New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 3. Cannon Falls was neither a small town nor a very big one.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 4. The bank manager, A1 Gropin, was such an extravagant person that he was not accepted by many people in the town.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 5. Officer Quanbeck she met every day always said to her a lot of funny things to please her.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 6. The Computer Shack was a house for video games.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 7. Miriam got so interested in computers that she never seemed to be tired of learning, even after a tiring day’s work.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 8. She believed that her scheme was safe enough not to be caught.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 9. She tampered with the computer’s program so that she could transfer funds at the First State Bank to the accounts she set up in the other banks.

New Applications Miriam Storley left the bank at 4:15 exactly. People along Division Street said you could set your watch by Miriam; she always left her job at eh First State Bank of Cannon Falls at this hour, Monday through Friday, except on holidays. On Fridays she returned to work the six-to-eight P.M. shift. One this particular day, a Monday, she stopped after closing the front door to the bank in order to look at the window display. Miriam had spent the better part of the afternoon arranging gift items in the bank’s window. First State, which is how everyone in town referred to the bank, was having a promotion in order to attract new business. They were offering gifts which ranged in value all the way from a pocket calulator to a color TV. The value of a new depositor’s gift depended on how much was initially deposited. The display in the window was attractive, but Miriam wondered where the new business was going to come from. Cannon Falls wasn’t a one-stoplight town, but it wasn’t a great metropolis either. There just weren’t that many people to warrant an extravagant new business promotion such as this. The bank manager, Al Gropin, had even invested in some full-page advertisements in the local paper and had hired some clowns to perform on the street in from of the bank---all to try to attract new customers. But Miriam didn’t linger long in front of the window, and she didn’t waste much time on her thoughts of Al’s grand schemes. Her mission today was the same as it had been every weekday for the past several weeks. She nodded at passers-by, shopkeepers, and neighbors as she walked purposefully along the wide sidewalk toward The Computer Shack. There was a pleasant expression on her face as she smiled and said her “hellos” and “good afternoons” and “how are yous” to the people she saw almost every day of her life. Her daily meeting with Officer Quanbeck never failed to amuse her. She smiled to herself as they exchanged greetings and wondered whether he would feel as stupid as he looked after she pulled off the crime of the century. “Right on time, as usual, eh, Mrs. Storley?” The thin, kindly-looking man behind the counter in The Computer Shack seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face. Every day for the past several weeks, Tobe Barksdale had a short, simple conversation with this woman from the bank down the street. She said she wanted to but the home computer which he had hooked up to a printer and which was fully operational, but so far all she did was sit and play with it. Tobe didn’t mind the intrusion, though. Even thought he opened his shop. Gleamingly filled with electronic toys and machines, at noon, the majority of his customers came after six P. M. At first he had closed the store at eight, but the numbers of people interested in the latest gadgetry forced him to stay open later and later, and now he wasn’t closing until ten o’clock. He could have insisted that his daily visitor make up her mind about the computer, or at least stop using the same program all the time, but she wasn’t really any bother, and lately she had acquired such a solid knowledge of the field that he actually enjoyed her increasingly complex questions. She challenged his imagination, probing to see just how far a computer could go, just how much a simple machine could do. Tobe probably knew as much about computer hardware and software as anybody in the entire town of Cannon Falls. Hardware and software. These were terms the general public rarely heard when Tobe began working a number of years back. Now, everyone used the terms to refer to the computers themselves and the programs which told the machines and operators what to do. Miriam Storley had a long way to go to catch up with Tobe in her knowledge of this complex field, but she seemed determined, and Tobe was a patient instructor. Each day she would come to him with a new type of problem, an unusual twist, a tricky flow of information or instructions which she wanted to master. Every day he would guide her through the intricacies of the model which was advertised as the “ latest, most technologically advanced home computer ever designed.” Every day she would listen and absorb, and then experiment for herself. She brought her own tapes and never seemed to tire of learning, even after a day’s work. Tobe believed in leaving people to themselves, so when the lesson was over and Miriam sat at the console, enwrapped in her task at hand, he busied himself in another part of the store. Miriam’s teen-age son, who liked to be called by the nickname Zee, had introduced her to the world of computers through his interest in video games. True, she dealt with computers at the bank every day in her job, but somehow they were just a part of the bank; they didn’t touch her. She learned from her son and, almost by accident--- as most great discoveries in the world seem to be---she discovered that the latest version of the home-type computers was actually compatible with the one she worked with in her office at First State. The idea came to her at the end of a particularly tiring day as she tallied the day’s receipts and entered them into her desk-top computer. It was foolproof! She could transfer funds from various accounts which were relatively inactive by tampering with the program. If she did it skillfully enough, she would never be caught. She would set up some fictitious accounts in other banks in the state, transfer funds, disguise herself and go to the other banks in order to withdraw the money, and then return the program to its original condition. No one would ever be able to figure out what she had done or where the money had gone. And even if they did trace it, they would never suspect her. How could they? She decided not to risk working on the program she needed at home, since Zee might see what she was doing. Tobe Barksdale’s shop was the perfect cover, and that pleasant man certainly wouldn’t suspect her. He didn’t even seem to mind letting her use his floor-model computer. After months of preparation, Miriam carried out her plan. She called Mr. Gropin to say that she was ill and couldn’t come to work. Then she drove to Mankato and Red Wing, disguised, and picked up her money. All went well until she arrived home to find Officer Quanbeck and several others waiting in her living room to arrest her for fraud and bank robbery. As a kindness, to assuage her curiosity, Tobe Barksdale was there, too. He explained, “Your plan was brilliant, Miriam, and you were an excellent student. Indeed, I taught you almost everything you know. But I didn’t teach you everything you did on a master tape which I observed every afternoon after you left. After all, I had to see what kind of progress my pupil was making, didn’t I?” 10. She called in sick（打电话请病假） because she was carrying out her illegal plan.

Welcome to Our Bank 　　“I wish Central Bank would be robbed,” George Pickens said to himself. He had been making this wish daily from the time he had started work as a teller （出纳员） at the bank. 　　All over the country banks were being robbed, George thought. Why not this bank? Were robbers scornful of its four-million-dollar capital? Were they afraid of Mr. Ackerman, the old bank guard, who hadn't pulled out his gun in twenty-two years? 　　Of course George had a reason for wanting the bank to be robbed. After all, he couldn’t simply take the thick bundles of bills that were under his hands all day long. So he had thought of another way to get them. His plan was simple. It went like this: 　　If Bank Robber A holds up Bank Teller B... 　　And if Bank Teller B gives Bank Robber A a certain amount of money... 　　What is to prevent Bank Teller B from keeping all the money left and claiming that it was stolen by Bank Robber A? 　　There was only one problem. Where was Bank Robber A? 　　One morning George entered the bank feeling something was about to happen. “Good morning, Mr. Burrdws,” he said cheerfully. The bank president said something in a low voice and went into his office. 　　At two o’clock Bank Robber A walked in. George knew he was a bank robber. For one thing, he slipped in. For another thing, he wore a mask. 　　“This is a holdup （抢劫）,” the man said roughly. He took a pistol from his pocket. The guard made a small sound. “You,” the bank robber said, “lie down on the floor.” Mr. Ackerman lay down. The robber stepped over to George's cage. 　　“All fight,” he said. “Hand it over.” 　　“Yes, sir,” said George. “ Would you like it in ten- or twenty dollar bills?” 　　“Just hand it over!” 　　George reached into his cashbox and took all the bills from the top section-close to six thousand dollars. He passed them through the window. The robber snatched them, put them into his pockets, and turned to leave. 　　Then, while everyone watched Bank Robber A, Bank Teller B calmly lifted off the top section of the cash and slipped bills from the bottom section into his pockets. 　　The door swung and the bank robber was gone. George fainted. When he woke he smiled up at the worried faces looking down at him. “I’m all right, he said bravely.” 　　“Perhaps you should go home, George,” Mr. Bell, the chief auditor （审计员） said. 　　As soon as he was safely behind his bedroom door, George took the money from his pockets and counted it. He had seven thousand dollars. He was very happy. 　　The next morning when George arrived at the bank, it was not open for business. But everyone was there, helping to examine the bank's records for the special audit Mr. Bell was taking. 　　George was called into Mr. Burrows' office. The bank president seemed strangely cheerful. “George,” he said, “I want you to meet Mr. Carruthers, who used to be president of our bank.” 　　“Good morning, George,”said Mr. Carruthers. “I was sorry to hear you fain yesterday. Are you all right now?” 　　“Yes, sir, just fine, thanks.” 　　“I' m glad to hear it. That was quite an adventure. It just goes to show how easy it is to rob our bank.” 　　“Sir?” said George, confused. 　　“George, I was sorry to give you a hard time yesterday, but with all the banks being robbed these days, I thought it would be a good idea to prove that our little bank can be robbed too. I have retired, but I haven’t stopped thinking. That’s, why I played my little game yesterday, just to keep everybody on his toes.” 　　“I don't understand,” said George. “What game?” 　　The old man laughed and took out a mask. He placed it over his face, and said, “All fight. Hand it over!” Mr. Burrows laughed but George did not. 　　“And the money?” George said in a small voice. 　　“Don't worry,” Mr. Carruthers said. “I put it all back in your cashbox all six thousand. We’re just finishing up the audit now.” George turned cold with fear. 　　Behind them, the door opened and Mr. Bell, the chief auditor, put his head into the room. “Mr. Burrows,” he said gravely, “may I see you a moment?” 1. George Pickens wished for a robbery because it would( ).

Welcome to Our Bank 　　“I wish Central Bank would be robbed,” George Pickens said to himself. He had been making this wish daily from the time he had started work as a teller （出纳员） at the bank. 　　All over the country banks were being robbed, George thought. Why not this bank? Were robbers scornful of its four-million-dollar capital? Were they afraid of Mr. Ackerman, the old bank guard, who hadn't pulled out his gun in twenty-two years? 　　Of course George had a reason for wanting the bank to be robbed. After all, he couldn’t simply take the thick bundles of bills that were under his hands all day long. So he had thought of another way to get them. His plan was simple. It went like this: 　　If Bank Robber A holds up Bank Teller B... 　　And if Bank Teller B gives Bank Robber A a certain amount of money... 　　What is to prevent Bank Teller B from keeping all the money left and claiming that it was stolen by Bank Robber A? 　　There was only one problem. Where was Bank Robber A? 　　One morning George entered the bank feeling something was about to happen. “Good morning, Mr. Burrdws,” he said cheerfully. The bank president said something in a low voice and went into his office. 　　At two o’clock Bank Robber A walked in. George knew he was a bank robber. For one thing, he slipped in. For another thing, he wore a mask. 　　“This is a holdup （抢劫）,” the man said roughly. He took a pistol from his pocket. The guard made a small sound. “You,” the bank robber said, “lie down on the floor.” Mr. Ackerman lay down. The robber stepped over to George's cage. 　　“All fight,” he said. “Hand it over.” 　　“Yes, sir,” said George. “ Would you like it in ten- or twenty dollar bills?” 　　“Just hand it over!” 　　George reached into his cashbox and took all the bills from the top section-close to six thousand dollars. He passed them through the window. The robber snatched them, put them into his pockets, and turned to leave. 　　Then, while everyone watched Bank Robber A, Bank Teller B calmly lifted off the top section of the cash and slipped bills from the bottom section into his pockets. 　　The door swung and the bank robber was gone. George fainted. When he woke he smiled up at the worried faces looking down at him. “I’m all right, he said bravely.” 　　“Perhaps you should go home, George,” Mr. Bell, the chief auditor （审计员） said. 　　As soon as he was safely behind his bedroom door, George took the money from his pockets and counted it. He had seven thousand dollars. He was very happy. 　　The next morning when George arrived at the bank, it was not open for business. But everyone was there, helping to examine the bank's records for the special audit Mr. Bell was taking. 　　George was called into Mr. Burrows' office. The bank president seemed strangely cheerful. “George,” he said, “I want you to meet Mr. Carruthers, who used to be president of our bank.” 　　“Good morning, George,”said Mr. Carruthers. “I was sorry to hear you fain yesterday. Are you all right now?” 　　“Yes, sir, just fine, thanks.” 　　“I' m glad to hear it. That was quite an adventure. It just goes to show how easy it is to rob our bank.” 　　“Sir?” said George, confused. 　　“George, I was sorry to give you a hard time yesterday, but with all the banks being robbed these days, I thought it would be a good idea to prove that our little bank can be robbed too. I have retired, but I haven’t stopped thinking. That’s, why I played my little game yesterday, just to keep everybody on his toes.” 　　“I don't understand,” said George. “What game?” 　　The old man laughed and took out a mask. He placed it over his face, and said, “All fight. Hand it over!” Mr. Burrows laughed but George did not. 　　“And the money?” George said in a small voice. 　　“Don't worry,” Mr. Carruthers said. “I put it all back in your cashbox all six thousand. We’re just finishing up the audit now.” George turned cold with fear. 　　Behind them, the door opened and Mr. Bell, the chief auditor, put his head into the room. “Mr. Burrows,” he said gravely, “may I see you a moment?” 2. Before coming to George’s cage, the robber( ).