The Argosy, August 1905 — page 155: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

q « © aS oP as i ive * € P - F Does it, though? Is he in the habit of depositing his cash at the paying teller’s window? ” “The what ? ” “He’s standing there now. Yes, as sure as youre born, he’s passing in a check to be cashed! ” “Good Lord!” ‘Richard Janeway was on his feet again. He squinted down toward the window; finally he strolled through the little cages toward the teller. He glanced casually over the clerk’s shoulder. There lay a check, laboriously signed “James C. Coles,”. and written for three thousand dollars! “Ah, good-morning, Mr. Coles,” said the cashier, with a smile in which the pleasure was plainly forced. “Mornin’.” The drover’s volubility seemed to have vanished. *“Eme day, isn’t it?” * Foler’ ble.” “ Making a draft on us, I see?” ce Yep.” “ Going to do some buying?” ** Nope.” Janeway was rather nonplussed. Coles seemed dogged and avoided meet- ing his eye. He shifted before the win- dow for a moment, then grunted some- what grufily: “ Gimme fifties and hundreds, mister. T’m in a hurry.” He received his money and _ left quickly. The cashier returned to the office, a troubled light in his eyes. “How much?” asked the Graves superintendent. * Three thousand, Bob. Nearly nine thousand dollars paid out in ten min- utes! ” * Phew!” “TI wonder Jimminy, look as if it were coming! ” “T should say it did! And when that eleven o’clock train gets in ? “It’s going to bring some of our out- of-town friends? Yes, I’m afraid that’s not outside the possibilities.” Robert glanced at the clock and re- called that the Graves Company was not paying him a salary for morning calls. He strolled to the door of the office, and was about to say good-by when the tele- phone bell took to ringing. He paused. it does The cashier stepped to the ’phone. (SR s * " ie a = ay a s + w « . . 5 THE RUN ON THE HERDSMAN’S. “Hello! Hello! Yes—Janeway, yes. Oh, is this you, Thomason ? ” “Thomason, eh?” muttered the younger brother. “ The Bank of Harks- bury must be on the wire! ” “Yes?—Is that so?—Yes, I knew about “it—What? Whal?—Just now? Great Csar!—All right, thanks for let- ting us know.—No, I don’t see that we can do anything else-——No.—Good-by.” When Richard Janeway turned back his face was several shades paler. “Well, the Harksbury has closed up, Bob.” “ Harksbury, too! ” “Yes. Thomason says that all the big depositors must have secured first places on the line. They’ve been abso- Iutely cleaned out—he says they've got alyout seven dollars in eash—all told.” “Good gracious! ” “ And we’re next now!” groaned the eashier. “‘ The Christian Science treat- ment was no go, was it?” “Seems not.” “Well, skip out of here, Bob.” The cashier ran his fingers through his hair. “Pll have to think up some scheme or other—I’m blest if I know what!” With sympathetic words, the Graves superintendent left. From his private office at the top of the next building he watched almost in. voluntarily for a sight he knew to be inevitable. He was not disappointed. Just before half-past eleven, knots of three or four were to be seen coming down the street below—big, burly, rough-clad men from the ranches. They hurried, too, and at the door of the Herdsman’s Bank they disappeared... Afterward, singly, they emerged and walked away more slowly. The news had indeed traveled, and the run on the bank was under way! The one o’clock train brought more— the one-fifty still more. They appeared regularly at the corner of the street leading to the railway station: others, resident depositors, could be seen drop- ping off the trolley cars two. blocks away and scurrying toward the bank. Within an hour Robert came to know perfectly what their movements would be. *, They popped into view, walking leis- _ . ‘a? ~ comicbooks.com )