The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-03-13

NiC Aohy hoitt liz C1S 'tNp
ward glance.
well, that's over" he told him
self, "and | don't know whether
I'm happy or broken-hearted. Mel
lies so practical and conservative
she's hard to understand, but I'll
say this Of her: she's something
that mighty few women are-and
that's a true blue sportr'
He went home and didn't sleep
q wink.
For two weeks Elmer fought the
deadly life of the idle rich around
Pilarcitos. And each day of that
awful two weeks he wrote to Doris
Gatewood. AS her accepted sutton
he felt 1t incumbent upon him TO
put a note of tenderness In his
lengthy epistles. but for the life Of
him he could not make that note
ring true. Doris. however, APP
peared to suffer from no such in
hibition. Hers were sufficiently sen.
timental to suit the most exacting
male.
Also she was quick to note the
restraint In Elmer's correspond
ence and chided him with 1t. She
babe him assure her that he loved
her-and only her. Thus cor
nered, Elmer gave the assurance
demanded-in writing. Later, upon
request, he sent his photograph, on
which appeared these words: ITO
Doris, from her devoted Elmer"
Then suddenly, like q swooping
falcon, came a heartbreaking let
ter. Poor dear Harvey had invest
ed all of his little principal in an
enterprise which had failed. The
shock of this terrible loss had sick
ened him, and at the moment he
was, according to no less than two
doctors, developing an abscess In
his right lung, due to the casing
he had received In France. Her
own income, earned as a CORE
spondent for the American Week
ly, was insufficient to support them
even in the humble style to which
they had been accustomed, and she
faced the terrible necessity Of see
ing Harvey bundled off to a public
hospital. If Elmer could send her
a thousand dollars to tide them
over, ct cetera.
81 knew It," Elmer soliloquized.
81 smelled that touch coming, only
7 thought it would come from Har-
vey. Well, one thing is certain
they need that thousand dollars
badly, or Doris would never have
asked me for It,"
Still wrapped In the fogs of mis-.
understanding and still in incom-
plete possession of his senses, FL
mer sent her a check on the Pillar
citos Commercial Trust & Savings
bank for the sum In question. Two
days later the check was returned
through a Los Angeles bank for
payment.
Now, 1t so happened that Alice
Goodfellow had had an attack Of
the megrims that day and in conse-
quence Nellie Cathcart had to take
over Miss Goodfellow's task of post
ing the customers ledger. Natu
rally, as she sorted the checks at
the close of the days business pre-
paratory to charging them up, she
came across Elmer B. Clarke's
check for the sum Of one thousand
dollars, in favor of Doris Gatewood.
1t had been Endorsed by Doris Gate
wood, and bore, in addition.
the endorsement Of Harvey Gate
wood and the Los Angeles bank.
Pasted to the check was a small
red label bearing the words please
wire if uncollectable." Evidently
the Los Angeles bank had taken the
check for collection only.
Fast work, Doris darling" Nellie
murmured. From a stack of print
ed tags she selected one and
checked off in red ink from a long
list of standard excuses for fail
ure to honor a check the excuse
that she knew would start a riot
between Elmer and the payee with
out involving her, to wit: "Signa-
ture of indorser Irregular" Aid
that was absolutely true, since Mel
lie knew the names in both cases
were fictitious. With a little smile
of malice she inclosed the rejected
check in an envelope and shot il
back to the Los Angeles bank.
"And now" she murmured to the
adding machine, 1--WE shall see that
which we shall see. This new
love of Elmer's will wire for an ex-
PLANTATION and he will come over to
the bank with blood in his ~lovelorn
eyes and demand an explanation of
Anse Moody. Old Anse will call
in and scoId me for being stupid
and I'll have to hand Elmer jolt
number one. After that the other
jolts will follow In rapid success
sion. Alas, poor Elmer"
Events fell out even as Nellie had
fOretold. A devil with a whip of
fire drove Elmer Clarke to the bank
early the next afternoon. His
check had been questioned, the
love OF his life had called him hys-
tericaily on the telephone, and he
had to do or die. Only, as he was
dying, he cursed him
self for his stupidity In sending
Doris his own check. Why in the
name Of common sense had he not
purchased a cashiers draft In his
own name. and Endorsed ii to
Well, there was nothing TO do
do now save to go through with the
awful operation, so with a fash
Ing eye that belied his trembling
soul he stalked into old Anse
Moody's lair and In a laundering
demanded of that astounded
what the devil he meant
by refusing payment on one of his