Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-11-03
some other notes and the like, 1
coulln't find it."

lot of receipts and notes that were
packed together in one of its pockets,
thinking that two of the papers
might be sticking together.
"There is no promissory note for
that amount here,' [ said. But
what is this blank sheet of paper do.
ing here?' and 1 took up a slip of
white paper, that L found among the
documents.
II don't know"
"Who is the man that gave you the
note?"
alexander Bolton, the druggist"
l knew Alexander Bolton well. He
was wealthy and penurious, and had
the name of being very tricky. Twas
satisfied that Mr.. Campbell was tell
ing the truth. l was as we'll con-
vinced that Alexander Bolton was not
man who would be likely to forget
having borrowed such large sum as
six thousand dollars, and l jumped
to the conclusion that he had played
some cunning trick, to wrong the
confding mechanic out OF the fruits
of many years of labor. But what
was the trick? That was the ques-
tion that puzzled me.
"Have you had this pocket book in
in secure place ever since he gave
you the note?" asked.
eyes; under lock and key, where
no one could touch it but myself"
"Are you sure that it hes been ever
since impossible for any one to find
or purloin the note?" ,
II am perfectly sure of that. The
lock of my desk in which l have kept
it is one | made myself. There is
but one key in the world that will
open it, and here it is," he said, pro-
ducing from his pocket bright steel
key, of very odd outline. "Not a
thing has been disturbed in that
desk"
Unused few minutes as l again
casually overhauled the papers, then
said:
MIR. Campbell, l don't mean to say
that Mr.. Bolton is dishonest, but
might he not have handed you this
blank sheet of paper, and slipped the
note into his pocket-book with the
money you lent him?"
"No, that is out of the question. l
examined the note again, after l
reached home, before L put the
pocket-book away, to see that no mis-
take had been made; found it all
right, plain as day in every letter and
figure. and / remember as we'll as
though it had been yesterday; even
remember noticing how bright the
ink was; it had quite reddish tinge."
1 was in the act of handing the
pocket book back to him, as he said
this, bus thought suddenly struck
me, and l opened it again.
'Mr. Campbell" 1 said rarelessly,
"do you remember whether the note
was filled out on a blank form, or
notq"
"It was not; he wrote it IN full
himself, on the top of piece Of
foolscap, and cut it off with pair of
scissors. remember everything
about it very c.early, for it was about
all ] had in the world, and to me it
was very essential affair"
examined the strip of white paper,
for startling idea had already taken
shape in my mind, and l perceived it
had been cut from the top of foolscap,
evidently with pair of scissors.
"Do you remember how you hap
pened to place this slip OF white
paper in here?"
mo, l don't remember placing it
there; l might have done SO thinking
it would come handy to figure on"
"Will you let me have it,"
Certainly" he replied, somewhat
SURPRISED at my modest request.
"Well," I said, as l laid tho paper
on the table, and set the inkstand on
it, Il am going to make an effort to
recover your money for you; / shall
bring suit against Bolton at once, and
have him summoned to appear before
Judge. You can, of course, swear
that you have lent him the money,
and the note he gave you is missing"
"Yes, with clear conscience; l
could not he mistaken about it,"
"Then call on me tomorrow morn
ing. at nine o'clock"
IL will"
He left mo and I took the slip of
paper and examined it closely.
It seemed to be nothing but stray
fragment of foolscap, but it occurred
to me that it might have history; it
was here that my chemical knowledge
came into play.
I remembered that Alexander Boil
ten was chemist; and also remem-
bercd that an ink could be made with
analine, iodide of ammonia and chlor-
ide of zine, in certain proportions,
which had fresh reddish tinge, and
that it would fade out entirely in four
days, leaving no mark on the paper.
Bolton, no doubt, knew this secret,
that he used to swindle the mechanic
out of his earnings.
The more I considered this subject,
the more I became convinced that
such was the case The note had
been written in fading ink.
But there was another chemical
secret which probably Bolton did not
know, as / had discovered it myself
by accident. This treacherous ink,
on fading out, leaves the zinc in in
visible atoms in the paper, 80 that
every line traced may be restored by
the application of certain solution
of sulphate of iron and hydrate OF
calcium. So, no sooner had Mr.
Campbell left my Office, than I hur-
ried to a drug store, where obtained
the solution.
Returning to my Office, / saturated