The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-10-20
HIS cfIccK WAS cAsHED.
How a Cool Stranger Got Accommoda
 lion in South America.

lion in South America.
 Warrington Cheever. the president
 of the Banco del Prado of Bogota, was sitting in. his private office slicing open
 his mail. Most of it was from New
 York, for MT. Cheever was an old
 Broadway beau, and many a pink and pale blue envelope, exhaling dainty per fumes, had found him in his strange en-
 vironment in South America. He had been there but six months, and his sec retaties and assistants had found out that the words New York" or United
 States" on anybody's card were certain to win an audience from their new
 chief. He was tall, strong, well poised
 man of fifty-six, widower with two
 beautiful daughters, an ex-colonel of the Indian wars and stately but delib-
 crate and cautious man of affairs.
 ..Senor James Trefny of New York would wish that he may speak with you, Senor," said the soft voiced office boy in dulcet Spanish accents.
 Thank you, Emilio. Show the gem tleman in,'' said President Cheever, with a look of pleased anticipation, though he could not remember having ever met or heard of the visitor.
 The young man who came in was per- fectly attired in well fitting fannels In the pale buff stock about his neck was a fine gold scarfpin set with diamonds. Upon his finger splendid solitaire sparkled in a heavy gold band. His hat was in his hand, and MT. Cheever no- ticed the singularly calm, unconscious beauty of his manly head and face. He was dark with the tan of the sea, but
 his thick, fine hair was carefully ar
 ranged and his whole manner betokened the patrician man of education, travel gentleness and courage. Cheeyer liked
 his looks and showed his welcome in a frank smile and hearty handshake
 But he had reason to quickly change this first favorable impression, for MT.
 Trefny. of New York, sitting calmly be- side him and speaking in measured clear tones in which there was not a suggestion of a tremor, said:
 1 MT. CheeEer, this walking stick is filled with nitro-cotton; if you move 1 I'll explode 1t. There, quite still; that 1 will do. Nitro-cotton is the new explo- sive just adopted by the German army and is, as you probably know, the most terrible medium of destruction ever per fected. It is ignited by a fuse of ner-
 eury. See, here, in the handle of my cane. is the Illuminating cap. Don't
 look round. If any one comes in say 1 you will be busy for half an hour Thank you. No, no! Don't tap your l foot against the velvet rug. It annoys me.
 | As I was saying, all have to do is touch this disk with my finger and yot ! and I, this bank and building and every lone and everything in it will be torr instantly to atoms. In such an event there would not be enough of us left fol Identification or burial There are, as l understand it, about two hundred ar
 seventeen thousand dollars in your
 vaults It would be scattered to tht four winds"
 l There was knock at the door. Chee. yer looked an inquiry at Trefny. 1 Say what told you or not, asNyol
 please" said the latter, quietly.
 Mot in for thirty minutes. sai6
 Cheever.
 Now, to resume. have here talk. ling from his inside pocket a check, lar
 ordinary check on the Plaza Bank, youl
 rival, you know. It is made payable tc
 me, James Trefny. It is signed-let's lsee-oh, yes, it is signed Homer o. Dun llevy,'' and calls for fifty thousand dol. lars. You see," turning over the slip o1
 paper, T have indorsed it in form
 Now, my business with you is this: vol must call a clerk, tell him to bring fifty
 one-t thousand dollar bills, get them and
 hand them over to me. I need hardly
 tell you that my name, James Trefny, l is wholly mythical. This cane, loaded with instant death for all of us, is thu
 only argument have. See. my finger
 is just above the disk. The first sign l word or motion you make to betray mt I down it comes. Now get the money
 Ramon Ramon" called the banker
 without moving. And to the suav'
 clerk who came in he said: Bring I fifty thousand dollars at once for. thi. check, and" 85s
 1T want it in all large bills, a thou