF
what they would do If ever. by some
miracle, $4,000 we're to come to them.
They had envisaged a pretty little
farm in Virginia, with roses growing
I'D 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 $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.
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 1t required all his courage
to send in notice.
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.
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 pitying wonder.
1.-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"
"I know. You are going to say that
my happiness is worth more than the
nation. But 1t 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 VI
our heads" she answered proudly.
On the following morning Imbrit
went down to the Office with q reso
luton to which he had come, as q
result Of his talk with his wife. He
would confess everything; and thC
$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 year:
younger as he went to his desk, ant
his fellow clerks, too, noticed thu
change in him.
1t was long and difficult wait til
he was able to gee the high officia
! who had given him the treaty to copy
AS he kicked his heels in the man.
office, watching dignitaries come ant
go, a little sense of resentment bega,
to assail him. What right had MI
Mowbray had to place temptation II
, his path-in his, a $25 clerks? Woult
not anyone with a sick wife have beel
/ tempted too?
And he, had worked himself up Il
such a degree of anger that he hat
almost decided to turn back when MI
. Mowbray's secretary came out an
: ushered him in
The great man was sitting alone a
= his desk, and his face was quite in
passive; but there was cynical smil
upon the lips of the secretary as h
sat down beside him.
Mowbray, idly turning over tn
( pages of a document, did not look u
8 for an unconscionable time. All tn
i, while lmbrie was growing more an
= more uncomfortable. At last he coul
/ no longer endure the suspense.
: "Mr Mowbray!" he blurted out.
!. Mowbray looked up. "Yes?" he il
i quired blandly.
Then Imbrie told him, without e,
tenuation.
: When he had ended speaking Nov
n bray turned to the secretary. "Wi
d you read me that letter from File 10?
n he asked
Q The secretary read it. 1t was frol
the head Of Imbrie's department.
r with regard to our conversation {
s yesterday, can suggest nobody be
= ter than Mr.. Imbrie of our department
He is a fellow Of poor character an
l. in debt, as l have aseertamed, I
r money lenders. have little doul
= that he can be trusted to betray th