The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-21

"HALF WHAT SAVE YOUR COMPANY
"Why didn't you have him down here?"
81 prefer not do that. II might be in
judicious, as you can readily see. II any
bargain is to be made with him some
body not connected with us directly
must do it. You see, I'm trusting you
implicitly. They told me at headquar-
ters that couldn't make any mistake in
doing so."
"Pm thoroughly honest man." said
Preble. "That's why i think so well Of
this particular job"
Hersch eyed him askance, but the ex-
preston of the detectives face re-as-
sured him.
"It seems to me-" Preble said, after a
pause, "that your case is weak. Unless
you have something better than this
you'll lose it..
"There is something better, il we can
find it," responded Hersch. son that
night at the club Mcneil wrote a long let
ter to his wife,
Preble suddenly sat up straight in his
chair.
"Now, that's tangible" he said. "It
looks like business She was in the city
at the the time? see. A man, except
on special occasions, doesn't write long
letters to his wife from the club. He
goes there to forget her, as a rule. d"
"If that letter could be found'--
"Are you sure he wrote it?'
"We know that he wrote a long let
ter, and a servant at the house where
the Monells lived says that she took it
from boy. But we can't find the boy,
and the servant is not positively certain
about the night. She is willing to testify,
but she's so stupid that she couldn't
stand cross-examination, even IL she was
telling the truth.
"Now, Mr.. Preble, you see what Pm
driving at. That letter must be found.
It's ten to one that he told her all, and
it's a hundred to one that she kept the
letter. Women always preserve danger
Gus documents. And In this case 1t con-
tanned her husbands last words to her.
It's thing she'd never part with"
Sand you want me to go to her house
and steal it," said Preble, calmly. "Very
well. What's 1t WORTH"
"whatever you think is right, Mr..
Preble."
back from the fire.
"1Ialf what save your company" he
said. "Without the letter you've no
case. With it you win, for there's no
mortal doubt what's in it.n
"That's q good deal of money-s12,-
500.''
"Good afternoon"
"Hold on, Mr.. Prebie; suppose we say
ten thousand?"
"Good af"-----
"Oh, very Welt Just as you say"
"Put it in writing.n
1t was done with great reluctance on
the part of Hersch, who took the precau-
tion to laboriously drum the contract out
on his typewriter and sign it in a dis
guised hand. Preble pocketed the docu
ment. "That's all right" he said.
"Now tell me how many detectives
you've already sent to the house. But
never mind; your whole staff has failed,
or you'd never have offered any such
money as this. I'll go up there, and on
the way I'll call on Lawrence.
lie took Mrs. Monell's address, and
then left the room
John NJ. Lawrence, born in go, and has
grown over 40 years old since that date,
was sitting in his Office reading. The
subject of his perusal was a notification
from his bank that note for nine hun
dred and odd dollars would fall due I'm
the very near future. IL he was wonder
ing why, when it had 'been possible to
borrow so much money, he had not bor-
rowed more and skipped with it, he was
certainly not the only man who had been
gnawed by that form OF remorse.
81 represent the European and all the
rest OF it insurance company" said
Preble when he had closed the door be-
hind hm. "We are going TO contest Mrs.
Monell's claim, and we want TO find out
whether you'll go on the stand and tell
what you know" Lawrence voluntarily
clutchod the notification. Neither the
Gesture nor tlte-ft4ttfe of the document
escaped Preble's eye.
"And II So" Preble continued "for
how much2n
Lawrence was something Of q busi-
ness man himself but he had not reached
the stage OF development when he could
transact the kind Of business SO quickly.