Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-04-12


sure that Mr.. Winnings version OF the
affair ia ~corroct2''
II would stake my life on his truth
and honor "
you are biased, my dear madam
Possibly. But common sense must
tell you that If he had wished to deceive
mo as to he character be need not have
conhded tc mo his name and history.
However, IL you are afraid to under.
take the case, say so, Mr.. Doyle, and I
will 20 to some ono else.
"Afraidq Not at all, " said the detect
i've, with ,lacrity. II shall DO happy to
exert my cst endeavors ON Mr.. Vim
ing's behalf.
The first thing the detective did was
30 set a watch upon Mr.. Barlow from
next door, but he had to pass the notes
after be had forged them, so his every
movement ont Of doors was reported.
At the end Of a couple Of weeks the pri-
vate inquiry agent began to look blank.
Mr.. Barlow 8 conduct was irreproach-
able. He went for q walk every day, and
once no visited his t~ailor's. That was
all. He was invariably home before
dark.
"Ill have him Swallowed for anoth-
er week, but really / don't see much use
in il, " he thought, and he said as much
to Sadie. "Mr. Vining must be mis-
taken AS to who gave him the notes.
The man seems perfectly respectable. "
One Of Doyle's emissaries, following
Barlow one night in evening dress, sue
ceeded in making himself dummy with
that gentleman in q chance encounter at
one Of the music halls and thereafter
had many social evenings with him.
Still nothing was discovered.
At length, however, something CO.
CURED. A satellite returned with the
information that Barlow had entered a
small hairdresser's shop in a back street
in Soho and had remained there quite
two hours.
This was mysterious. For whet pur-
pose could the white waistcoated house
holder with the bland smile and the
creaking patent leather boots have spent
all that time in n dirty little barber's
shop?
The next morning Doyle undertook
tho shadowing himself, Mr.. Barlow
went for a walk and nowhere else.
Ditto the next day and the five subse-
quent days. The detective ragged. For
nearly a fortnight nothing occurred,
and then Mr.. Barlow visited Soho again.
While Doyle waited for his reappear-
ance n or two persons came out of the
shop, and some went in. Among the
former he noticed a gentleman witt
bushy sandy whiskers. Three-quarterl
Of an hour later he returned. The
pavement was narrow, and no brushed
against the shabby lounger at the cor
ner. And the shabby lounger's observ
ant eyes noticed that there vas n specl
Of mud OH the gontleman's otherwise
, immaculate shirt collar. 1t wa a dirty
day, one of London's own
Z Presently the private door opened,
) and Barlow, in his own proper person,
y issued forth and walked briskly down
the street.
= On his collar, in the very same place,
was a little speck of mud.
, It was three weeks later. In his pri.
vate room the manager Of tho Z
bank was cordially shaking hands will
Q a spare gentleman of benevolent aspect,
"You want those large notes changed
; for small ones? Certainly, sir. Anything
to oblige a client of Messrs. Gordon &
9 Co. A recommendation from them is
D recommendation indeedr'
A few minutes afterward the old gen
. tleman quilted the building, and calling
a hanson drove to Charing Cross sta
ton. Close in the rear followed anothe
q hanson, whose occupant vas MI
5 Doyle.
The old gentleman entered the sta
ton. So did the detective. He came on
o again and took another cab. Ditto MI
Doyle. A short journey on the undei
s ground railway was followed by a shar
walk, which Terminated at the privat
door Of the shop in Soho. Therein var
ished the old gentleman, only to real
b pear a short time later in his true ohal
acter as Mr.. Barlow.
a The detective watched him down I'll
y street with a look Of genuine admire
tion on his face.
J. "He's disguised himself twice With
3 my knowledge SO that his WI mothl
70 wouldn't know him." ne muttoreC
"And to think that a man of that geniV
D. should have been betrayed by a lit
ie bit of dirt"
& Mr.. Doyle returned post haste to Il
r Il bank. Therein all was conste
III nation, for a discovery had just bee
Us made that the old gentleman's letter
reference from Gordon & Co. was
false rs the ego notes they had e
nS changed for him.
60 That afternoon the house in Bedfoi
~ square was entered by the police.
Nv quantity of forged notes and tho niece
IL a implements for making them we
discovered in a back room, aud M
al Barlow and his servants, or rather co
federates, wero arrested.
u At the time of the trial it trhnspirI
ne that they had only been waiting
ne make one more large coup before lea
ia ing the country with their i'll gottI
70 gains.
Ae By the next steamer the young mi
Iat sailed for England, and a week lat
Sadie was clasped in her lovers arm
Good Company.