Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-04-02


evening: there is nothing to prove when
left my check book lying about 1t might
have been lying on the table all night, CT
from Saturday until Monday. / cannot al
init that the thing lies between you and
| Norah Cronan
] Very well, sir; am glad you think that
{ it may lie outside u.s. That however, was
| how II put it to myself, confess"
on ought O have told me at once
| You find nv check book with six checks
| torn out, and you did not tell me. Were Won
mada'
Perhaps, but remember that only sav
leaves, OF what seem led to be leaves, torn
out and folded up. It was not till after
/ ward Irepeat, that | suspected Norah OF
stealing checks 1t was not till you told me
Of your loss that really connected her with
those checks
You ought to have told me directly you
heard of the loss
81 confe S aga Il hat ought to have told
you Well i did not that is all can
say. Fir t, had passed my word to Norah
that | would not mention her visit. Next,
was confused and beW ildere on her ae-
count and hen was .fraid of YOU
"Oh, afraid of mel"
Yes, afraid of you. Norah has been YOU.
favorite always Aou give her the confiden-
tial work, and me the office drutlgery.
thought you would not believe me. Perhaps
hoped that she would get off altogether
But hen you placed the whole case in my
hands, the first thing that forced itself upon
me was tha5 the forgery must have been
comm tied BY means of these very missing
checks
well, the numbers prove that"
$50 that nothing was left to me but to con-
fess what | knew, and to follow up that fact
as e. clew."
Dick sighed heavily.
Il wish the task had been intrusted to
smother IN L. First I thought of going to
Calista and telling her everything. But
Norah is her sis err, so that it seemed best ,
to tell you all myself. Perhaps Calista may
be spared the pain of ever learning THIS
dreadful thing. AS for the actual forger,
cannot yet speak. Buj l have proofs as to
the presentation of two checks out Of the
fve"
"Proofs? Nothing but the clearest proofs
will sly me.''
You sha be satisfied then. What do
you think of this for one proofs The girl
descr bed by the bank CLERK as having pre-
sented one of the check, was Norah herself.
For proof sen1 for thu Gle k when she is
here. He will be able to identify her,
dare SAL. That is my first proof Now for
the second: The young gentleman who pre-
sented and cashed the ch Ack last Thursday
al one o'clock was no other than her brother
young Hyacinth Cronan-Datfodil. He
must have gone to the Eank just before one
o'clock, because he came here few minutes
afte- one, AMI we went out 10 dinner together.
We went to Gro by Hall and sat there till two.
The clerk you know, gave one O'Clock as the
hour. have no doubt but he will identify
Daffodil as WE'LL It will lie perfectly easy"
The checks may have been given to
Them
by the actual forgera Very possible
But in this case unlikely Because who
would do it for thema'
Go on" The case was getting hlacker.
As regards the character of Daf-Imean
Hyacinth-for steadiness. l am afraid We
cannot say much. He is as you know per-
haps, at University College hospital, and he
belongs to fast set. They ay billiards,
smoke together have parties in each others
rooms, and go to theatres and music halls
all this was strictly true, and yet-poor
Daffodil!-"worse still he goes to a gaming
de1. 1t is place open every evening for
playing Laccara5 and every kind of gam
bling game dare say when they do moth
ing else they play pitch and toss. remem-
bered your recommendation to use every
means in order to find out the truth. and
went with him. We went twice last week
This also, as we know, was literally true.
Il hive also learned that he is in money
difficulties" Daffodil had shown Dick
letter from his tailor intimating that
,-o,,1I ho Iociro liz
Altogether, l tn nix my theory will prove
right-Norah took the checks with a view to
help her brother Of course she knows very
well YOUR custom of drawing twelve pound
checks for private purpose. Therefore she
filled thee up Tor that amount, confident
tina they would then pass without suspicion,
and might even escape your notice. She
initiated your sigma ure; and she gave them
every one to her Urother, except that which
she cashed herself preSuma ly also for him.
am quite sure she did it for her bro her.
VIII ri her he knows how she got the checks,
whether he S ands in with her. | cannot tell.
That will he seen when he is confronted with
the ank clerk and charged with presenting
the check You will judge by what he re-
plies % the charge
Has the girl a lover9'
"she has been engaged for the last week
or so onlv'
Who is the maua'
IBIS n"me is Hugh Aquila He is resi-
dent med cal officer at the Childrens Hos
pi al. at school with HIM But yoa
nee not inquire about HIM. He has got
nothing to do with it"
''How do you know thatr
Z. 'Becarse his mother has money. Nine
Aquila was proFe -sional SINGER who made
none and re ire,l from the professor
Besides, he thinks about no; hing but his
WORK. He has as much money as he wants,
and he never was in debt or any trouble
WHY should he stand inc
He is not man who bets and gamblesT'
No at all.n
Hum b. Give me the paper. There's
nest of villainv somewhere about the place"
Dick folded it neatly and handed it over
with the air of tn underwriters man hand
ing the gloves at funeral
of course You are prepared to swear to
this statement
Certainly" This with perfectly steady
"of course I trust it will not be neces-
sary.'
Very we'll. There remains the man who
presented the three ecks / have not yet
la d my hands upon him. No doubt if
Norah confesses, she viii tell you who he is
ii not you have enough TO satisfy youn
Il have enou h when l have all Go nos IS
or stay-where are the checks and tn, Il
check oof that l left in your hands,
They are locked up in my private drawer
in the other room. l will get them" He
vanished, Lut returned in moment. ''They
are gone!" he cried. "lhe checks are gomez
"Gone!"
They are gone On Saturday left them
in my private drawer. Now they are gone"
WAS the drawer locked?'
sit is always locked. Here is the kew
which ms just unlocked it. Indeed, l am
sure they We're in the drawer on Saturday.
Mr.. Murridge went into the outer Office
he private di aver contained nothing but &
few unimportant papers. The drawer, in.
deal, might just as well have been unlocked.
for the forged checks and the check book,
which d Ok said were left there on Saturday
had disappeared.
who has been in this Office boy,n asked
Mr. Murridge, besides yourself, since Sat.
urdays'
only Miss Cronan, sir and Mr.. Richard
TODAY, sir. Nobody came yesterday sir"
What time did you leave the place on
SATURDAY.
Not till three o'clock sir. Miss Cronan
was with you when you brought me out the