Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1888 — DISGRACED. [ARTICLE]

DISGRACED.

“Piiii.aiieUmiia. December, 10,188 T. 'Ur John Jonet: "You sre requested to drsw two weeks salary and for reasons wltn which 1 trust you'are acquainted. seek another position. “P. V. Knickek, •‘President Drevets’ Bank." How many times John Jones bad read this note he could hardly have told. “Reasons with which I treat you are acquainted.” He, the cashier of the Droveis’ Bank, dismissed for ressons with which he was acquainted. What did it mean? What were tho ressons, and why was he supposed to be acquainted with them? These were some of the qm s!ions which he was putting to Limself ss he Eat his room almost stupefied. He did not fear inafcil.ty to precure another posh ion. John Jones wrs too well known and had been too faithful inbis Bjrvictß at his back to fear that; bet why wts he dismissed? Weil, he couldn’t find cut en'il the next day, unless to be cure, he called upon Mr. Knicker at his home, and that John conidn’t do in the state of mind he wt s in- just then. The feelirg of injured innocence is net altogether unpletsnt after all, and .1 jhn fiaal'y t’i.rpoeed of the constantly lecorm g quest iocs and prepared to go oat He would go and see Beth, bis Beth, and together they would talk overthe matter and would decide what to do. John Jones had been sick all that day. A b ind headache had begun to bother uim before he had left the bank the day before, and had grown constantly woise all that n'ght until when morning came he wts unable to go to .bis butiness. The headache was forgotten now; occasionally a throb of pain would make bitn wince physically, but h's thoughts wrra too thoroughly occupied with that unaccountable note to realize the pain. , He soon had left the house and decided to walk up Chestnut street and thence to see Beth. He raw no one, did not even feel the exertion of walking until he brought up with a bang against • gentlemah going in the opposite direction. He mechanically apologized end started on, but soon did the same thing again, and saw .he was unable to think about the present, even enough to dodge his fellow pedestrians. He called a cab and gave the driver oraers to take himtoßalh’s home. Before he realized that they had s’artsd he Was aroused by the sadden pulling np of the vehicle, and the man clambered down from his seat, opened the door aud rtoed waiting for him to get ont. He did so and started up to ring the bell when the driver oil el after him. He had forgotten the man's fee. lie paid him and then palled the bell. The door opened and he passed in, not speaking to the servant who admittedhiro. He seated hiilself aud didn’t move for three mutates. This time it was tl e servant who aroused him. “Who do you wish to see, sir?”

. -» -Wa then noticed for the first time tha 1 he fad never seen the men before. He tercel on him, end the men sterted beck end asked him if he were ill. John pud ho attention to his question but told him to tell Miss Hughes that Mr. Jones was in the parlor. He then settled inti his former position end did not move again until Mr. Hughes entered end said: “Well, si*? ’ “ := John looked up end asked for lietb. “My daughter is engaged at present,” said Mr. Hughes, rßeth engaged when he, her betrothed husband, was waiting to site he. That was etrange; he couldn’t understand it. But he said: Very well. “I will wait.” "Miss Hughes will be unable to see von this evening end requested me to give yon this package. I am sorrow, Mr. Jones, but I must beg yon to ditcontinue ycur calls.” Greet God! W hat did it mean? John was thoroughly, painfully, wide awake now, and spiang to his feet. “Bertha can’t see me, and yon ask me todkcontinnemy visits? Please tell me why?"

He was now standing perfectly stiaight and gazieg composedly but intently at Mr. Hughes. “I trust that you understand the reasons, Mr. Jones, as weft is I do,” said Mr. Hughs*, with a peculiar look. Almost the identical Words Knicker had used in h's note. John tarsed without s word sed Uft the house. He did not pat on his overcoat, although the nfght wrs coll. He tipped his hat over his eyes and walked—almost ran away froth the house. He now realized how sick he was. His head throbbed until he thought it would bunt. What did he care. Iteven made him smile a little to think of it. He pulled bis hat down hard, so hard that its tightness hurt him. „He wondered if that would make bis head ache any harder. If it coßid he should like to have it. He didn’t notice where he was going, but suddenly surprised himself by unlsckins the door of his house, going up stairs and Bitting doan. Ah! there was the afternoon paper." He uould real the accounts of the m’sery of others aud smile to think how much more miserable he was than any of them. He picked it np, glanced it over and was about to lay it down again when his attention was arrested by this headline: “A BANK IN A HOLE.” DBOVKBS’ DEFRAUDED BY AN OLD KM PLOYE. What was that? The Drovers’ Bank defrauded! Why, he used to be cashier at the Drovers’ Bank, What a long time it seemedsjnee he had stood at the cashier’s desk, and yet it was only yesterday, lie would read the article anyway. He didn’t care now abont Mr. Knicker’s not 9. Beth’s message had inflicted so much deeper a sting that he had almost forgotten the note, but he wculd read the article, and he thought he should feel pletsed to learn that Knicker had been cheated. This morning, when P. V. Knicker, the President of the Drovere’ Bank, reached his office,he iound a note telling him that his cashier; John Jones, was ill and Would be unable to be at his desk to-day. Mr. Knicker is a very carefal man in business matters, and he decided to take the duties of cashier upon himself until Mr. Jones was in a condition to relieve him. He accordingly unlocked the vaults and preps red for work. Soon Adam, Mealie &. Johnson presented a check. for a large amont, and by re ferring to the record of yeiterday’s business Mr. Knicker found that a package of ten one thousand dollar bills had been deposited. He decided to ose one of those bills in cashing the check, and going to the vault’'removed the package supposed to contain them. In counting the money he found cine one thousand dollar bills, and one hundred dollar bill. Oa investigation it transpired that the last person who had handled the bills was John Jones the Cashier. Before passing into the hands of the Cashier the bills had, however, been handled by four subordinates, who reported there were ten of the one thousand dollar notes in the packet when they saw it. I then went to Mr. Jones, and one of the clerks happened to be standing near by when Mr. Jones took it. The clerk noticed particularly that Mr. Jones seemed to find it all right, but that instead cf pinning the little slip of paper with the amount marked on it, which is customary to place around packages of money,.he withdrew one of the tills and laid the others loose on his desk. The clerk was then called to some other part of the room and can give no farther information. Other evidence contlueively shows that notwithstanding Mr. Jones’ previous integrity, he has yielded to temptation and gone the way of many others. It is ttrenticned incidentally that that very morning Mr. Jones had said he was in great need of nine hundred dollars, the exact amount extracted from the package. Mr. Knicker, in consideration cf Mr. Jones’ former uprightness and strict discharge of duty will not proaecute. John read this once, twice, three times. He only uttered two words, “My God.” Falling back in his chair with wide open eyes he sat staring at the wall. The clock ticked away on the mantle shelf, the fire grew lower and almost died, the lamp sputtered and smoked; but still John Jones sat back in his chair, staring, staring at the wall. Fina’ly it gradually became light and the noise of traffic began in the street. John moved uneasily, looked around the room and got np. His head, he thought, was aching somewhat harder than on the night before, and he bathed it. There was a spot on hia caff and he pnt on a fresh pair. Yes, he was sure hie head was aching harder. What was i uftt uoifir. tydj, oi coarse, some OD6 was knocking at his door. He would open it and see who it was, a messenger boy. He took the message, opened it, add forgot tij read it He wisTstanding still aud wondering if it was foggy outside, nr if hia ayes were dim. “The lady said to wait for an answ. r,” said the boy. Oh yes. There was that note. He would read it. _ “Dear John —Come and see me to day. I cannot believe it.—Beth.” Who was Beth. Oh! he remembers Mow, she was the girl who had promised tomarry him. Well, that was a good joke. Yts, that was very funny. Had promised to marry him, the thief. The

word he thought sounded well, so he slid it over aid over again. Tbisl! Thief! Thiel! The boy asked for the suswer. “Well,” he laughed, wildly, as he said it, “tell her I will be there.” John sat down again, and again began gluing at the wall. It was nearing lo o'clock now, and John got np and pnt on bis overcoat and hat, scrupulously biuehed them and went out. He again took a cab and went to Beth’s house. .This time he paid the cabman, and as be went in was about to speak to the servant when he saw that it was Beth herself who had opened the door. He, however, was not at all surprised, but said good morning to her much as he would have done to the servant. “Ob, John, I am so glad , you have John, are you ill?” He laughed and again said gx>d morning. He preceded her into the- parlor and sat down in the same chair be had occupied the night before. He was laughing quietly to himself all the time. His head was aching ter:ibly now, and thet wrs very funny. “John, dear John, tell me it isn’t true. I know it is not. I was hasty last night, John; won’t yon forgive me?” John looked at her, brushed a speck of lint from bii knee and laughed a little louder. “John, John, why don’t you answer me? Why don’t you tell me it isn’t true? But no, I won’t ask that; I know it itn’t.” She threw her arms around him and sank at his side. He did not move, but shopped laughing. Oh! how his head did ache. No, it had stopped aching. Where was he? Oh, yes. Beth was with hiqp and was sobbing. Why was she crying? He didn’t remember, but thought he was connected with it in so me way, he didn’t know how. He lifted her head from his knee, bent down, and kissed her. Kisied her many times, and drew her up, folding his arms about her, and telling her hs was sorry. What he was sorry for he couldn’t have said. He got up and draw.ug her to him, kissed her again and Slid, “Good-bye, Beth.” He could see herlip3 move, but he didn’t hear anything. He went to the door, opened it, and wefct down to tbe street and wondered why the horses and wagons didn’t make auy roise. How silently they went along; how- quiet everything was. He couldn’t even hear his own footstep 3. He looked at hia watch and saw that it was almost twelve o’clock. Tbe bank had been open two hours. He would be late for basinets. Well, he would hurry. - ~ John had forgotten that he was- no longer cashier of the Drovers’bank, he only remembered that he would be first at his desk. He reached the tank, wa’ked in, took off his coat aud hat and started to go behind the desk. Mr. Knicker confronted him and he Buddenly saw it all again. The note, the newspaper and the night before at Beth’s. This man, tbie benevolentlooking o’d gentleman who was frowning at him now, had branded h : m a thief. “It’s a lie. It’s a lie,” he shouted. How hie head ached. Well, he had told Mr. Knicker that it was a lie; he could go now. He took down his coat and hat, put them on, and went out into the street. How was this? This wasn’t the city street he had just left; this was the old grass-grown lane running before hie old birds sang. There was the yard with the old farm wagons and hay stacks at one side, and yes—yes—there was the old tortoise shell cat sunning herself on the fbnee. There were the old milk pans, bright as silver, standing in a row on the grass by the kitchen doorT- But best—far beet of all—there was his mother, h :< 3 mother who had lain in the churchyard up cn the hill for ten yeans holding out her arms to him. “Oh, mother! Oh, my dear old mother!” All was black. When John regained consciousness there were many faces around him, but the light was so dim that he couldn’t see whether he knew them or not. He heard some one say in a soft voice, “He has opened his eyes.” Then one of the faces leaned forward and kissed him. It was Beth. “John, John, don’t you know me?” John lifted his arms and pressed the sweet face to his breast. “John, here is Mr. Knicker come totall you it was all a terrible mistake,” John didn’t look at Mr. Knicker, but kgpt bis eyes on the sweet face close to him. His band gently smoothed her hair, and he kissed her lips.' "Beth, my darling Befh, how I love yon. Of course I forgive you, and we will go—” His voice sounded strange and weak. How hard it was to tak. “We willgo and get married, won’t we dear? Why, there is mother. Mother, this is Beth. We are going to mar—” —John-Joats- was dead,