The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-11-24
~HORTAGE. SIR" reported our

- of the Atlas National bank
looked up annoyed while |,
his confidential secretary, suspended
my pencil in the process of taking
notes Of his instructions regarding the
new Chinese loan.
"How much?' challenged the big
man of the institution.
Five thousand dollars
Something to consider" mumbled
our official head and censor. Where
does it occur?
Paying tell A. to G.-window 3
Agnew.''
HIM" scowled the president
''That's bad. Overpaylnent. and that
stands for little chance of return"
The chief clerk suppressed a slight
smile of increduity. | read his
thought and shared his deductions.
BARLEY Agnew was the 'crack" teller
Of the Atlas. expert authority on
good money, and the swifteSt counter
and oldest payer in the service.
''Send Agnew here" was all the
president said, and sat aimIesS play
ing with letter opener, irritability
and Impotence manifested in his face
and actions. for Re was not a man to
brook delay or mistakes.
Within five minutes the chief clerk
returned, discrectly knocked at the
door; uShprcd in Agnew and reluc-
family withdrew. The latter wore his
usual pen cOstume-Wcll-W0rn, shin
Ing. black alpaca coat, shallow skull
cap. Cl4Se-titting silk sleeves and
breast-high apron. He came forward,
.eaued one hand on the top of one Of
the high easy chairs, and nodded re-
spectfuliy. but briefly to the president
I tried to give Agnew a rcassuring
look. There was nothing of the Cul-
prit in him, yet he was unnaturally
pale. His hand shook visibIy. The
aspect was that of a myStifed and
frightened man. He swept aside all
tmputation of suspicion or rcbuke with
q singular outburst:
"My record. sir" and mingled pride
and humiliation brought the actual
tears to his eyes.
He could not have appealed to our
president at n more sensitive spot. |
IF the Atlas was proud of anything |
It was its system and the persons ii
had in service-picked men. the last |
one Of them, and representing fifty per !
cent Of the Gibraltar integrity of the |
Institution.
Don't get nervous, Agnew." he said |
sImply-"explain the mistake"
orin1
in a hard, collapsing gasp. That's
the misery of it. One error might be |
traced down. but two-threo ="
He bowed his head and sat motion
less. His helplessness was pitiable.
knew what was passing in the mans |
mind-the keen torture of the profess
sional expert, broken on the wheel of |
some hidcous combination Of Circum-
stances that cast him into the junk
heap or "the down and out"
You must he coherent. Agnew," /
spoke the president. a trifle sharply
this time. MY time is valuable and
some explanation is due"
"very well, sir replied the unfor-
tunate teller. with powerful effort at
bracing up: there is all I have to pre-
sent"
He had taken three slips of paper
from his pocket and placed them
consecutively upon the glass slab that
covered the presidents desk. My
curious glance swept them rapidly
three of the ordinary checks Of the
bank.
Blank" spoke the president, turn
ing them over, inspecting them and
then tossing them carelessly aside as
if the presentation wars too paltry to
consider.
"As you see Them" replied the
teller. 81 have thought it adj out, sir,
and I feel that you will deride me,
but those three checks represent the
shortage Of $4,000"
7Slre president did not speak. 1t
was so clearly a riddle that only the
individual who presented It could give
an calculation, ard he waited FOR it.
ITO be as brief and clear as can"
proceeded Agnew. "Day before yes
terday when 1 gathered up the odd
thousand checks I had spindled during
che day. found about the middle OF
the heap one of those blank checks.
I wondered what mishap had placed 1t
there. where it had come from.
tossed it aside. When / came to
count up my cash I was $1,000 short.
was summing up the checks again to
find the error when the vault cart
came along, and had to turn in my
trays. l have often run across false
first tally, so I went home intending
to check off again in the morning. But
yesterday, as you know, was the first
day of the month and pay roll day.
II was not until late in The afternoon
that | had chance to go over my
affairs. Again the blank check-tWo
of them. and there are the three.
was fairly sick, sir, when found that
| was short s., 700 additional, in all
5000. / went home, but not TO sleep.
I've lain awake all night long, figuring,
probing, thinking. I've reasoned it
out"
'HOw-what do you meanT
Invisible ink"
t1a