Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-07-23

telling the truth. [ was as well con-
vlnced that Alexander Bronton was not
a man who would be likely to forget
having borrowed such large sum as
six thousand dollars, and / jumped to
the conclusion that he had played
some cunning trick to wrong the con-
fiding mechanic out Of the fruits Of
many years of labor. But what was
the trick? This was the question that
puzzled me.
"Have you had this pocketbook in a
secure place ever since he gave you the
note?" / asked. ,. ...,se
eyes, under lock and key, where no
one could touch it but myself" i
care you sure that it has ever since
been impossible for anyone to find it to
purloin the noteT
81 am perfectly sure of that. The
lock of my desk, IN which have kept
it, is one that made myself. There is
but one key in the world THAI will open
it, and here it is" he said, producing
from his rocket q bright steel key of
very odd outline. "Not thing has
ever been disturbed in that desk"
l Unused minutes as | again casually
overhauled the papers, then said
"Mr. Campbell, don't mean to say
that Bronton is dishonest, but might he
not have handed you this blank piece
of paper and slipped the note in his
pocket-book with the money you lent
him?"
'No, that is out Of the question. I ex-
amined the note again after [ reached
home. before | put my pocketbook
away to see that no mistake had been
made; found it all right, plain as day,
in every letter and figure, and I remem-
Der it as we'll as though it had been yes
terday; | even remember noticing how
clear and bright the ink was; it had a
kind of reddish tinge." E
was in the act of handing the Dock-
etbook back to him as he said this, but
a thought suddenly struck me and l
opened it sgain.
Mr.. Campbell" [ said, carelessly,
edo you remember whether the note
was filled out on blank form or not?"
" 1t was not; he wrote il out in full
himself, on the top Of a sheet Of fools
cap, and cat it off with q pair of scis-
sors. [ remember everything about 1t
very clearly, for it was about all had
in the world, and to me it was very
essential affair"
7 examined the strip Of white paper,
for startling idea was already taking
shape in my mind, and perceived that
ithad been cut from the top ola page of
foolscap, evidently with pair of scis-
sors.
"Do you know how you happened to
place this slip Of white paper in here ?"
mo, don't remember of placing it
there; [ might have done SO, thinking
it would come handy to figure on"
"Will you let me have it?"
Certainly" he replied, somewhat
surp rised at my modest request.
"Well," I said, as [ laid the slip on
the table. and set my inkstand on it,
q am going to make an effort to re-
cover your money for you; shall
bring suit against Bronton at once, and
have him summoned to appear before
Judge D.. You can, of course,
swear that you lent him the money,
and the note he gave you is missing?"
eyes. with q clear conscience; [
could not be mistaken about it,"
Then call On me tomorrow morning
at niue o'clock"
I" will"
He left me, and 1 took up the slip of
paper and examined it closely. 1t
seemed to be nothing but stray frag-
ment Of foolscap. but it occurred to
me that it might have history; it was
here that my chemical knowledge
came IN play. I remembered that
Alexander Bronton was q chemist: and
[ also remembered certain chemical
trick with which I had often amused
myself; I remembered that an ink
could be made with anytime, iodine OF
ammonia, and chloride of zinc, in GER
tain proportions which had fresh,
reddish tinge, and that it would fade
entirely out within four days, leaving
no mark on the paper. Bronton no
doubt knew this secret, that he used to
to swindle the mechanic out Of his
earnings. The more [ considered this
subject the more l became convinced
that such was the case. The note had
be en- written with fading ink.
But there was another chemical secret
which probably Bronton did not know,
as [ had discovered it myself by acct
dent. This treacherOus ink, on fading
out. leaves the zinc in invisible atoms,
in the paper, so that every line traced
with it may be restored by an applica-
ton of a certain solution Of sulphate of
iron and hydrate of calcium. So, no
sooner had Mr.. Campbell left my Office
that hurried out to drug store, where
obtained the solution.
Returning to my Office saturated a
piece of blotting paper with a drop of
It, and applied it to a corner Of the
blank slip of paper. The result made
me jump up, clap my hands, and nearly
yell with delight, for fresh and clear the
sign of the dollar CAME out. l knew
not what hidden words the paper con-
tanned, and | placed it in nay pocket
book, corked up my vial-a vial of
wrath which it was destined to prove to
the worthy Mr.. Bronton-and went i'm
mediately and brought suit against him
for the recovery of the amount of the
note, with interest and cost.
A 81, 1oko