Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-02-19

Morton, and each agreed to pledge
$sO, 600 to the Records reward fund.
Chalmers was supremely happy. He
sent for the foreman Of the compos-
ing room and designed new cap
ton, the first line of which read:
1.-THE RECORD OFFERS ONE MIL
LION DOLLARS REWARD I" He
then called Miss Carmody by tele-
phone, and informed her what had
been done. That young lady was de-
lighted, but assured Mr.. Chalmers that
she would take it upon herself, to see
that the missing men paid every dol
lar of the reward. This was mere
detail to Chalmers, and when he had
finished his talk with Miss Carmody,
the foreman returned with the new
headline. Chalmers pinned it to the
WALL and stood off and admired it
with the rapt expression of an art
devotee lost in contemplation of a
newly-discovered Raphael.
print it in red" he said to the
foreman. "Run It clear across the
page. Below we will string a solid
row of six half-tone portraits of the
missing millionaires."
Chalmers was busy man during
the two days following the interview
with Miss Carmody. He detailed ten
of his men to exclusive work on the
mystery and at considerable expense
secured Is others from rival New
York papers. Chicago was drawn
on for five reporters. and he induced
ten from other cities to join his
newspaper detective force. This gave
him a staff of 40 men.
Joh r <xf
the most famous police and detective
reporter Of the country, and, after an
interview with Mr.. Chalmers, was ap-'
pointed chief-of-staff under the di-
rect supervision of the managing
editor.
81 have no theory about this mys-
terry, jack said Chalmers, after they
had discussed the case in all it's de-
tails. 81 have certain vague suspi-
cions, but they are not founded on
from consideration
'By the way, has that man L. Syl-
yester Vincent been heard of?''
''Who is he?" asked Chalmers.
"You had paragraph about him
yesterday" said Stevens. ''He is
missing from the Broadway Central
hotel. Has not been seen since Mon
day night. He may have something
to do with it. I have sent a man to
Chicago for his record
Stevens went away and left Cha1-
mers to his reflections. The man
aging editor leaned back in his chair
and gazed for, long time at the
ceiling. Then he lit cigar and blew
rings of smoke at the wall above,
as if to lombard it into a surrender
of the secret. He placed his feet
on the desk and allowed his mind to
wander at will over the dark fields
of the mystery. There was no thor
oughfare. Chalmers leaned back IN
til the office chair threatened to fall.
He then stood up, kicked it savagely,
and paced up and down the room.
Its queer; mighty queer" Me-
chemically he picked up Mr.. Van
Horne's cablegram and again read it.
"'Put Hestor to work OF the
case,'" he unused. ST will do right
we'll putting Hestor to work on the
case. I wish I knew where I could
find him."
"Hestor came in here on Satur-
day." muttered Chalmers as he hurled
pile of unoffending exchanges in the
direction of the waste basket. "He
said he was compelled to make a
hurried trip to Europe, and expected
to sail on Monday or Tuesday in his
yacht the Shark Queer chap, that
Hestor. Of course it's only a coin
eidence; but cannot help. thinking
about it,
Chalmers paced up and down the
room with his head thrown back and
his eyes half closed in thought He
attempted to recall every word and
action of Hestor's during the days
Immediately preceding his departure.
Its too deep for me,'' he said, as
he returned to his desk and me-
chemically picked up the Van Horne
cablegram. what does Hestor want
in the Mediterranean? How in thun-
der am I going to reach him?''
He turned the knob ON the door to
Hestor's private Office. It was locked,
and Chalmers knew it was locked.
He sent for the janitor.
Have you a key to that door?"
mo, sir. Mr.. Hestor has the only
key" the janitor replied.
Take off the lock and put in a new
one" he said. 1--WE must have room
for Mr.. Stevens and some of his men.
Hestor may be mad but can't help
its
The door was soon opened and
Chalmers entered. The heavy. oak
desk was closed. At the base of the
door, opening into the hall. were a
number of letters which had been
dropped through a slit by the post
man. When Hestor returned from
his long expeditions he frequently
found a bushel basket full of &C
cumulated letters.
There we're perhaps a dozen let
Ax,ax. GL.l L