The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

THE GILDED TRAP. have exposed than favoritism. Besides, while memory of his own exact words had been lost in the whirl of their amazing re- sults, he had mentioned only the name of Josiah Wilbridge. If there had been any dishonesty affect- ing Wilbridge’s account, he had not dis- covered it. And he had the W to Z books even yet. Once during the afternoon he had turned to Wilbridge’s pages in the ledgers. He had quickly turned away from them. He told himself that he had no time or business away from the immediate work of the day. He had plunged into this with a nervous energy which seemed to char- acterize men like~Mercer and Wheelock and such of their friends as he had met. As luck would have it, Wheelock had wanted Meyer in his office for half an hour before closing time. Bruce had been sent in to take the assistant teller’s place. Of course that meant that most of the depositors turned to the window of Johns, the teller, as soon as they saw that the new man in the other window had to refer to his superior for the identifications. But it had provided a foretaste of the sense of having the new job that awaited him. Of all his. misgivings and questions he had nothing to say to Ellen. Somehow they soon drifted away from talk of their marriage. Somehow he did not try to drift back to the subject. Their conver- sation seemed to lack a little of the spon- taneity attained through their long court- ship and engagement. He went home early. He felt depressed. He went to sleep with a resolve to make sure about Wilbridge’s account the first thing in the morning—a resolve with enough string to it so that he might not carry it out. The depression was still on in the morn- ing. He renewed his resolution to learn the truth at whatever cost to his bright new prospects. He got down to the bank a few minutes early, but not enough to arouse any suspicion of untoward curi- osity. 99 “Hello, Evans; come in here a mo- ment,”’ Wheelock called to him the instant he had opened the office door. Bruce once more followed the cashier inside. to close the door. “Don’t want everybody to know your business,” he said with a smile for his precaution. “‘ Now, I’ve got things fixed to put you next to our little war baby. I got another hot tip on Tubular Brass last night. It will go away beyond par. There’s a real order placed, and the big fellows are going to try to hog it all. You'll see some fun before the day is over. “Now, Meyer won’t be in for fifteen or twenty minutes. I’ve just drawn this check to cash. You cash it and put the Once more Wheelock took pains money in your pocket without any racket — about it. ‘Bennet is the devil about any spec- ulating. His idea seems to be that is exclusively for directors and their presi- dent. : ‘As soon as Meyer comes in you come to me. I'll send you out on an errand for me; see? You hustle right down to Kent’s, in Thirty-Third Street. Ask for Mr. Chase. ‘“T’ve fixed it up’ about you already. He'll let you have a hundred shares of Tubular Brass for this. Don’t hang around the place, but hustle right back here. Understand now?” . “JT understand, but—”’ Bruce wished he had had time to look through Wilbridge’s account. Suppose he discovered crooked work—he would be under such obligation as would close his mouth. ‘“ Never mind that; just do what I tell you. I can stand it—so long as Tubular Brass keeps on going up.” Bruce took the check. A gasp escaped his lips. “Why, Mr. Wheelock, I—” “Hurry up. You won’t have time to straighten out your cash before opening,”’. Wheelock bade him, waving him away. — Bruce made his way to the paying- 4 comilcbooks (E@)