Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-10-11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
: THE STURGIS WAGER :
! A DETECTIVE STORY. <
{ y
= BY EDGAR MoRETTE. E
f Copyright, 1899, by Frederick A. Stokes Co. y
S&1&3X3GA& 9&4&H&1&o
CHAPTER XI.-CoNT1suED.

I'm the meantime" continued Stur-
gis, "'X,' to whom I have already
alluded, was waiting in Exchange
place, where Chatham had cab.
Upon hearing the pistol shot he
went to the accountants assistance.
He passed into this Office, which he
probably reached in time to see Chat
ham rush in from the secretary's
room, closely followed by Arbogast.
X seized that chair over there in the
corner and sprang between the hunt
ed man and his pursuer as the latter
raised his arm to fire. Our anony-
nous friend is probably man of
great strength; for with one blow of
the chair he broke the bookkeeper's
wrist. The hammer fell, but the
weapon was detected and the bullet,
instead of reaching its intended vic
tim, passed through the upper lobe
of Arbogast's left lung and out at
the back at an angle of about 60 de-
grees. The bookleeper was standing
not far from the mantelpiece yonder.
Do you see that broad black line on
the hearth? That was made by the
bullet. It's direction and the angle
enabled me at once to see that it must
have ricochetted into the fireplace;
and there, sure enough, I found it in
the SCOT in the bend of the chimney.
Here it isl
Dunlap had listened to this nara
tive with evident interest. But now,
recovering from the spell of Sturgis'
persuasive conviction, his skepticism
regained the ascendancy for mo-
ment.
"lr. Sturgis, you have missed your
vocation" he said, laughing good
naturally; "you ought to have been
a playwright. You have most con-
vincing way of presenting both your
facts and your theories. While you
are speaking, one is ready to admit
the FEASIBILITY of every statement
you make. But now that you haye fin
ished, I have become a hard-headed
banker once more, and I beg to sub
NIT one or two facts-since we are
seeking facts-which it seems to me
are enough to demolish all your elabo-
rate structure"
"Go on" said Sturgis; "it goes with
out saying that any theory is worth
less unless it takes into account and
explains every existing fact. If there
are any in this case which have es-
capped me-a contingency which is
quite possible, for have no preten-
sion to infallibilty-I shall be glad to
hear about them; and, naturally, if
my conclusions do not tally with the
facts, the conclusions must be altered,
since facts are absolute"
"Well, then," said Dunlap, "assum-
ing, for the sake of the argument,
that these various marks which you
have called trails were made by the
feet of three different people; admit
ting even that one of these indi-
viduals was Arbogast, who often
stays here after banking hours, do
not see that you have established by
any satisfactory evidence your as
sumption that the other so-called
trails are those of Chatham and a
stranger. For aught know to the
contrary, they may have been made
by some of the bank employees in the
discharge of their regular duties.
Chatham's coat may have caught on
a nail in the telephone closet last
week, while he was here in his legiti-
mate capacity of expert accountant.
The change Of the combination of the
safe may be the result of an error;
for we have no direct proof whatever
that Arbogast is defaulter. And,
then, when it comes to your interest