Auburn High School - Bulldog Yearbook (Auburn, NE)

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The next morning Dan arrived and swept the office- In a short time the miller arrived. He went to his desk and after a few minutes’ hesitation, he proceeded to count the money. He frowned and called Dan to him. “My boy,” he said sternly, “if you will hand the money over now, nothing will be said about it. You are—” “I have none of your money,” flashed up Dan, straightening himself- “You may go then, and do not come back. Understand? It is only for your mother’s sake that you get off this easy,” and Mr. Stone pointed to the door. Dan reached for his cap and walked proudly out of the office, his face flushed and eye flashing, but when he got outside his face relaxed, his lips quivered and he wiped his eyes frequently. Mr. Stone looked thoughtfully out of the window. Suddenly he jumped up and walked around the room looking at the window lock. In front of one window he stopped. Then he tried to raise it and it yielded. Mr. Stone was restless the rest of the day. He was very careful to lock all the windows and just before he was to close the office he tried each window. Ray came in as usual and stood looking out the window while his uncle closed the desk. Then the two left together. The next day Mr. Stone missed some more money. He felt of all the locks. The same window was unlocked. Mr. Stone looked anxious, then relieved. “No, it can’t be he, surely, he’s got all the money he needs. That evening the mill closed earlier than common. After supper he went to the sheriff’s office. In a half hour he came out, went to a store and bought himself a couple of cigars. He overtook one of his friends and the two walked liesurely along smoking and talking. About nine o’clock three men approached the mill. One was the sheriff, another his little deputy and the third a policeman. The sheriff unlocked the office door and all three went in. Thereupon the sheriff locked the door again. It had been raining since the middle of the afternoon and the office was very dark, as there was no moon. The sheriff felt of the window locks. One was unlocked, but when he tried to raise it, it would not budge. “Swelled I reckon,” said the police. The man sat down and talked in low tones scarcely audible to each other. The little clock somewhere struck twelve. The men concealed themselves in various places- The sheriff behind the chimney, the deputy under the stairway and the policeman in one of the corners. In this position they whispered back and forth for about a half hour. “Gee, I’m sleepy,” yawned the little deputy. Just as he said this a noise was heard. The men held their breaths. The noise noise came from one of the windows, the one that was unlocked. In a minute or two the noise ceased. In about ten minutes came a dull noise as though something scraping against the side of the mill. Then a window in the second story was

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Ban Horton’s Knnocente Si Mr. Stone looked up sharply from his position before his desk to a dark curly-headed boy close to him. The boy looked up, just then, and as he saw his employer’s frown, his face put on a puzzled air. Anyone with a guilty conscience might find himself quaking in his shoes, if he were the unfortunate victim of Mr. Stone’s gaze, just then, and indeed the innocent might feel not a little timidity. “How much money was there here last night, Dan?” asked Mr. Stone, pointing to the cash receiver in front of him. “There were seventeen dollars and sixty come cents,” replied Dan, coming closer. “Why! there’s only fifteen there now,” he exclaimed. “Yes,” shortly replied the miller. A puzzled look had crept into his face. At this moment a tall, jaunty-looking young man entered through the open doorway. He took from his straw colored hair a soft green felt hat and flung it carelessly onto a chair. Dan left the office to serve a gentleman who had just driven up from the scale office. “Ray,” said Mr. Stone, when Dan had disappeared, “I have missed some money for the first time, and—” “Huh! I’m not surprised,” sneered Ray, with a significant glance toward the door. “Well, I’m not sure that he took it, but I’ll lock everything this afternoon and watch.” Ray was the son of a prominent merchant and also the miller’s nephew. He had no occupation and had stopped school, because he was unpopular and was not fond of study. His mother was a well known society lady and his father a highly respected citizen. Mr. Stone, the miller, was very fond of Ray and nearly every afternoon found the latter at his uncle’s mill. Mr. Stone kept one boy to do his office work, run errands and various other tasks that go with a mill. Dan had been Mr. Stone’s office boy for about two months. He had been in Ray’s class at school and when his father died he had to stop school to support his mother and younger sister. Meanwhile, Dan came back into the office and was working over some papers. Ray, after chatting a few minutes with his uncle, took his departure. The mill generally closed at half past five, so about five o’clock Mr. Stone went around to all the windows and locked them. He had just finished this when in rushed Ray to search for something. He said he had lost a diamond cuff button in there that morning. He was searching near a window, when something without attracted his attention. In a moment or so he resumed his search and soon found the cuff button. Then Mr. Stone, Dan and Ray left, the first being careful to lock the door.

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heard to be raising. A man’s feet appeared at the top of the stairs and presently the dim outline of a man stood at the foot of the stairs. It went to the window and raised the window. Then the man turned and walked toward the desk. When about half way the figure stopped, then turned and was out the window, speeding down the road quicker than a thought. “Let’s go after him.” whispered the little deputy in an excited stage whisper. “No! No! go back. He may come back because he surely didn’t know we were here.” said the sheriff. “Practicing, I suspect,” said the police. “Now be quiet, for if he sees no one is following him he will probably come back,” reasoned the sheriff. The little deputy looked longingly toward the window but said nothing. The men waited. The sheriff was even growing impatient and restless. He opened his mouth and shut it again and listened. He heard a footstep. Then a man’s figure appeared at the window and jumped lightly into the room. This time it walked swiftly and cautiously directly to the desk. The figure stopped before the desk, the click of a lock was heard, then the opening of a drawer. The sheriff stood near t.he electric light button. His fingers were on it. In a moment the room was illumined with a bright light. All the men looked at the figure before the desk. It was Ray! He looked bewildered and when he saw the three men surrounding him he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. The sheriff stepped up and arrested him. The policeman slipped the handcuffs over Ray’s hands. Just as he did so Ray fainted. The police and deputy took charge of Ray, while the sheriff stepped to the phone and notified Mr. Stone of the arrest. When Mr. Stone heard the prisoners name he, too, nearly fainted. He rushed out of the house and was at his office six blocks away in two minutes. Ray, who had recovered, saw his uncle and commenced to beg for mercy. At first Mr. Stone woud not be moved, but when the boy mentioned his mother the miller yielded, but not till he had extracted several promises from the boy. He compromised with the police and paid them for their services. Ray went home and Mr. Stone went his way. Mr. Stone had great influence with Ray’s parents and it was not long till Ray was in the navy. Ray served here for several years. He became respected by all as one of the officers. He was married to a prominent young lady and never has had a return of the bad habit which so nearly destroyed his manhood. The sign over one of the large mills in one of our great western towns now reads “Stone and Lorton,” and Dan Lorton has long ago forgiven his pardner for his hasty judgment. -ADA WEST, Tl