1938-08-19 — Page 5

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CHINA MAIL

FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, AUGUST 19, 1938

loud rat-tat at the outer door

broke the hushed silence of the deserted office.

Harry Lambert looked up with a frown.-

"You had better see who it is, Miss Simmonds.”.

He was working late in anti- cipation of closing the annual ac- count of his firm, Messrs. Winter and Co., and the interruption was distinctly irritating. Why couldn't people keep to proper business hours?

"It's a Mr. Bailey," announced his secretary-typist on her return. "He's a bookie. He's asking for Mr. Winter senior."

Lambert pursed his lips in a soundless whistle.

"Mr. Winter senior, eh? Show him in, Miss Simmonds--and you had better wait in the outer of- fice, if you don't mind."

A bookmaker could only mean .one thing. Young Jack-Winter had been running up a betting ac- count again, against his father's express orders," and the commis- sion agent was pressing for pay- ment.

"I'm the firm's cashier," he in- troduced himself as the man en- tered the room. "As Mr. Winter has left for the night, perhaps I can be of service."

He spoke with assurance. After fifteen years employment with

Short Story

Winter and Company, he had a very big part in controlling the business.

His visitor regarded him cau- tiously.

"It's really a personal matter," he began doubtfully.

Lambert smiled.

"Let me tell you," he said-terse- ly. "Jack Winter owes you some money and you've come here to get it. Isn't that it?" :

Mr. Bailey

eagerly.

leaned forward

"That's right Mister. I've given him every chance, but I can't go on any lònger, I had to tell him last week: unless you square me by next Thursday, I says, I shall shall have to speak to your dad. He begged me not to; nearly in tears he was. But a man's got to live, Mister."

Lambert ignored the senti-

mental aspect; he had very little

sympathy with gamblers.

"How much is it?"

Bailey handed over a much- thumbed account.

"Seventeen pounds odd."

"All right, I'll pay, it-on one condition. I want your word to take no more bets from Mr. Jack Winter"

Bailey promised with alacrity; he had been prepared for some such stipulation.

Lambert wrote out a cheque and saw the smiling Bailey, to the door.

"All right, Miss Simmonds," he called as he returned to his room: "We'll get on now "y!!

There was no reply. Miss Sim- monds hat and cost were missing from their accustomed peg. She had evidently decided that she had been kept long anough:

Making a mental note to re.

"CONFLICTING EVIDENCE"

primand her for leaving without permission Lambert settled down at his desk. He was feeling thoroughly annoyed both with her and young Jack.

She knew quite well how dif- ficult it was accurately to check ledger entries single-handed. Whatever, could have possessed her to run off in that way?

She had only been with the Company a short time and he had never really liked her. There was something about her not alto- gether straight, he always felt, but, since she did her work with average ability, it had not seemed fair to replace her. Now she had given him a justifiable excuse and he would take advantage of it.

open. The firm's cash box-was on· the desk. Beside it, feverishly rummaging amongst its content, stood Joyce, the lady of his dreams. One hand clutched a pac- ket of bank notes.

Lambert

Frozen with horror turned away his eyes, as though by not looking it would be pos sible to wipe out the scene which was indelibly registered in his brain. If it had been Jack he could have understood it; but not Joyce. To think that she could stoop to rob her father:

ex-

There could be no other planation of her presence, he de-.. cided miserably. The hour, the deserted office, her furtive man- ner, belied the possibility that she was acting with her father's knowledge and consent.

What should he do, he wonder-

He wished he could give young Winter the sack as easily. Not only was the boy slack and undis- ciplined, but he set a bad exam-ed anxiously? Should he go in ple to the rest of the staff. Per- haps this affair with Bailey would give him a good fright.

But it was not on account of Jack's moral future that he had parted so readily with nearly £18. Nor was it out of consideration for the Boss who had always treated him so well.

Harry Lambert was in love

By Capt.A.0. Pollard, V.C.

with Jack's only sister, and the day was rapidly approaching when he intended to propose to -her. He was a little frightened at his boldness whenever he thought about it!

..

Apart from being his -em- ployer's daughter, Joyce always seemed so far above him, an as- sociate of the angels rather than mere flesh and blood. It was for her sake, although he did not in- tend that she should know about". it, that he had paid her brother's debt.

For a time he tried to carry on working alone but presently, find- ing progress maddeningly slow, he gave it up. Locking the books in the office safe, he left for the night. It was really too bad of Miss Simmonds when they were so busy.

en-

Worried with the thought that his unfinished task would croach on his normal heavy day, he reached the office unusually. early the following morning. Al- though none of the staff would join him for nearly half an hour he would be able to get ahead with the post, he reflected, as he inserted his key in the lock.

He had reached the main office when he distinctly heard a noise in the Boss's private › sanctum. Whom could it be at that hour, he wondered; not Mr. Winter, there was no sign of his car fu the yard. No one else had any business in that room.

Acting on some instinct he tip- toed across the office floor. disarranged curtain inside the glass partition supplied a con- venient peep-hole. He poared through. At once anley hand clutched at his heart.

The door of the safe was wide

and confront her? If she needed money he woud give it her will- ingly. There was a nice little nest egg saved up against the day when

He groaned. No. time to think of that now. He must do something; but what?

He took two steps towards the door, then stopped and scuttled in the direction of his own room. Someone had entered the build- ing. It turned out to be Jack, the last person he expected to see be- fore his time.

Jack usually showed up last, and very often late. Lambert had. frequently been obliged to ad- monish him for it, with the result that the boy was not too fond of him.

Lambert's brain worked rapid- ly. Whatever happened, Jack must not know of his sister's presence. Nohody must know. He would engage the boy in conversation until Joyce had left. Afterwards. he would take an early oppor- tunity of getting hold of the cash box and putting things right.

"Hallo, Jack!" he called with forced geniality.

"Merning, Mr. Lambert.” Jack moved towards his own desk. Lambert stopped him.

"Just a minute, Jack; there's something. I want to say to you. Come into my room!".

The boy obeyed the request with obvious reluctance.

"What do you want?" he asked ungraciously, as Lambert closed the door and leaned against it.

"I want you to promise me 'you'll give up dog-racing."!

Keyed-up hear Joyce's de- parture his voice was rather sharper than he had intended. Jack flushed painfully,

"What business is it of yours?" he asked rudely,

Lambert produced his pocket. book and extracted Bailey's ac- count. As he smoothed it out he heard light foot-steps, faint through the closed door, traverse- the outer office. He drew £ breath of relief,.

"Last night after you had gone a bookmaker called to see you. He said you owed him more than £17. Here are the figures.

The boy's sullen arrogance fell. from him like a cloak,

"Came here?" he gasped. "The . swine! Did he see dad?".

Lambert shook his head. "No, fortunately your father had gone. He saw me instead— and I paid him.".

"You paid him? You? Do you mean the whole amount?”.

Lambert nodded.

"Yes, Jack, the whole amount." "But however can I pay you back??

"We'll discuss that another time; I daresay we can arrange. to dock something from your Balary each week. This is what I want to say, Jack." His voice was. kindly now. "If you'll only pro- mise to give up dog-racing for good and stick to it," he added with emphasis, "well, I might be prepared to wipe it out and give you a fresh start with a clean slate."

The boy opened his mouth to speak. His face worked spasmodi- cally. Then, suddenly collapsing, in a chair, he burst into a fit of sobbing..............

Lambert patted him on shoulder.

the

"There you sit quiet a bit and pull yourself together. I'll be back in a minute or two."

The other matter was urgently. pressing for his attention. He had. fixed up the son's affairs, now for the daughter's. He must open that cash box before his employer.

The clerks were arriving in the outer office as he made his way to the sanctum. He gave them his usual cheery greeting. Out- wardly he showed no signs of the (Continued on Page 7)

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