The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1917-11-01

looked up annoyed, while l.,
his confidential secretary, suspended
my pencil in the process of taking
notes of his instructions regarding the
new Chinese loan.
"How muchp" challenged the big
man Of the institution.
give thousand dollars"
Something to consider" mumbled
Jour official head and censor. "Where
does 1t occur2"
paying tell A. to G.-window g.
Agnew"
"H'm" scowled the president.
'That's bad. Overpayment, and that
stands for little chance of a return"
The chief clerk suppressed slight
smile of incredulity. 1 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 aimless play
ing with a letter opener, irritability
and impatience manifested In his face
and actions, for he was not man to
brook delay or mistakes.
Within five minutes the chief clerk
returned, discreetly knocked at the
door, ushered In Agnew and reluc-
family withdrew. The latter wore his
usual pen costume-well-worn shin
ing, black alpaca coat. shallow skull
oil ell cIn
breast-high apron. He came forward,
leaned one hand on the top of one Of
the high easy chairs, and nodded re-
spectfully, but briefly to the president.
I tried to give Agnew reassuring
look. There was nothing of the cul-
prit in him. yet he was unnaturally
pale. His hand shook visibly. The
aspect was that Of a mystified and
frightened man. He swept aside all
imputatiOn of suspicion or rebuke with
q singular outburst:
"My record, sirl" and mingled pride
and humiliation brought the actual
tears to his eyes.
He could not have appealed to our
president at more sensitive spot.
If the Atlas was proud of anything,
1T was its system and the persons IT
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"
81 can'tl" cried the perturbed teller
in a hard, collapsing gasp. "That's
the misery Of 1t. One error might be
traced down, but two-three ="
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 hldeous combination of circum-
stances that cast him into the junk
heap or "the down and out"
"You must be coherent, Agnew,'
spoke the president, a trifle sharply
this time. "My time is valuable and
some explanation is DUE"
every well, sir" replied the unfor.
tunate teller, with powerful effort al
bracing up; "there is all 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 anC
then tossing them carelessly aside as
If the presentation was too paltry t.
consider.
"As you see them" replied thu
teller. 81 have thought 1t adj out, sir
and ! feel that you will deride me
but those three checks represent thu
shortage Of $4,000"
The president did not speak, i
was so clearly riddle that only thu
individual who presented 1t could Civ
an calculation. and he wOdted for 1t
ITO be as brief and clear as can,
proceeded Agnew. "Day before yes
terday when 1 gathered up the odt
thousand checks / had spindled durini
the Gay, Il IOuuu HDOut Jile miuuie "
the heap one of those blank checks
i wondered what mishap had placed
there, where " had come from.
tossed IL aside. When I came t
count up my cash I was $1,000 short
was summing up the checks again Il
find the error when the vault car
came along, and had to turn In M
trays. / have often run across O falls
FIRST tally. so / went home intending
to check Off again I'm the morning. Blu
yesterday, as you know, was the frs
day of the month and pay roll day
Ii was not until late In the Afternoon
that 1 had chance to go over m
affairs. Again the blank check-tw
Of them. and there are the three.
was fairly sick. sir. when I found tina
] was short 5000 additional. in al
5000. 1 went home, but not to sleeI
I've lain awake all night long, figuring
probing, thinking. I've reasoned
ont"