Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

738 his coat tails. “ But a warning, gentlemen, a warning! ‘ The wages of sin,’ you know.” “We ought to do something for the - family, they’re in hard shape,” said the younger Fyske when the three members of the firm were in conference. ‘I hope the papers won’t get hold of this; it might hurt _ our business.” “The papers. will hear of it, of course, through the coroner,” said Browne. “ But I'll handle the newspaper men.’ “ We ought to help the family,” parroted - the elder Fyske. ‘‘ Put me down for five and Tommy for the same amount.” ' Browne looked at both of them, surprise in his eyes. “ Let’s make it in the name of ‘the firm. You’re going pretty strong,” he exclaimed. “Why, -five dollars apiece isn’t too much,” responded the president, beaming benevolently.: “ There’s the widow and the invalid child, you know.” “ Hell, I thought you meant five thou- sand!” exploded Browne. ‘“ We’ll keep our mouths shut as to the shortage and an- ‘nounce our subscription as five thousand dollars.” / “ But—but—but—but that’s .outrage- ous!” stammered the elderly Fyske. “No ‘buts’ about it. I’m not getting soft. This is a matter of business. Those reporters ‘are keen. them. If this gets out it will break us be- cause the papers will exaggerate and every man who repeats the story will magnify our ~ loss. If there is even a rumor of a shortage —well, you know the banks and our cus- tomers. They are as timid as a lot of rabbits. “ But when I tell the boys from the press we are giving Clearwater’s family five thou- , sand dollars they’ll never dream of a short- age. It won’t be money thrown away either. The return will come in advertising. We'll get space we couldn’t buy in any other way.’ “Charity is a wondrous thing,” orated old Fyske, ‘ Faith, Hope, and Charity and the greatest of these is—”’ “ Oh, shut up!” snapped Browne. “ For- get the ‘cant and get down to business. We're hypocrites and no matter what we may want the world to believe we needn’t ~ a ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. We’ve got to disarm _ try to hide it from one another. Jl make out the check right away. The widow no doubt will appreciate ‘the cash. Get ‘out and tell Forsythe I want to see him at once.” - Forsythe responded almost instantly. ~He had been standing close enough to the door to hear the entire conversation, but the two Fyskes did not notice this. “ How much did Clearwater owe you?” Browne demanded. “ Seventy-five dollars.” ‘You. garnisheed him?” a4 Yes. 9. , “When he died you lost your only secur- ity, his job?” ae Yes. ) - “You stop service instantly and with- - draw all proceedings.” | “T did that the first thing this morning.’ “Good. Sit tight and keep your mouth shut. You’re not as much loser as we are. But keep closed up about that also.” Forsythe promised. ’ A little later Browne, with great detail and in a quiet: way that carried conviction, told how.the bookkeeper had been worriéd over the illness of his child and the health of his wife and assured the newspaper men who had been admitted to his private office immediately on their arrival that a thorough investigation had shown the bookkeeper’s accounts correct in every detail. “That investigation was really an injus- . tice to the boy,” continued Browne, “ but we thought it well to protect his name as well as ourselves. He-was one of our most valuable employees, having been with us ever since we started. We felt so badly over the unfortunate affair that we have done a little something for the family. We are just like a family J here; the grief of one is the grief of all.” Browne stopped. The questions he had anticipated were put, and though he appar-. ently attempted to evade them, he admitted finally with a great show of reluctance that _ a five thousand dollar check was on its way to the Clearwater home at that very mo- ment. As he had foreseen, the pictures of Clearwater, his wife and little daughter. were in several of the afternoon papers and refer- ences to the firm’s generosity in every one. CONMUCG DOOLK CO Ly