Evening star., 1923-08-26

side, / guess, like / was drunk, and
calling his name every few minutes.
He looked around once, but he didn't
see me: he kept right on going and
turned out of sight at the next corner
stopped then because / was too weak
to go any farther. I was Just about
to sit down on the curb and rest
when I looked around. and the first
thing I saw was Mr.. Deems walking
after me as fast as he could come.
There wasn't any of my imagination
about IL this time-the look in his
eyes showed he wanted to know what
was the matter with me!
well, that's about all I remember
clearly until about twenty minutes
later, when I was at home trying to
unlock my trunk with fingers that
were trembling like a tuning fork.
Before could get 1t open, Mr.. Deems
and a policeman came in. l began to
talk all at once about not being a
thief and trying to tell them what
had happened, but I guess 1 was sort
Of hysterical, and the more 1 said the
worse matters were. When l man.
aged to get the story out it seemed
sort of crazy, even to me-and 1t was
true-it was true, true as I've told
you-every word,-that one penny
that l lost somewhere down by the
station" Hemmick broke off and
began laughing grotesquely as
though the excitement that had come
over him as he finished his tale was a
weakness of which he was ashamed.
When he resumed 1t was with an af-
fectation of nonchalance.
I'm not going into the details of
what happened because nothing much
did-at least not on the scale you
Judge events by up north. It cost me
my job. and I changed a good name
for a. bad one Somebody tattled and
somebody lied. and the impression got
around that I'd lost lot Of the banks
money and had been tryin' to cover
it up.
'I had an awful time getting a job
after that. Finally l got a statement
out of the bank that contradicted the
widest of the stories that had started,
but the people who were still inter-
ested said II was just because the
bank didn't want any fuss or scandal
and the rest had forgotten; that is,
they'd forgotten what had happened
but they remembered that somehow
Just wasn't a young fellow to be
trusted"
HEMM1Ck paused and laughed
/ i again, still without enjoyment.
but bitterly, uncomprehendingly and
with a profound helplessness.
$50. you see, that's why I didn't go
to Cincinnati" he said slowly. MY
mother was alive then. and that was
a pretty bad blow to her She had an
idea-one of those old-fashioned ideas
that stick in peoples heads down here
that somehow I ought to stay here
in town and prove myself honest. She
had it on her mind, and she wouldn't
hear Of. my going. She said that the
day I went'd be the day she'd die.
back my-my reputation"
How long did that take" asked
Abercrombie quietly.
"About-ten years.
"Oh-"
Ten years." repeated Hemmick,
staring out into the gathering dark
ness. This is little town you see
I say ten years because it was about
ten years when the last reference to
it came to my ears. But 1 was mar
ried long before that; had kid. Gin
cinnati was out of my mind by that
time
''Of course" agreed Abercrombie.
They were both silent for a moment
then Hemmick added apoIoeettcally:
That was sort of a long story, and
don't know if it could have inter-
ested you much. But you asked
me-
'It did interest me-" answered
Abercrombie politely. 1T interested
me tremendously. 1t interested me
much more than I thought 1t would"
1t occurred to Hemmick that he
himself had never realized what a
curious. rounded tale it was. He saw
dimly now that what had seemed to
him only a fragment. a grotesque in
terlude was really significant, COM
plete. 1t was an interesting story:
it was the story upon which turned
the failure of his life. Abercrombie's
voice broke in upon his thoughts
You see, it's so different from my
story" Abercrombie was saying. TT
was an accident that YOU stayed-and
it was an accident that I went away.
You deserve more actual-actual
credit, if there is such a thing in the
world, for your intention of getting
out and getting on. You see, I'd more
|or less gone wrong at seventeen.