The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 2 — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

298 “ Say, old sport,” he whispered, “ I just cashed your check for five dollars on the Twentieth National. Was it all right?” “Yes,” Bruce managed to answer. He wondered if his hesitation ‘was noticed, if his start showed in his face. Meyer could not have startled him more by telling him a detective wished to see him in the lobby. “Things must be looking up your way, eh?” said the assistant teller. Bruce pulled himself together. After all, he had a perfect right to have money in the Twentieth National. “Oh, I’ve had a little bit up there for this long while,” he spoke with a steadied voice. “You old miser!”’ Meyer exclaimed with a laugh. “ Here, you’ve hali-starved yourself for years and money in the bank all the time. But why the deuce didn’t you put it in the savings department?” “JT wanted it where I could draw on it occasionally,” Bruce replied. He felt as if he were beihg cross-questioned. “ But you never did,” argued the teller. ** Look at all the interest you lost.” ‘“‘ Who said I didn’t?” Bruce demanded. “The check was numbered one,” an- swered the other. Bruce felt himself growing red. It was as if the other were accusing him of lying. “ Well, as a matter of fact, I did have it in the savings department,” he now as- serted. “I changed it last Friday.” He wished he had thought of that in the first place. He eyed Meyer, though it cost him an effort to do it. Meyer’s face was one of those heavy, round faces that are hard to read. “ Decided to blossom out, eh? Oh—I know the answer. She was in this morn- ing, too. But I thought you said you were engaged——or— “Great Scott! Say, you’re not en- gaged to Jessie Wheelock, are you?” “Lord, no.” Bruce could reply easily to that. He could breathe more easily now. They had got off the dangerous eround. “TI never met Miss Wheelock until last Monday.” THE ARGOSY. “And spending your hard-saved money for glad rags already! Say! It took quick with you, didn’t it? But what about the other girl—the one you’re engaged to? You want to look out or she’ll be getting wise. Gee! Evans, I never knew you had it in you.” Meyer was using the teasing tone in which all the men had passed remarks about his new raiment Saturday morning. “You go to the deuce,” Bruce ordered good-naturedly. He was greatly relieved that there were no more questions about the account in the Twentieth National. And then there was one: “Tt’s a wonder you wouldn’t patronize your own bank. Don’t you know it gives a fellow a drag to have a few hundred thousand on deposit? If you’d kept all that money here, you might have Wheelock’s place by this time.” Meyer was teasing now. Bruce laughed in unison with Beecham, who had come up in time to catch the last words. “Say,” he answered. “I told you where you could go, didn’t I? If you don’t hurry up, youll miss your lunch.” Meyer went out chuckling. The laughter died on Bruce’s face the instant he was gone. Had it not been for Beecham he would have given vent to something very different from a laugh. Why in-the name of all evils did his » very first little check have to come romp- ing through the Ironclad Trust Company on its way back to the bank on which it was drawn? Now they all knew it. Now they would all be wondering about it. Well, Meyer would pass them the word he had just given. Only—was Meyer quite convinced of his tale’s truth? Had he shown his alarm over the assistant tel- ler’s announcement of the check? Had Meyer noticed it? Would Meyer get to thinking it over later in that slow brain of his, and grow suspicious? Well, he had only broken one of the rules; he had done so with the advice and aid of the cashier. Wheelock and Mercer had both admitted doing the same thing. COMMICOO® (C S (E@)