LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4543, 14 January 1893, Page 1

LITERATURE.

THE STPRY_OF_A CASHIER. (New York Sun ) L Our Bank was the Firat National Bank -of Scottaville, a town having a population of about IQ.OOQ. There wete two or three 1 v .private Bank?, but no other institution . .haying the capita\ and dignity v w« carried. .!, 'The stockholders aumbered nearly tnirty i people, and all were residents of the city .■■ -and county. Among them were four or i 'five wjidows, aqd quite a number of minors :Vv and orphans were also represented. At . . that date I was a young manof twenty- ,« three, and acting an cashier, and bookkeeper for a manufacturing concern. I , . had 3000dols in cash, and with thiß I , lioughtstook in the new Bank. The organV - - sation had -been completed, and the ivBtitntion was ready to open when the President sent for me and said : " James, I have known you for the pact three or four yearn. Everybody in the . town seems to speak well of yon. Your •employers tell me they have the utmost • : "Confidence in your integrity, and each one t of our Executive. Boatd has spoken in.your favour. I have purchased 2000 dola worth of atock in your name to bring yonr holding up to SOOOdoJs, and am authorised to . offer you the position of cashier." - Yes. I had many friends. I was ambitious and induatrious. I was also honest. ! • No.man could say I had ever wronged him in > any manner.- I don't mean to convey - the idea that I was an exception. There has never been any scarcity of thoroughly <■ - reliable young men, nor will there ever be. I accepted the position with a feeling of • gratitude towards those who had tendered • . it, and I made up my mind to x rove myself competent and worthy in avery particular. In one year we had griped half the businees of the county. In two years there waß only one private Bank left, ■ We had any amount of money to lend on easy terms, and whenever an exteneion was wanted it wad cheerfully granted. I had ' d6ne more than any other man to bring about this state of affairs. I say bo because all the officers and stockholders said so. In two years my salary was . advanced three different times. No man could have been more fully trusted than I waa. My ad« vice was sought andinvariably followed, and everybody complimented the Bank on ita sagacity in securing my services. >I had been with the Bank two years and four months when a singular incident happened. - One evening as I Bat reading in my room the thought came to me like a flash to rob the Bank and escape to a foreign country. I pledge you my word I was frightened for a moment. It was bb if a voice had whispered in my ears, Bob the ( Bank ! Why, I would chop off a finger sooner than embezzle, a penny! What could nave given birth, to Bnch a thought? I' waa upset and indignant, and yet I could not shake off the idea. To my alarm I found myself beginning. to reason and speculate. It was as if I had a double, ; and the double said to me, : ' '•' You are working like a slave to enrich others. You are getting, a fair salary, „ but it should b,e double what it is. Why slave away for years to get a few thousand ' ' ahead when you can lay your hand on a fortune any day? It would be stealing, but then we all steal. You are young, and full of energy and ambition. With 50,000 dols to baok you, you can go to some r foreign country and make millions^ , and. ■ , beCome a nabob in a few years." .'■' ; : I r should have. trampled ! such thoughts : , under -foot on the inatant. No man in a , trusted position turns thief in a day. It ia only ter he has fought with temptation and been overcome— allowed himself to be overcome. I made an effort to rid myself 1 of the thought, and.it would have • vanished but for a silly action on my part. A week later, as I smiled in contempt at' the idea. of my turning robber, I allowed myself to speculate on what would happen in case I did. That is, I wondered - how much I could get hold of, what country . I should go to, and so forth and so on. When I suddenly found myself greatly interested I jumped up in shame and confusion, but half an hour later was deep in imagination again. It seemed, as if the evil one did everything in his power to aid me after I had 1 finally determined on my course. I had the "luck" to meet an American • who had just returned from South America. He , mentioned several sure things in the way of speculation, and painted such a glowing picture of the country that I was ezoited and impatient. The Bank had large deposits that fall, and on Sept.' 18 we had nearly 70,000d01s of what was called outside money. This was , cash temporarily . deposited by the County Treasurer, and by the . ;';' oaaliiera pjt thjre'e or four njantifft:ctttring eatab)iah^en%. ; 1 iha^^ ;^ i- ■'■ TOOb on oppoituo%. ' I could have taken 'from 20,000d0l to 35,000d0l almost any day, but I had planned to practically clean out the institution. Between Sept. 4 and 11 1 planned the details of my flight. I knew the time tables of the different railroads I should pass over, what- day I should take the steamer, and every detail had been carefully worked out. I might be pursued, but I flattered myself that I had laid my plans too well to be caught. I planned to go to the Bank at nine o'clock in the evening and secure admission. The watchman would not hesitate to let me in. I would then assault them and overcome him. He could not give the alarm before morning, and I would then be far away. I planned to make my coup on the night of Sept. l&V At the close of business on the afternoon of that day we had 107,000d01s in greenbacks in the vaults. After a Bank has closed its doors to the public at three o'clock p.m. there ia work* to keep the force busy for an hour or more. For a year I had always been the last one to leave, and my hour had been six o'olook. The trusty day porter waa then left alone until eight; O'clock, when he gave place to the regular night watchman. At half-past five o'clock that afternoon, and just as the last clerk had departed, the night watchman came to notify me that his wife had died suddenly, and to ask that a substitute be employed. He named a man, but I told him that I would make my own arrangements. When the watchman had departed I notified the day porter that he might leave at six o'clock, aa I had work which would detain me until about eight. Five minutea after sis I was alone in the Bank, and its funds were under my thumb. The train by which I should leave town was not due until 10.50, and I was therefore in no hurry. I locked up and went to' my board- . ing house to supper. At seven o'clock I returned to the Bank, pulled down the shades, lighted the gas, and in the course or twenty minutea had ; packed every ! dollar in the vaults into a satchel.provided for the purpose. This satohel I placed on a chair outside the railing, and had sat down for a smoke when there was a rap at the door. I knew it was one of our force, but hardly expected to see the President himself. 4 " I expected it was you," be said as he entered ; " always the last to go. You are working too hard, and must take a rest. At a meeting of the Board to-day it was decided to give you a month's leave and a gift of SOOdol in cash. You have, been / faithful and efficient, and we wish you to know how thoroughly you are appreciated." . I don't remember what I said in reply, but I do remember that something like horror seized upon me at the idea of my own baseness. Bight there within reach .., of nia hand was the, miqney I intended to > fly witbi aod yet he ',!was ;'' lavish ,/ in hie

praißes of my integrity. He remained only a brief time, and soon after hia departure I went outside to walk about and plan a little. I hadn't given up the idea of robbery, and flight, but a still, small voice was whispering to me. On the first street .corner I encountered a tramp. I was very much, perturbed, but I Bhall always remember what he said.' When he asked for alma I suppose I stared at him, for he added— ,-.,,■ " Yes, I'm. ashamed of myself. It's my own fault that I'm down here. I let temptation get the better of me." <That was another prick of conscience, but he actually hurt me when he said—"Thanky, old man. May yon never know what it ia to lose the respect of the world." "Within twelve hours it would be known that I waa an, embezzler and anabsconder ! Not only that, but I was robbing widows and orphans and* helpless old men ! It Beemed to me that I conld already hear the newsboys crying out the headlines of the article telling of my shame and dishonour. , I stood looking after the tramp as he walked away, when a hand was laid on my arm and I turned to confront the leading merchant of the town. I knew him well and favourably, although he had never been a patron of our institution. "Look here," he said, as we walked along arm in. arm. " I've always done business .with, Gleaßon because I found everything all right, but I'm going to. begin with you to-morrow. Gleason is as good as gold himself, but I don't fancy his new caahier. He's a high roller, I hear, and some day he may turn up missfng with all the boodle he can carry. No fear of that in your case." ' And I had 107,000d0l all packed, and was only waiting for train time to become the meanest and most contemptible robber ever heardof in the State. "Everybody is speaking in your praise," he continued, "and you deserve all that is j said. Just keep a level head and you'll find the road to honour and wealth." When he left me I had. to lean against a dead wall for support. The sound of his footsteps was still' in my ears when I suddenly felt that I was saved. There had been a terrible struggle of conscience, but right had triumphed at last. I was pulling myself together to return to the Bank when a woman accosted me by name and said: "How lucky I happened to ccc yon! I was on my way down to Block's to see if he wouldn't take charge of this package till to-morrow, i It's money I got only two hours ftgo— 2ooodoL" 1' Come in here and I'll give you a receipt." .■•'■, -.. •■ : ■■• . •■, -■ ;■•: -, ■■■>() ■/ . ' "Never mind^that. We all know yon and trust you." , ... •> v <v Her parting words gave me a shiver. How little they knew me ! A hundred rods away was evidence to make me an object of contempt in the eyes of every man, woman,' and child in. the community! I had one more trial to undergo. Almost at the door of the Bank I met two busineiismen of high, standing who were holding au.animated conversation. . "Heard the news?" asked one as I came 'up. ,• ' "What is it?';- . ,', " You remember the clerk in my brother's office in Philadelphia who skipped out twq years' ago with SO.OOOdoI ? Well, he's been overhauled. He went to Peru, no donbt expecting to have grand times. :It seems that everybody knew he was a thief, and he was an object of general contempt. He wandered about, always a marked man, and at last was. so overcome with shanje and degradation that he asked to be ar^^«ed;and sent back. He was deBpiaed, lMlulted, and plundered, and did not have one hour's solid comfort out of hiß stolen funds. He will go to prison for ten or fifteen yeara, and he might as, well die then. Say, isn't it a curious thing that men will co destroy themselves ? " . " Take your own case," added the other, as he placed a hand on my .shoulder. " You aie young, but respected, trusted and honoured, and on the sure road to wealth. You might crib lOO.OOOdoIs from the Bank and get away, but would that compensate you for the Sacrifice ? No ! J^ven a million wouldn't. I. tell you, the man who has got to outlaw himself to enjoy hia plunder must see days when he would almost give his life to be set back in the position he once held.", I passed into the Bank and carefully looked the door behind me. My knees were bo weak that I had to rest for a good twenty minutes. Even my hair waa sopping wet with perspiration. When I felt strong enough I carried the satchel to the vault, opened the doors, and replaced the money, and it was not until the irondoora were locked again that I felt sure I had won. There would be no watch* mantaafc night. X had planned, it so. I tooko^mycoa^ fickai offmy shoes, and made myself cor4fortable in an armphair. I did not feel sleepy, but 1 when the day porter cameinai seven in the morning to ,relieve the watchman I was sound asleep. It got to the ears of the officers that I had sacrificed my night because of the death of the watchman's wife, and the President feelingly said— N . ■ " Bless the dear boy ! He's a man out of a million !" Am I still cashier ? Well, never mind about that. lam still regarded as an honest man/and I doubt if you conld make any pf my business friends believe ' that I had ever been tempted for an instant.