UNSIGNED CHEQUE

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 19 (Supplement)

UNSIGNED CHEQUE

Short Short Story

DECOGNITION was mutual IV between the seedy young man standing with his tray of toys in the gutter and the prosperouslooking, middle-aged one who came striding along the Strand. V«r an instant both averted their JM/.e tll« younger with a furtive sense ■>f -Immip. the older wit!l tho air , lf ' """villi,,- ~, a.lmii wli,,t 1,.. HlriMt.lv ; ' W '" i"' I ,1 " tl-Utll. Thru. „< if dr.MNU by some all compelling power nf attrac tiiin, their eye* met ■„,,.,. more ,',,,1 tin- eliU-r 5t.,,,,,,. ( 1 it. his tracks. ' " ,; ""d { "«l'" he wiiil. "Herbert Milfoil! Defiance a n<l a kind ~f weak bravado (ll'iixe the pliaine from the other's face "Ye*. Mr. Carter." he aiwwered -Herbert Mason at your service. Can I ,„. terest you in any of those i-lmriniii" toys.'" Trouble showed in tho elder man* "I iiiii sorry indeed hi tiixl you in this condition." he st; I. -| „,.,■,,",. imagined "».v old friend Harry Ma-.-nV son would haw sunl< so low a* this." Young Mason sneered. "Lower -i ill. it \ .mi only knew. Tt will I- a pretty story for you to retail to my falherV sum;; friend* at Ax field, «'"■'! it V Don't forget In rcmin.l them 111 it it was my father's da in liable avu*.?. of respectability which brought me to this." I 'arlcr whook liis head. "Your father," he said n>provin"ly "is dead." " J "And a -00.l tiling, loo." was the fierce reply. -Living or dead, he was no use to me. ("ut me off without a shilling —to sta ive or steal !*' "Hiwli," Mr. (arter countered sternly. "That, is no way to S |>eak of an upright man whom I always regarded as my Hnaerit friend. The fault, if I am iiiIV.rmed aright, war* l.y n<. means ;,]] ~,, one sid.\ Imt we can't discuss the matter here. Come to my ollice thiri at six o'clock. My staff leaves then and we shall he alone. It is po-Kilde I may lie aide to a»sU| you to kuiiic siiinil extent." ••'l'hiiiiks." the yi.inij; man muttered ungraciously, takini: the serililili-d adilroHs the other handed him. He start , d nt'ter the departing Carter with smouldering eyc«*. '•Small e\t<Mit." he re|>eate<l. "f bet it'll be small, if you're anything like the rest. Oh. well, if there's to be had I'd better get it while the join's good." Memory of that unpleasant encounter |ier-isted in Carter'n mind throughout the day. One of the few things he dis-

By--Elliot Bailey

approver! ~f in hU friend'* life had I.eon wlmt lie ,-,,,,.-;,i,.,-,.,i ],j s ,i,,,!,,,. PI , UI| .; U , towards his s<.n. True the fellow, troiii ■ li! lleciunits \\,|v »,,„„, 11,;,,,, ~f ~ ~,.,,,.. <! " "«■". "'"I lluil lie !ia<] r-wtlk to I,i< P'e-en; ~,,-h,,,,, |~. ]~,,; ~,, ;,,,.., , n _. 'mi liner hint nut been euc.mra -iiilt. Imt perhaps hi- *■• use (if injury ami hilferu,''"t "'''"e in>t altogether .-urpri-iu" under i lii- .-iiviiintitauees. He mii-i try '" •••Ik him iiii.i a heftcr frit me of mind, !"'"■"• pi'fliiip-. lie miyht ,1,, Miitiethill!' '"'■ I ■ if "Illy heeause ]„■ Mll< his ~„,. If'the ,l i; 1 ), -hone,l „ ~y *\%i\* "f jrnu-e :t1 all, he would il.i what lie i-fiiilcl to put him nil his feet. Tnwimla <-ix o'clock Herbert Masim >h;imilled with hw furtive pait iTie lilook of Imiklinjrs in which Cilitei's offices were situated. His Up ciirleil when he their size ami lie win -s. '"Mit-t have a pood fat inc..me (~ si and I he rent they're a*ki:i;r hen>." he murtiiiirecl. "Am! I bet the most I'll induce him to unbelt w a inea*)lv fiver, and |H'ihaps not that." Tlk- vaVipue office, staffs were already poiiihipr down the main staircase wlie'n the., Jift took him up. There was no one left in Carters except tho chief hini"Sit down, Mason."' he said pleasantly. '"Well In- able to chat here in privacy an<l without interruption. Have a cigarette*" He eyed his visitor aes he spoke, and uas fiiiiM-ioiifl of ii fr<-.«h sense of disappointiuent. (If the of his elt.lhrs lie took Ini. iieeomit—they were merely iu<-idental to freneral rtitinilion. It was ilu- man liiinselt' and he "as a jiidp« of them—who was his « i»r.<t advert i<emeiit. ••Vicious itud fly.' , he reflecled. "Drinks what money lie makes, ton, if I'm not Mistaken." ile kept tliir* inward opinion from allowing in ln'.s \oice, howex IT. "Sow. my lail." lie invited, ''let'* hear how \oii managed to yoltivelf i 111 • > this |i\." It was a 1' i r i _r. ramldiuu , narrative. Having' had time to ri-iili-e thill liis iidmilteil μ-iiuiu a-jainst his futher had 11.-I "..lie do«ii well. Mil-oil altered his !one In -nit. as he ima.Liiiied. liir- in(>-r----lociitor. It. wa<- ,i hard-luck strnv he had

to tell, in wliich he appeared to be the c unfortunate recipient of every eonceiv- t able malignant twist of fate. His former < truciilence became a whine, more die- J pleasing. Carter felt, than his demean- 1 our in the. street. He was quite obvi- f oii-!y unaware that he was sriving him- f sell away with every word lie uttered. Had it been anyone else Carter might l have been tempted to put a summary I terniinatiiiii to the interview, hut he wa's < nimble to forget that this wae Harry 1 Miisnii's s«,n a nd that things might ' [■'.-.-ii.ly ha\e yone differently for ' him lia.l lie been left a little money to loiind a business of his own. In vain ]n> luld himself that the fellow war; obvi- j i'ii-ly a. (]uit't"r and a. waster. Hw own , frieudfliip for ihe elder Mason imbued j him with an illogical feelinir of respoii- i -ibility he could Tlot rtllHke off. ] Hardly lis(enin s to the oiher's flinging peroration, lie drew out his wallet < and abstractedly fingered the wad of ] notes within, oblivious to the fact that i Mac-oii's jrreedy, eyes were i li.ved on the contents of the case. Then, to the latterVi hardly concealed chagrin, i he thrust it back in hie pocket. "I'll do what 1 can." lie said abruptly, ] "for your father's sake." ■ l'ri.in a drawer in his desk he drew I out a ehec|uo-book and bewail to write, i and. as if seized with a. sudden iinlooked i tor lit of delicacy, Maeon rose from hie j chair and sauntered to the window. From there, however, lie edged round ( until he could view the cheque over I "a Hit's shoulder. ] Immediately, he drew in hie breatli < uith anger. Carter was a slow and de- < liberate writer. The top portion of the i

cheque was covered by a sheet of blotting paper, but in the lower left-hand corner allotted to the figures he was inscribing a somewhat laborious five. Having done eo he paused to shake his fountain pen, ae if dissatisfied with the flow of ink. Fury seized Herbert Mason. It was what lie had suspected. The mean old skunk was going to fob him off with a cheque for a miserable five pounds when there was six times that sum in the wallet in his pocket. Very well then, he meant to have that wallet. The weapon —lie had already noted it — lay ready to his hand, a heavy leaden paper-weight holding down some papers on the desk. Snatching it up, lie crashed it down on Carter's head, dragging the wallet from his pocket as the business man sagged forward. In the exultation of the moment the obvious fact that his victim wae dead hardly made him pause. (Suddenly, however, he stood transfixed, staring with unbelieving eves at something on the table. A sound that is indescribable issued from hie, parted lips. The last spasm of the dying man's hand had pushed tile blotting paper forward, uncovering the upper portion of the unfinished, unsigned cheque. There, mocking the rash precipitancy of his irrevocable act, lie read and re-read the plainly written words: t "Pay Herbert Mason. . .■ five hundred pound-." Ho was still staring at them like a man bemused when the porter from downstairs, coin,, to see if Mr. Carter required his taxi as usual, entered the room.