The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-10-20
NIX LADY VTTRIOL

would simply count the packages, ac-
| coping their stamped value, tossing
them aside and aggregating amounts,
even as you and | the small change
fer dollar.
One day it was necessary to use a
| large amount of the reserve cash, a
$4,000 package included in the ag-
grcgaIe was found to contain, instead
| Of fifty $1,000 bills. exactly fifty ones.
That package had been passed from
hand to hand for over a year, its
| stamped value always accepted with
| out hesitation. The cord enclosing 1t,
| duly covered with government seals,
was apparently all right. There was
nothing in the exterior appearance OF
| the package to indicate tampering or
! substitution
Here was cold, clear fact. however
-$499J0 short. The sub-treasury
| agent looked over the opened package,
casually inspected the coverings, and
calmly called attention to three facts
| that were incontrovertible: the string
was not government string, the wax
! in the seals was not government wax
| and the paper enclosing the package
did not bear the government water
mark In other words, the govern
ment disputed ever delivering the
| package to the Unity National Some
one had substituted the one contain
| ing the one-dollar bills a month back
two, three, six-or yesterday. or to-
day. 1t was the duty of Alison Ran
| some to guess how it could have been
| done, for he was responsible for the
| deeds and misdeeds of the depart
mert.
| Resilius Marvel had been called in.
! 1t took him a day to decide that no
| body in the bank had worked the sub
stitution. When he came to examine
the wrapper that had enclosed the
! substituted bills he found that it had
! been a discarded covering for some
other package at one time, such as
were thrown into the waste room
The figures had been changed, but the
official stamp helped through the i'm
been broken in opening the package,
SO their recent real condition could
not be estimated.
At the time l was a silent lounger
in a dark corner in Marvel's private
office when he held rapid fire col
loquy with this same Alison Ransome
| | felt sorry for the young fellow, for
he was SO artless, SO distressed, SC
clear in his statements, that there was
not false note palpable in what he
said. He had brought the visitor s
register with him. Spread out on the
same glasstopped table where | now
confronted Marvel, the twain went
over it line by line.
There were foreign and sightseeing
visitors, soon disposed Of The repre-
sentatives of country banks came un
der cynosure with no results warrant
ing suspicion. Every name on the
register was tailed off quite satisfac
torily until they came to delicate
line announcing Miss Vera Tithenor
Credited to whom?" Marvel had
challenged, keeping his finger on the
penciled initials after the name and
looking Ransome squarely in the face
who flushed like a schoolboy anc
blurted out:
Myself"
I noticed Marvel just there start
slightly,
"A friend-a relative?"
"a friend, yes" answered Ransome
well, might better say an acquaint
ance I knew the lady only casually
at the time She expressed wish tc
| 60 through the bank and Of course
had to be courteous. Then she
brought friend. She was very much
interested in bank details, saying hel
father and her uncle had been in thai
line once"
Tall, fair?" insinuated Marvel. and
I knew he was prompted to pursue
the topic by the vagrant though
noted.
Tall, fair-very fair" acceded thu
young fellow, with almost sigh.
Light blue eyes-one disfigured?'
continued MARVEL.
why, no." exclaimed Ransome
with a hard stare. What q strange
question to ask, sir! Blue eyes! Dis
figured! Indeed, no, sir-eyes blacl
as a sloe. and very bright and-be
witching. I've got to say it," ex
planned the speaker, with q Sigh
laugh, "for to tell you the truth.
fancied I was in love with Miss 1.-THE
nor at the time"
And now?" Intercepted Marvel
mercilessly.
Il have not seen her for weeks.
understand she has gone abroad"
The color of the eyes seemed t
settle the matter with Marvel, and HI
checked of the name. After tina,
evening l considered the case aban
doned, for | had not heard Marve
mention it since The bank quietly
buried the circumstances, but young
Ransome left its employ week later
| understood that he had Joined some
small brokerage firm. There was NJ
imputation as to his honesty, but thu
luckless loss Of 100000 to the banl
stood against him on the records.
And now Resilius Marvel, with hi!
paper wad puppets and his mention
of a half.forgotten name had revived
In my mind the facts have just stat
| ed-to prepare me, was sure, fol