Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-10-17
CHAPTER ".

TIE BANK PRESIDENT
SpraFue's dinner party was over
nnd among the first to take their
Leave, shortly after midnight. were
Dunlap, Sturcis and DR.. Thurston.
The reporter did not often spend
sn evening in worldly dissipation. lie
was a man of action. hard worker
md an enthusiastic student. Almost
all Of the time which was not actually
spent in the pursuit of his profession,
was devoted to study in many widely
different fields of art and science.
For SturgiS' ideal of his profession
was high; he held that almost every
form of knowledge was essential to
success in his line of work 1T was
seldom, therefore, that he allowed
himself to spend Il preciSus evening
tn social intercourse. unless as a more
or less direct means TO some end. He
had made an exception in favor of
fprague's dinner, and his meeting
with Dunlap, whom he had not pre-
viously known, had been entirely ac-
cidental.
Dunlap was, however. n man whom
Sturgis needed to see in the course
of his study of the Knickerbocl<cr
bank mystery, and he had not lost
the opportunity which chance had
placed in his way. After obtaining an
Introduction to the bank president,
the reporter had sought an occasion
TO speak with him in private; and as
this did not present itself during the
course of the evening. he had timed
his departure so that it should coin
eide with that of Dunlap. DIR. Thurs
ton had followed his friends lead.
Are you going down TO the bank
this evening, Mr.. Dunlap?" asked
Sturgis, as the trio faced the bleak
wind
"I2 No. Why should r." inquired
the banker, in apparent surprise.
81 see no particular reason why
you should" replied the reporter. "If
today We're a banking day, there
would be no time to lose, But since
it is New Years day, there is little,
if any. chance of the trail being dis.
turbed; and it win be much easier
to find 1t in broad daylight than by
Paslight. Our friends of the central
Office are usually pretty clever i'm dis
covering at least the more evident
clews in case of This sort. oven whom
4hov have not the ability ia corroot-
" iDterpret them. And since th.v
have comnleteIv failed in tbe;r search
to-night we must onticino,n - MORA
than ordinarily difficult puzzle"
..vvb,. NJ c+ur,,isn eiid n,,.,1o,
somewhat anXiously you talk AS
though you really believed that some
at the bank
.T do NOT know erouob about 4ho
case os vet +o odvonce any. ,os,.i,o
boliof IN tba mat+ar" eoiI et,.,,is.
"but If we assume az correct tbo ni,..
cumstnnces related in tho or4icI.
which DR. Afurdock road 70 me mic
evening tbov cortoinlr ,rcson+ or
cxtroordinorv oenoc,"
DupIon rcaoc+od for ~, i,s+.,+
uc,iu t,o Zoo. a.. o
found evcry+binc IN GOOD ordor NJ +ha
Lorl, 10 in itsoir ooT,,,Ia.or,. ,.oa,.,,,
mo" he said ,nrsinaI,. >
..I-or, iil,oi,.. n'aa,,..,, o..-,. or.
g. o.,f.a ,1aa.3h,. .,ot 90
noint Of view NO nralJan, g.. ,,,toi,''
devoid % ir+oras+. L,4 s. "'''l''
4oo4i,.o,, ..a.I,l: INN
fun of PROMISING feat,Iras Tboro.
fore whether or NOT vou ir+o,d 80
look farther into the In,ttc, ,.orrso1f
I beg Won will NJ least o,,tbori,a r,o
to make a survey Of the fcId hv dov-
light in the morning."
Dunbar looked ANYTHING brt r,o,sed
ns the renorter eIo,,o tbo,o ,,.,.1,
He thought before renlvirr
"Franklv. Mr. s.rrgis " b. soid =.
length. with studied conrtos,. 81 ,,iu
NOT conceal tbe f,ct that uI,o+ ,.o,,
osll ulaces me- in a ro,1ar o,yl,,,,,rd
nosition Won arc friord 90 ,au
friard snrooro and NV ,,ansonaI T.,
torcoursn ,vi+b ro,, VIZ n,.a,,i,,,, ,aa
roor rIo,.,,,,+ o,,a,,a,, a,
49, d.. =.