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American Sunday Monthly Magazine Section ootie ar the anl-c H, how do you do? Are you the Paying Teller? Well—that is, could I please see somebody else? You see, I’ve just opened an account, and 1 want to get some of my money out. There’s the loveliest hat in Featherton’s window, marked down to but, that’s just it; if I get my money from a Pro fessional Teller, he’ll tell all about my private affairs, and how much I pay for my hats, and everything!” “Not at all, Miss. We are called Tellers because we never tell anything about our depositors’ affairs. We’re not allowed to.” “Oh, how lovely! Well, then,—if you won’t tell,—I’ve never drawn a check before, and I don’t knowhow! Will you help me? ” “Certainly; but I must ask you to make haste. Have you a check-book?” “How curt you are! I thought you’d like to help me. Men ’most always do. Yes, I have a check-book,—that other clerk gave it to me. But 1 don’t like it, and I want to exchange it. See, —it has a horrid, plain black muslin cover! Don’t you have any bound in gray suede, with gilt edges? I’m willing to pay extra.” “We have no other kind, Miss. How much money do you want?” “Why, I don’t know. You see, Daddy put a thousand dollars in this bank for me,—I suppose I may as well take it all at once. What do you think?” “I think probably your father meant for you to take only a part of it at a time.” “Yes; I think so, too. He said it would teach me business habits. He chose this bank because you have a special department for ladies. But if this is it, I don’t think much of it. To be sure the plate glass and mahogany are all right,—but it looks like ‘put up com plete for $74.99.’ Don’t you think Mission furniture and chintz would be cosier? Yes, yes, I’ll draw my check! Do give me a moment to draw my breath first. You see I’m not used to these things. Why, with a real bank ac count of my own, I feel like an Organized Charity! I suppose I ought to hunt up some Worthy Poor. Well, I’ll just get that hat first. Now, let me see'—Oh, yes, of course you may help me, but I want to do the actual drawing myself. It’s the only way to learn. Why, when I took Art Les sons, I made a burnt-wood sofa-pillow all myself! The teacher just stood and looked at me. He said I had Fate-sealing eyes. Why, you’re looking at my eyes just the way he did! You seem so rattled, why do you? Don’t you know how to draw a check, either?” “Oh, yes, indeed; I have drawn millions of checks ” “Millions of checks! How exciting! What do you do with all youf money? ” , • “Oh, it isn’t my money, you know.” “Aren’t you ashamed to be drawing millions and billions of other people’s money? 1 have a friend who is engaged to a bank president who got caught drawing checks.” “Excuse me, but how much money do you want to draw?” ^ . „ “How much is it customary for ladies to draw . ^ “Well, that depends upon how much they need. “ Oh, I see. People in need draw* more than those in comfortable circumstances, I suppose. I am not exactly what would be called ‘a needy person. Since I left school, of course, I have my own allow ance. Do you approve of girls being put on an allowance? or do you think it is nicer for t em o 100. << U I u 'uimr “If I get iny money irom a professional Teller he’ll tell all about my private affairs ” “Then I won’t take my money, thank you. I want to take this check home to Daddy ” have accounts with the trades-people, and not be treated like children?” “I should think that would depend. Would a check for $100.00 be enough for you to-day? What did you have in mind to use it for?” “I think you are very impertinent. I am sur prised that people in banks are allowed to ask such questions. Why should you concern yourself with how r much money I want?” “I w 7 as endeavoring to help you about your check.” “Oh, yes, certainly. How could you possibly draw 7 checks if you didn’t know 7 how much the checks w r ere to be! I like checks much better than stripes or plaids. Lucille is making me a beautiful walking- suit that is the loveliest imported check that you ever saw 7 . And checks are nice for men, don’t you think? ” “Is it for the hat or for the suit that you want to draw a check?” “Yes, of course, it is for the hat at Featherton’s that I w r ant the check. I am afraid you will think that I am so •ally, but really I have so many things to think about that it is hard to keep my mind on just one thing. You must make allowances for girls who have so many things to think about. Of course, with a man like you, who only has checks and money to think about all day long, it is so easy—I’d be bored if I had nothing but money and checks all day. I should think it would be diverting to have somebody call and talk about something else.” “It is. Come now 7 . Let us make out this check. You must w r rite the number first.” Oh, isn’t it exciting! Now, wait, let me do it. You just w r atch out that it’s all right. But are you sure you know how yourself? I’d rather have an Expert to teach me. You know 7 , nowadays, skilled labor counts in everything.” “I assure you I’m competent in this matter, but I must beg you to make haste. Write the number in this blank.” “What number?” “Number one, of course. It’s your first check.” “There! I knew you were ready to tell every thing! Suppose it is my first check. I don’t want everybody to know it. Can’t I begin with a larger number, and then go right on?” **» Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’ll begin with 4887. I can make lovely 7’s. Don’t you think 4887 is a pretty number?” “Very pretty. But ” “Now you're wasting time. There, I’ve written the number. What next?” “The date, please. And the year.” “Well, I’ve written the date, but it spilled all over the year space. It doesn’t matter, though, ’cause it’ll be the same year for a long while yet, and this check will be vouched, or whatever you call it, before the year is out.” “But you must write the year.” “ But how can I, when there isn’t room?” Tear that up, and begin a new check.” And w 7 aste all that money! Oh, I didn’t want an account, anyway! I told Daddy it w 7 ould make me more extrav agant! And you’re so cross to me! And here, I’ve spoiled a lot of my money the first thing!” “Oh, no, you haven’t! There, there, don’t look so distressed! I’ll make it all right for you.” “You’ll make it all right! How dare you, sir? Do you dream for a moment I’d take your money to replace my ow r n losses?” “Now 7 , wait, you don’t understand. This check is worthless until it’s signed. Now 7 , we’ll tear it out, so, and begin again. Make smaller letters and figures, can’t you?” “Oh, how 7 cute that check comes out! You just tear it by the little perforated dots, don’t you? Let me tear one out!” “Write it first; you’ll probably spoil it, and have to tear it out.” “How unkind you are! And I’m doing my very best. Don’t find fault with me,—please don’t!” “Well, don’t w 7 rinkle up your nose like that,—it looks like a crumpled rose petal! And don't w r rite your name there! That’s the place for the amount! ” “Oh,w 7 hatafuss! What does it matter, solongasall the spaces are filled? My goodness, the check’s all done, isn’t it? And it’s quite entirely all right, isn’t it?” “Yes, it’s irreproachable. How will you have the money?” “And here I’ve spoiled a lot of my money the first thing” “If I take the money, do I have to give you this check?” “Certainly.” “Then I won’t take my money, thank you. I want to take this check home and show 7 it to Daddy. He’ll be so pleased and proud! I know 7 he’ll keep it as a souvenir, and then he’ll give me some of his money for the hat! ” I T isn’t because the china is thinner! That, I know 7 , is the obvious reply, but it isn’t true, for much of the thinnest and apparently most fragile china will sustain a shock that would shatter the cheapest earthenware. It is really a condition of the mind and has recently been studied as a peculiarly interesting problem of psychology. It is really because it is costly that it is most easily broken. A simple illustration will make this clear. Sup pose a piece of wooden sidewalk, three feet wide, extends along a street for half a mile, no person— certainly no sober person—would have the slightest difficulty in walking on it and would never dream of the possibility of stepping off it into the mud on either side. If that sidewalk be flanked by a deep ditch on either hand, one will pass over it with cau tion. If it be a short bridge over a gully ten feet timid persons will hesitate to cross it, none but workmen accustomed to great heights or profes sional gymnasts would care to walk twenty or thirty feet of it if it were suspended between two buildings three or four stories above the pavement, and if the same were swinging over Niagara Falls, as before without handrail or any protection, no more than one person out of every hundred thousand would attempt to cross by such a “narrow” path from the United States to Canada. Yet the pathway is as wide as it was when a sidewalk on the street.