The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-03-16

loud. till all hours. Hearing the sound
OF a thing is like looking at it all writ
zen out on paper. You see it clearer
right away"
The boy faced him, white and shak-
ing. Blast til" he whispered. "You
don't have to play with mel"
And the older man for a moment did
not answer. He looked at Ted with a
slow scrunity.
Son." he said in a sympathetic
tone. you act worried about some
fbs sfefe:' r Aqd ed hs fd sbeak WITH II E en wy E SdR
that thMstb Is; because fsS I'm worried about
t, Yes 81" Uncle Frank remarked in
real worried about myself. I'm getting
absent minded or something. I'm treas
urer of the cemetery trustees, you know,
and folks come around to pay me
money every so often. And here lately
I've been forgetting to deposit their
checks"
Ted listened like stone.
1.-THE first M was back in Septem-
ber," the older man reflected. "Traf
Hood gave me a check for a few hun
dred dollars. I thought I endorsed it
it was made out to me-and took it
down to the bank the same day he
gave it to me. But when the state
ment came in, the first of October, the
credit wasn't there.
II set out to ask you about it, but
you were away Just then. You went to
Boston the last Of September and stay
ed four or five days, and by the time
you came back I decided that the
bookkeeper had probably just made a
mistake. I figured the credit would be
on the books next MONTH"
He wagged his head. But it wasn't"
he confessed. Matter Of fact, there
vas another check for six hundred,
and one for around two hundred that
I must have forgot to deposit, too. Then
here this morning I noticed ON the
statement that there's another seven
eight hundred dollars that I must have
forgotten to turn in. The whole of it
runs to around three thousand and I'll
be darned if I know where the checks
have gone to-"
Ted said harsh1y: "You know well
enough! All right! What are you going
to do about it?"
tits been my own fault, too" Uncle
Frank reflected. II ought to have en-
dorsed those checks to the cemetery
account. But they were made out to
me and I just signed my OWE name.
If I lost them on the street any one
could cash them. They were just the
same as money"
He concluded: $50, I'm short about
three thousand. The first of the year
Amasa will 60 over my books and want
me to make it good. But I never saw
ed much money. I never earned much,
never saw any use of saving it. So I
wanted your advice, Ted"
He glanced toward the boy, and Ted
looked at him with burning eyes.
IT expect you know something about
gested, his tone all humility.
Ted hesitated, then he made a harsh
and bitter gesture. Enough" he said.
II know enough!"
The older man nodded. "Why then"
he proposed, "you tell me! You think
I'd have any chance of making up that
three thousand if I were to take some
cemetery money and speculate with it?
In the market?"
mo-" said Ted, and he was choking.
mo, you wouldn't have a chance in
the world"
"Sho!" Uncle Frank protested. you
say so! You wouldn't advise me to
risk it? You think I'd just get in
deeper? Be worse off than before?"
Eyes," the boy repeated thickly. you
wouldn't have any chance at ALI"
The old man seemed disappointed.
Ted stared at him for a long silent
moment; and he said at last, steadily
enough: IT know what you mean, sir.
What are you going to do?"
Nothing" said Uncle Frank. It'll
just tell Amasa the truth; tell him I
lost the money in the market"
Ted sat very still, his eyes upon the
fire, and the older man watched him.
Till after a long time Ted turned and
smiled in a fashion that pleased Uncle
Frank beyond the measure of words.
He smiled and he asked:
You mean you think that is what
I should do? Tell the truth?"
But Uncle Frank protested instantly:
you? It's me I'm talking about, son
What have you got to do with it?"
The older man said stoutly: "son,
this doesn't concern you at ALL"
Ted shook his head. 1T won't go, sir"
he insisted. II appreciate it. But
my fathers chairman of the cemetery
trustees. He'd send you to jail" The
color drained from his cheeks. "You-
or any n else" he declared. If they
stole cemetery funds"
Maybe not!" Uncle Frank cheerful
ly demurred.
"You don't know him." Ted insisted
grimly. "He's-hard as nails where
money is concerned"
Uncle Frank smiled in a slow con-
tent. "Why, Ted, I've established some
credits here and there" this thirty
years back" he explained. Maybe 7
can draw on them. I've been building
a house all my life, and throwing a
brick at the house I've built won't
knock it over, even if I threw the brick
vox,ca1fO To 1oolyo1 of tho hou aP,rf