Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / April 4, 1913, edition 1 / Page 2
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' '., ' ''''' ' '"' J ' i By O, HENRY (Copyright, by Alnslee Magazine Co.) HE west-bound stopped at San Rosarlo on , at 8:20 a. m. A man with a thick black leather wallet under his arm left the train and walked rapidly up the main street of the town. There were other passengers who also got off at San Rosario, but they either slouched limberly over to the railroad eating house or the Silver Dollar saloon, or joined the, groups of idlers about the station. Indecision had no part in the move ments of the man with the wallet. He was short in stature, but Btrongly built, with very light, closely trimmed hair, smooth, determined face, and aggressive, gold-rimmed nose glasses. He was well dressed' in the prevailing eastern style. His air denoted a quiet but conscious reserve force, if cot actual authority. After walking a distance of three squares he came to the center of the town's business area. Here another street of importance crossed the main one, forming the hub of San Rosario's life and commerce. Upon one corner stood the postofflce. Upon another Rubensky's clothing empori um. The other two diagonally oppos ing corners were occupied by the town's two banks, the First National and the Stockmen's National. Into the First National bank of San Rosario the newcomer walked never slowing his brisk step until he stood at the cashier's window. The bank opened for business at nine, and the working force was already assembled, each preparing his department for the days business. The cashier was examining the mail when he noticed the stranger standing at his window. "Bank doesn't open 'til nine," he re marked, curtly, but without feeling. He had had to make that statement bo often to early birds since San Rosario adopted city banking hours. "I am well aware or that," said the other man, in cool, brittle tones. "Will you kindly receive my card?" The cashier drew the small, spot less, parallelogram inside the bars of his wicket, and read: J. F. C. NETTLEWICK. National Bank Examiner. "Oh er will you walk around in side, Mr. er Nettlewick. Your first visit didn't know your business, of course. Walk right' around, pitise." The examiner was quickly inside the sacred precincts of the bank, where he was ponderously introduced to each employee in turn by Mr. Edlinger, the cashier a middle-aged gentleman of deliberation, discretion, and method. "I was kind of expecting Sam Tur ner round again, pretty soon," said Mr. Edlinger. "Sam's been examining us now, for about four years. I gu-ss you'll find us all right, though, con sidering the tightness in business. Not overly much money on hand, but able to stand the storms, sir, stand the storms." Mr. Turner ana i nave Deen or dered by the comptroller to exchange districts," said the examiner, in his decisive, formal tone.s. "He Is cov ering my old territory in southern Illi nois and Indiana. I will take the cash first, please." Perry Dorsey, the teller, was al ready arranging his cash on the coun ter for the examiner's inspection. He knew it was right to a cent, and he had nothing to fear, but he was nerv ous and flustered. So was every man in the bank. There vas something bo icy and swift, so impersonal and uncompromising about this man that his very presence seemed an accusa tion. He looked to be a man who would never make nor overlook an error. Mr. Nettlewick first seized the cur rency, and with a rapid, almost jug gling motion counted it by packages. Then he spun the sponge cup toward him and verified the count by bills. His thin, white fingers flew like some expert musician's upon the keys of a piano. He dumped the goU upon the ommtoT with a crash, and th rrsins whined and sang as they skimmed across the marble slab from the tips of his nimble digits. The air was full of fractional currency when he came to the halves and quarters. He count ed the last nickle and dime. He had the scales brought, and he weighed every sack of silver In the vault. He questioned Dorsey concerning each of the cash memoranda certain checks, charge slips, etc., carried over from the previous day's work with unim peachable courtesy, yet with some thing so mysteriously momentous In his frigid manner that the teller was reduced to pink cheeks and a stam mering tongue. This newly Imported examiner was go different from Sam Turner. It had been Sam's way to enter the bank ... i i . . . wiin a snout, pass iub cigars ana leu the latest stories he had picked up on his rounds. His customary greeting to Dorsey had been, "Hello, Perry! Haven't skipped out with the boodle ret, I see." Turner's way of counting the cash had been different, too. He would finger the packages of. bills in a tired kind of way, and then go into the vault and kick over a few sack of I Iyer, ana ioe uu; wu uuae. nuTra and quarters and dimes. tsv. Not for Sam Turner. "No chicken feed for me," he would say when they were set before him. "I'm not In the' agricul tural department" But, then, Turner was a Texan, an old friend of the bank's president, and had known Dor sey since he was a baby. While the examiner was counting the cash, Maj. Thomas B. Kingman known to every one as "Major Tom" the president of the Frist National, drove up to the side door with his old dun horse and buggy, and came Inside. He saw the examiner busy with the money, and, going into the "pony corral," as he called it, in which his desk was railed off, he be gan to look over his letters. Earlier, a little incident had oc curred that even the sharp eyes of the examiner had failed to notice. When he had begun his work at the cash counter, Mr. Edlinger had winked sig nificantly at Roy Wilson, the youthful bank messenger, and nodded his head slightly toward the front door. Roy understood, took his hat and walked leisurely out, with his collector's book under his arm. Once outside, he made a bee-line for the Stockmen's Nation al. That bank was also getting ready to open. No customers had, as yet, presented themselves. , "Say, you people!" cried Roy, with the familiarity of youth and long ac quaintance, "you want to get a move on you. There's a new bank ex aminer over at the First, and he's a stem-winder. He's counting nickels on Perry, and he's got the whole out fit bluffed. Mr. Edlinger gave me the tip to let you know." Mr. Buckley, president of the Stock men's National a stout, elderly man, looking like a farmer dressed for Sun day heard Roy from his private office in the rear, and called him. "Has Major Kingman come down to the bank yet?" he asked, the boy. "Yes, sir, he was Just driving up as I left," said Roy. "I want you to. take him a note. Put it into his own hands as soon as you get back." Mr. Buckley sat down and began to write. Roy returned and handed to Major Kingman the envelope containing the note. The major read it, folded it, and slipped it Into his vest pocket He leaned back in his chair for a few moments as if he were meditating deeply, and then rose and went into the vault. He came out with the bulky, old-fashioned leather note case stamped on the back In gilt letters, "Bills Discounted." In this were the notes due the bank with their attach ed securities, and the major, in his rough way dumped the lot upon his desk and began to sort them over. By this time Nettlewick had finish ed his count of the cash. His pencil fluttered like a swallow over the sheet of paper on which he had set his fig ures. He opened his black wallet, which seemed to be also a kind of secret memorandum book, made a few rapid figures in it, wheeled and trans fixed Dorsey with the glare of his spectacles. That look seemed to say: "You're safe this time, but" "Cash all correct," snapped the ex aminer, lie made a dash for the in dividual bookkeeper, and, for a few minutes there was a fluttering of led ger leaves and a sailing of oalance sheets through the air. "How often do you balance your passbooks?" he demanded, suddenly. "Er once a month," faltered the individual bookkeeper, wondering how many years they would give him. "All right," said the examiner, turn ing and charging upon the general bookkeeper, who had the statements of his foreign banks and their recon cilement memoranda ready. Every thing there was found to be all right. Then the stub book of the certificates of deposit. Flutter flutter zip zip check! All right. List of over drafts, please. Thanks. H'm-m. Un signed bills of the bank, next. All right. Then came the cashier's turn, and easy-going Mr. Edlinger riAbed his nose and polished his glasses nervous ly under the quick fire of questions concerning the circulation, undivided profits, bank real estate, and stock ownership. Presently Nettlewick was aware of a big man towering above him at his elbow a man of sixty years of age, rugged and hale, with a rough, griz zled beard, a mass of gray hair, and a pair of penetrating blue eyes that confronted the formidable glasses of the examiner without a flicker. "Er Major Kingman, our president er Mr. Nettlewick," said the cash ier. Two men of very different types shook hands. One was a finished product of the world of straight lines, conventional methods and formal af fairs. The other was something freer, wider and nearer to nature. Tom Kingman had not been cut to any pat tern. He had been mule-driver, cow boy, ranger, soldier, sheriff, prospector and cattleman. Now, when he was bank president his old comrades from the prairies, of the saddle, tent and trail found no change In him. He had made his fortune when Texas cat tle were at the high tide of value, and had organized the First National bank of San Rosario. In spite of his largeness of heart and sometimes un wise generosity toward his old friends, the bank had prospered, for Maj. Tom Kingman knew men as well as he lmew cattle. ,Of late, years the cat tle business had gone to pieces, and the major's bank was one of the few whose losses had not been great ' "And now,-' said the examiner, brisk ly, pulling out his watch, "the last thing is the loans. We will take them up now, if you please." He had gone through the First Na tional at almost record-breaking speed but thoroughly, as he did every thing. The running order of the bank was v smooth and clean, and that had facilitated his work. There was but one other bank In the town. He re ceived from the government a fee of $25 for each bank that he examined. He should be able to ' go over those loans and discounts in half an hour. If so, he could examine the other bank Immediately afterward; and catch the 11:45, the only other train that day in the direction he was working. Oth erwise, he would have to spend the night and Sunday In this uninterest ing western town. That is why Mr. Nettlewick was rushing matters. "Come with me, sir," said Major Kingman, in his deep voice, that united the southern drawl with the rhythmic twang of the west; "we will go over them together. Nobody In the bank knows those notes as I do. Some of 'em are little wobbly on their legs, and some are Mavericks without extra many brands on their backs, but they'll most all pay out at the round up." The two sat down at the president's desk. First, the examiner went through the notes at lightning speed, and added up their total, finding it to agree with the amount of loans car ried on the book of daily balances. Next, he took up the larger loans, In quiring scrupulously into the condition of their indorsers or securities. The new examiner's mind seemed to course and turn and make unexpected dashes hither and thither like a blood hound seeking a trail. Finally he pushed aside all the note3 except a few, which he arranged in a neat pile before him, and began a dry, formal little speech. "I find, sir, the condition of your bank tole very good, considering the poor crops and the depression in the cattle interests of your state. The clerical work seems to be done ac curately and punctually. Your past due paper is moderate In amount, and promises only a small loss. I would recommend the calling in of your large loans, and the makinj of only sixty or ninety-day or call loans until general business revives. And now, "I OPENED THE SAFE AND there is one thing more, and I will have finished with the bank. Here are six notes aggregating something like $40,000. They are secured, ac cording to their faces by various stocks, bonds, shares, etc., to the value of $70,000. Those securities are missing from the notes to which they should be attached. , I suppose you have them In the safe or vault. You will permit me to examine them." Major Tom's light-blue eyes turned unflinchingly toward the examiner. "No, sir," he said, in a low but steady tone; "those securities are neither in the safe nor the vault. I have taken them. You may hold me personally responsible for their ab sence." Nettlewick felt a slight thrill. He had not expected this. He had struck a momentous trail when the hunt was drawing to a close. "Ah!" said the examiner. He wait ed a moment, and then continued: "May I ask you to explain more defi nitely?" "The securities were taken by me," repeated the major. "It was not for my own use, but to save an old friend in trouble. Come in here, sir, and we'll talk It over." "Your statement, he began, "since you have failed to modify it, amounts, as you must know, to a very serious thing. You are aware, also, of what my duty must compel me to do. I shall have to go before the United States commissioner and make " "1 know, I know," said Major Tom, with a wave, of his band. "You don't suppose I'd run a bank without being posted on national banking laws and the revised statutes! Do your duty. I'm not asking any favors. But, I ipoke of my friend. r I did want you hear me tell you about Bob." " Nettlewick settled himself in His chair. There would be no leaving San Rosario for him that day. He would have to telegraph to the comp troller of the currency; he would have to swear out a warrant ' bef or the United States commissioner for the arrest of Major' Kingman; perhaps he would be ordered to close the bank on account of the loss of the securl ties. It was not the first crime the examiner had unearthed. Once or twice the terrible upheaval of human emotions that his investigations had loosed had almost caused a ripple in his official calm. He had seen' bank men kneel and plead and cry like women for a chance an hour's time the overlooking of a single error. One cashier had shot himself at his desk before him.' None of them had taken It with the dignity and coolness of this stern old westerner. Nettlewick felt that he owed it to him at least to listen if he wished to talk. With his elbow on the arm of his chair, and his square chin resting upon the fingers, of his right hand, the bank ex aminer waited to hear the confession of the president of the First National bank of San Rosario. "When a man's your friend," began Major Tom, - somewhat didactically, "for forty years, and tried by water, fire, earth and cyclones, when you can do hUn a little favor you feel like doing it." ("Embezzle for him $70,000 worth of securities." thought the examiner.) "We were cowboys together, Bob and I," continued the major, speaking slowly and deliberately, and musing ly, as If his thoughts were rather of the past than the critical present, "and we prospected together for gold and silver over Arizona, New Mexico and a good part of California. We were both in the war of 'sixty-one, but In different commands. We've fought Indians and horse thieves side by side; we've starved for weeks In a cabin in the Arizona mountains, buried twenty feet deep In snow; we've rid den (herd together when the wind blew so hard the lightning couldn't strike Well, Bob and I have been through some rough spells since the first time we met in the branding camp of the old Anchor-Bar ranch. And during that time we've found it necessary more than once to help each other out of tight places. In those days it was expected of a man to stick to his friend, and he didn't ask any credit for it. Probably next day you'd need him to get at your back and help stand off a band of Apaches, or put a THE MONEY WAS GONE." tourniquet on your leg above a rattle snake bite and ride for whisky. So, after all, it was give and take, and if you didn't stand square with your pardner, why, you might be shy one when you needed ,him. But Bob was a man who was willing to go further than that. He never played a limit. "Twenty years ago I was sheriff of this county, and I made Bob my chief deputy. That was before the boom in cattle, when we both made our stake. I was sheriff and col lector, and it was a big thing for me then. I was married, and we had a boy and a girl a four and a six-year-old. There was a comfortable house next to the courthouse, furnished by the county, rent free, and I was saving some money. Bob did most of the office work. Both of us had seen rough times and plenty of rustling and danger, and I tell you It was great to hear the rain dashing against the wiJtdows of nights, and be warm and safe and comfortable, and know you could get up In the morning and be shaved and have folks call you 'mis ter. And then, I had the finest' wife and kids that ever struck the range, and my old friend with me enjoying the first fruits of prosperity and white shirts, and I guess I was happy. Yes, I was happy about that time." The major sighed and glanced casu ally out of the window. The bank examiner changed his position, and leaned his chin upon his other hand. "One winter," continued the major, "the money for the county taxes came pouring in so fast that I didn't have time to take the stuff to the bank for a week. I just shoved the checks Into a cigar box and the money into a sack, and locked them in the big safe that belonged In the sheriff's office. "1 had been overworked that week, and was about sick, anyway. My nerves were out of order and iny sleep at night didn't seem to rest me. The doctor had some scientific ; name for it, and I was taking medicine. And so, added to the rest, I went to bed at night with that money on my mind. Not that there was much need of be ing worried, for the safe was a good one, and nobody but Bob and I knew the combination. , On Friday night there was about $6,500 in cash In the bag. On Saturday morning I went to the office as usual. The safe was locked and Bob was writing at bis desk. I opened the safe and the money was gone. I called Bob, and roused everybody in the courthouse to announce the robbery.. It struck me that Bob took It pretty quiet, con sidering how much It reflected upon both him and me. "Two days went by, and we never got a clew. It couldn't have been burglars, for the safe had been opened by the combination In the proper way. People must have begun to talk, for one afternoon in comes Alice that's my wife and the boy and girl, and Alice stamps her foot, and her eyes flash, and she cries out: 'The lying wretches Tom, Tom!' I catch her In a faint, and bring her 'round little by little, and she lays her head down and cries and cries for the first time since she took Tom Kingman's name and fortunes. And Jack and Zi'la the youngsters they were always wild as tiger cubs to rush at Bob and climb all oVer him whenever they were allowed to come to the court house they stood and kicked their little shoes, and herded together like scared partridges. They were having their first trip down into the shadows of life. Bob was working at his desk, and he got up and went out without a word. The grand jury was in ses sion then, and the next morning Bob went before them and confessed that he stole the money. He said he lost it in a poker game. In fifteen minutes they had found a true bill and sent me to arrest the man with whom I'd been closer than a thousand brothers for many a year. "I did It. and then I said to Bob, pointing: 'There's my house , and here's my office, and up there's Maine, and out that way is ' California, and over there Is Florida and that's your range 'til court meets. You're in my charge, nd I take the responsibility. You be here when you're wanted.' "'Thanks, Tom, he said, kind of carelessly; 'I was sort of hoping you wouldn t lock me up. Court meets next Monday, so if you don't object, I'll just loaf around the office till then. I've got one favor to ask, if it isn't too much. If you'd let the kids come out In the yard once In a while and have a romp, I'd like it' " 'Why not?' I answered him. 'They're welcome, and so are you. And come to my house, the same as ever.' You see. Mr. Nettlewick. vou can't make a friend of a thief, but neither can you make a thief of a friend, all at once." The examiner made no answer. At that moment was heard the shrill whistle of a locomotive pulling into the depot. That was the train on the little, narrow-gauge road that, struck Into San Rosario from the south. The major cocked his ear and .listened for a moment and looked at his watch. The narrow-gauge was in on time 10:35. The major continued: "So Bob hung around the office, reading the papers and smoking. I put another deputy to work in his place, and, after a while, the first excite ment of the case wore off. "One day when we were alone In the office Bob came over to where 1 was sitting. He was looking sort of grim and blue the same look he used to get when he'd been up watching for Indians all night or herd-riding. "Tom,' says he, 'it's harder than standing off redskins; It's harder than lying in the lava desert forty miles from water; but I'm going to stick It out to the end. You know that's been my style. But If you'd tip me the smallest kind of a sign if you'd just say: 'Bob, I understand,' why it would make it lots easier.' "I was surprised. 'I don't know what you mean, Bob,' I said. 'Of course, you know that I'd do anything under the sun to help you that I could. But you've got me guessing. " 'All right, Tom, was all he ta' and he went back to his newspapt and lit another cigar. "It was the night before court met when I found out what he meant. I went to bed that night with that same old, light-headed, nervous feeling come back upon me. I dropped off to sleep about midnight. When I awoke I wa3 standing, half dressed In one of the courthouse corridors. Bob was holding one of my arms, our family doctor the other, and Alice was sha king me and half crying. She had sent for the doctor without my know ing it, and when he came they had found me out of bed and missing, and had begun a search. " 'Sleep-walking,' said the doctor. "All of us went back to the house, and the doctor told us some remark able stories about the strange things people had done while In that condi tion. I wa3 feeling rather chilly after my trip out, and, as my wife was out of the room at the time, I pulled open the door of an old wardrobe that stood In the room and dragged out a big quilt I had seen in there. With it tumbled out the bag pf money for stealing which Bob was to be tried and convicted in the morning. " 'How the Jumping rattlesnakes did that get there?' I yelled, and all hands must have seen how surprised I was. Bob knew in a flash. ' "You darned old snoozer, he said, with the old-time look on his face, 'I saw you put It there. I watched you open the safe and take It out, and I followed you. I looked through the window and saw you hide It In that wardrobe.' "Then you felankety blank, fiep eared, sheep-headed . coyote, what 416 you say yuu took it, for?' 'Because.' said Bob, simply, 1 didn't know you were asleep.' "I saw him glance toward the door of the room where Alice and Jack and Zilla were, and I knew then what It meant to be a man's friend from Bob's point of view."4 Major Tom paused; and again di rected his glance out of the window. He saw some one in the' Stockmen's National bank reach and draw a yel low shade down the whole length of its plate-glass, big front window, al though the position of the sun did not seem to warrant such a defensive movement against Its rays. Nettlewick sat up straight In his chair. He had listened patiently, but without consuming. Interest, to the major's story. It had impressed him as Irrelevant to the situation, and it could certainly have no effect upon the consequences. Those western peo ple, he thought, had an exaggerated sentimentality. They were not dusi-ness-like. They needed to be protect ed from their friends. Evidently the major had concluded. And what he said amounted to. nothing. "May I ask," said the examiner, "ii you have anything further to say that bears directly upon the question of those abstracted securities?" "Abstracted securities, sir!" Major Tom turned suddenly in his chair, his blue eyes flashing upon the examiner. "What do you mean, sir?" He drew from his coat pocket a batch of folded papers heldjtogether by a rubber band, and tossed them into Nettlewick's hands, and rose to his feet. "You'll find those securities there, sir, every stock, bond and share- of 'em. I took them from the notes while you were counting the cash. Ex amine and compare them for your self." The major led the way back into the banking-room. The examiner, astounded, perplexed, nettled, at sea, followed. He felt that he had, been made the victim of something, that was not exactly a hoax, but that left him in the shoes of one who had been played upon, used, and then discard ed, without even an inkling of the game. Perhaps, also, his official po sition had been irreverently juggled with. But there was nothing he could take hold of. An official report of the matter would be an absurdity. And, somehow, he felt that he would never know anything more about the matter than he did then. Frigidly, mechanically, Nettlewick examined the securities, found them to tally with the notea, gathered his black wallet to depart. "I will say," he protested, turning the indignant glare of his glasses upon Major Kingman, "that your statements your misleading state ments, which you do not condescend to explain do not appear to be quite the thing, regarded either as bus-neB or humor. I do not understand suck motives or action. Major Tom looked down at him se renely and not unkindly. "Son," he said, "there are plenty of things in the chaparral, and on , th prairies, and up the canyons that you don't understand. But I want to thank you for listening to a garrulous old man's prosy stories. We old Texans love to talk about our adventures and our old comrades, and the home folks have long ago learned to run when we begin with 'Once upon a time, s we have to spin our yarns to the. stranger within our gates." The major smiled, but the examiner only bowed coldly, and abruptly quit ted the bank. They saw him travel diagonally across the street In a straight line and enter the Stock-. men's National bank. i Major Tom sat down at his desk. and drew from his vest pocket the note Roy had given him. He had read it once, but hurriedly, and now, with something like a twinkle in his eyes. he read again. These were the words he read: "Dear Tom: "I hear there's one of Uncle Sam's grayhounds going, through you, and that means that we'll catch him Inside of a couple of hours, maybe. Now, I want you to do something for me." A?e've got just $2,200 In the bank, and the law requires that we have $20, 000. I let Ross and Fisher have $18E- 000 late yesterday afternoon to buy up that Gibson bunch of cattle. They'll realize $40,000 in less than thirty days on the transaction, but that won't make my cash on hand look any prettier to that bank examiner. Now, 1 can't show him those, notes, for they're just plain notes of hand with out any security in sight, but you know very well that Pink Ross and Jim Fisher are two of the finest white men God ever made, and they'll do the square thing. You remember Jim Fisher he was the one who shot that faro dealer in El Paso, I wired Sam Bradshaw's bank to send me $20,000. and it will get in on the narrow-gauge at. 10:35. You can't let a bank exam iner in to count $2,200 and close your doors. Tom, you hold that examiner. Hold him. Hold him if you have to rope him and sit on his head. Watch our front window after the narrow gauge gets in, and when we've got the cash inside we'll pull the shade for a signal. Don't turn him loose till then. I'm counting on you, Tom. "Your Old Pard. BOB BUCKLEY, "Prest Stockmen's NationaL" , The .major began to tear the not Into small pieces and throw them int his waste basket. He gave a satis fled little chuckle as he did so. "Confounded old reckless co puncher!" he growled, contentedly, "that pays him some cn account fijf what he tried to da for me In the gfea IXs office 10 yciAJ o."
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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April 4, 1913, edition 1
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