“A poor trick; it could easily have been changed.”
“Not such a sum without exciting comment.”
“He may have gone to several places.”
“But he had only a day to do it in.”
“Then someone must have been his accomplice.”
“That remains to be proven.”
“Nothing remains to be proven. Why, it’s as clear as day that the money he has is the result of a long series of peculations, and that this last is the result of his first large theft.”
“That must be made clear to the law.”
“It shall be.”
“I should advise, though, no open proceedings against this servant until further evidence to establish his guilt is found.”
“If the evidence satisfies me, it must be sufficient to satisfy any ordinary jury. I demand his immediate arrest.”
“As you will, sir. Will you have him called here and question him, or will you let me question him at once?”
“Yes.”
Oakley struck the bell, and Berry himself answered it.
“You’re just the man we want,” said Oakley, shortly.
Berry looked astonished.
“Shall I question him,” asked the officer, “or will you?”
“I will. Berry, you deposited five hundred dollars at the bank yesterday?”
“Well, suh, Mistah Oakley,” was the grinning reply, “ef you ain’t de beatenes’ man to fin’ out things I evah seen.”
The employer half rose from his chair. His face was livid with anger. But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
“You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley,” said the officer.
Oakley nodded. Berry was looking distressed and excited. He seemed not to understand it at all.
“Berry,” the officer pursued, “you admit having deposited five hundred dollars in the bank yesterday?”
“Sut’ny. Dey ain’t no reason why I shouldn’t admit it, ’ceptin’ erroun’ ermong dese jealous niggahs.”
“Uh huh! well, now, where did you get this money?”
“Why, I wo’ked fu’ it, o’ co’se, whaih you s’pose I got it? ’Tain’t drappin’ off trees, I reckon, not roun’ dis pa’t of de country.”
“You worked for it? You must have done a pretty big job to have got so much money all in a lump?”
“But I didn’t git it in a lump. Why, man, I’ve been savin’ dat money fu mo’n fo’ yeahs.”
“More than four years? Why didn’t you put it in the bank as you got it?”
“Why, mos’ly it was too small, an’ so I des’ kep’ it in a ol’ sock. I tol’ Fannie dat someday ef de bank didn’t bus’ wid all de res’ I had, I’d put it in too. She was allus sayin’ it was too much to have layin’ ’roun’ de house. But I des’ tol’ huh dat no robber wasn’t goin’ to bothah de po’ niggah down in de ya’d wid de rich white man up at de house. But fin’lly I listened to huh an’ sposited it yistiddy.”
“You’re a liar! you’re a liar, you black thief!” Oakley broke in impetuously. “You have learned your lesson well, but you can’t cheat me. I know where that money came from.”
“Calm yourself, Mr. Oakley, calm yourself.”
“I will not calm myself. Take him away. He shall not stand here and lie to me.”
Berry had suddenly turned ashen.
“You say you know whaih dat money come f’om? Whaih?”
“You stole it, you thief, from my brother Frank’s room.”
“Stole it! My Gawd, Mistah Oakley, you believed a thing lak dat aftah all de yeahs I been wid you?”
“You’ve been stealing all along.”
“Why, what shell I do?” said the servant helplessly. “I tell you, Mistah Oakley, ask Fannie. She’ll know how long I been a-savin’ dis money.”
“I’ll ask no one.”
“I think it would be better to call his wife, Oakley.”
“Well, call her, but let this matter be done with soon.”
Fannie was summoned, and when the matter was explained to her, first gave evidences of giving way to grief, but when the detective began to question her, she calmed herself and answered directly just as her husband had.
“Well posted,” sneered Oakley. “Arrest that man.”
Berry had begun to look more hopeful during Fannie’s recital, but now the ashen look came back into his face. At the word “arrest” his wife collapsed utterly, and sobbed on her husband’s shoulder.
“Send the woman away.”
“I won’t go,” cried Fannie stoutly; “I’ll stay right hyeah by my husband. You shan’t drive me away f’om him.”
Berry turned to his employer. “You b’lieve dat I stole f’om dis house aftah all de yeahs I’ve been in it, aftah de caih I took of yo’ money an’ yo’ valybles, aftah de way I’ve put you to bed f’om many a dinnah, an’ you woke up to fin’ all yo’ money safe? Now, can you b’lieve dis?”
His voice broke, and he ended with a cry.
“Yes, I believe it, you thief, yes. Take him away.”
Berry’s eyes were bloodshot as he replied, “Den, damn you! damn you! ef dat’s all dese yeahs counted fu’, I wish I had a-stoled it.”
Oakley made a step forward, and his man did likewise, but the officer stepped between them.
“Take that damned hound away, or, by God! I’ll do him violence!”
The two men stood fiercely facing each other, then the handcuffs were snapped on the servant’s wrist.
“No, no,” shrieked Fannie, “you mustn’t, you mustn’t. Oh, my Gawd! he ain’t no thief. I’ll go to Mis’ Oakley. She nevah will believe it.” She sped from the room.
The commotion had called a crowd of curious servants into the hall. Fannie hardly saw them as she dashed among them, crying for her mistress. In a moment she returned, dragging Mrs. Oakley by the hand.
“Tell ’em, oh, tell ’em, Miss Leslie, dat you don’t believe it. Don’t let ’em ’rest Berry.”
“Why, Fannie, I can’t do anything. It all seems perfectly plain, and Mr. Oakley knows better than any of us, you know.”
Fannie, her last hope gone, flung herself on the floor, crying, “O Gawd! O Gawd! he’s gone fu’ sho’!”
Her husband bent over her, the tears dropping from his eyes. “Nevah min’, Fannie,” he said, “nevah min’. Hit’s boun’ to come out all right.”
She raised her head, and seizing his manacled hands pressed them to
