Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

A LETTER OF DISCREDIT. Worden ran rapidly Eoues the pile and SORE Ge one. ** Just as I thought,” he explained. “ It’s a forgery, made out to cash for five hundred dollars, and with Guthrie’s forged name on it! Come back to the office, Bradwell. We'll take this up with the chief.” ~ Bradwell followed the other out with- out a word. He was filled with forebod- ings. He was suddenly conscious that all sense of friendship between himself and Worden had vanished. They entered Guthrie’s private office to- gether and Worden closed the door behind them. ‘‘ It was just as you guessed it,” the man- aging clerk said, handing the suspected check to the head of the firm. Guthrie looked it over carefully; then with a sardonic smile turned to Bradwell. ‘‘T happened to look in the checkbook after you went out,” he explained, “ and I noticed that the last stub was blank. I guessed in an instant what had happened. So I phoned for a police officer and he’s in the next room ready to make an arrest if I give the word. I may not give the word. I want to talk it over with you. What made you do such a foolish thing, especially for a little chicken-feed like this? We’ve always tried to treat you right, and if you’d told me you needed some money in a hurry I’d have let you have it. Force of habit too strong, I suppose.” Despite his forebodings, so sudden and unexpected and yet so insidious had come this attack that Bradwell did not realize that he was being accused until Guthrie had nearly finished speaking. Then he leaped to his feet and advanced on his accuser with fists raised to strike. ‘“Do you mean to say you are accusing me!” he stormed. Guthrie sprang back and placed his chair between them. Worden caught Brad- well’s arms from behind. ‘“ Remember what I said about the of- ficer in the next room,” Guthrie warned. ‘Another move like that and I'll call him in.”’ Bradwell realized at once that he was helpless and, still somewhat in a daze, obeyed. Guthrie pushed his advantage. 45 ‘““As far as accusing you is concerned, it hardly seems necessary. Let’s calmly look at the evidence as it would appeal to a jury. Just keep cool for a minute and let me present it. Here you are with a self-confessed criminal record. You claimed to have reformed, but the only job you’ve held since you left prison before you came here you lost on a charge of petty thieving. There are quite a number of witnesses to that. Also you were once convicted. of forgery and you have been showing your skill as a penman here. ‘“Now you are caught red-handed try- ing to cash one of our checks, signed by my forged name. You had prepared for a getaway by turning in your resignation this morning. Now, with that evidence, I ask you, what chance would you have before a jury?” “But,” Bradwell protested hotly, ‘ you know and I know that I didn’t sign that check. We both know that this is simply a contemptible trick to catch me. As for providing that I have practised signing your name here, you can’t put that in evidence without exposing the purposes for which you’ve used my penmanship here.”’ ‘“Not so fast, my boy!” Guthrie inter- posed. ‘ What you know and I know has nothing to do with what the jury will be- lieve, in the first place. In the second place, I know that you did write the name at the bottom of that check, and I can prove it to any jury without dwelling em- barrassingly on your duties in the office. Do you recognize that?” Guthrie had reached into his desk and _ drawn out a sheet of paper on which was written his name several times. Bradwell did recognize it. It was the sheet on which at Guthrie’s bidding he had demonstrated his skill at imitating signatures that day he was hired. He remembered that there had been a second sheet on which he had written Guthrie’s name once without a model. That second sheet was not in evi- dence. “Now Worden and I both saw yow practising my name, and we secured this sheet as evidence,” Guthrie went on. ‘After all, you are an amateur forger, and there are certain minute earmarks on each Conn lONOOLK CO