The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-06

| carried great weight WITH heI hSleHSt
until a doubt hurled from the regions
of nowhere struck against it. How"
| asked the doubt, 'if he went away in
| the company of another womanP"
You seem to doubt it, Tony"
NO" he replied. for his mind had
already rallied from the shock on
thinking that he had taken his prem
Uses on the belief of his complete in
| nocence of every charge, Il think your
! reasoning is good. Mr.. Hamilton is,
I believe. instead of being victimizer,
the victim himself, of circumstances,
if not conspiracy"
Tony arose to go soon afterwards,
and Mrs. Hamilton said, gravely:
II shall think over what you have
said. and 1t may be I shall want your
| assistance in following out some line
of investigation. May L count on
your aid?"
Yes. indeed. 1 shall be most happy
| TO aid you if / can" and Tony's boy
ish face lighted up with pleasure.
Thank you. You are the only per-
son in Grovedale, besides myself, who
believes my husband to be innocent;
! Even Uncle Carter does not, said
| Mrs Hamilton, with emotion, as she
shook hands with the young man.
Constance thought the matter over
deeply for twenty-four hours, and then
the following letter reached young Os-
born:
Friend Tony: 1 have decided to ask
of you the favor l limited at yester-
day. If you can get free from your
duties at the bank for a few days l
should like to have you go to the po-
lice. headquarters in Boston, gain
personal interview with the chief, and
have him send a suitable detective to
follow out the new clue furnished by
the cap found on the river bank. 1
= e. .e.4H .f..sar Fr,.
such a man is needed, tell the chief,
and I am willing to pay well for the
| service, and, of course, l shall reim-
burse you for the time and money
spent in my behalf.
Very truly yours,
Constance Hamilton.
Tony got his release without much
difficulty and soon reached the police
headquarters. Following Mrs. Ham
lton's directions he asked for a de-
tective of the keenest order and such
a one was furnished him in the person
of a small, alert individual by the
name of Swan. If he had been in
training to reduce himself to the low
est minimum of flesh compatible with
sented about the same appearance
that he did when he appeared to the
astonished gaze of Osborn.
Tony had got into the old-fashioned
way of saying when introduced
to a person, II hope 1 see you WELL,
| but on this occasion he pulled himself
up with a jerk. before the last word
and brought it out as an Interrogation,
| ''well?"
Perfectly" replied the other; "al-
ways we'll, never sick a day in my
| life"
"WelI, now, that's odd" said Tony.
with his usual drawl. The other ones
| eyes twnkled at what he considered
his countrifled manners, but before the
day was ended was obliged to own that
| Osborn was not so green as he looked;
| for they returned to Grovedale togeth-
er. and Tony recounted from beginning
| to end the bank mystery with it's va
I ried complications and the adverse cir
| cumstances surrounding 1t at the pres
| ent time.
| so you see,' concluded Tony at the
| close, Hamilton is as great a scamp
as ever drew breath, or he is what we
thought him to be, thoroughly honest
| man."
You say Bruce took the first tack"
| YES"
"And you want me to take the 9TH
| err"
| Tony nodded.
| well, if / have got to handle the
/ matter I'm sorry he went off in COM
/ pany with woman. Women play the
deuce with men, even the more decent
sort"
| well, it never has been proved that
| he went far with her.
| But he knew her, it seems; and
/ such a woman was known as Ashley's
| wife in Valparaiso
| Condolences are more common
than people think. I've been struck
| by them twice lately. l don't read the
Bible as often as / ought, but twice
/ lately. Sunday morning, l have read a
| few verses, and on going to church the
| minister would read the same for a
i morning lesson. Now, / say, consider
| ing how many verses the Bible con-
| tains, these two incidents are more
| striking than the single one of Hamil-
| toms riding on the train with woman
| who has since been proved to be con-
/ nected with a bank defaulter in the
| west. You haven't considered, either, ="
said Tony, shrewdly, that Bruce was
led to Ashley by the clew furnished by
her emerald hair"
THAT is something worth looking at
Sometimes a wrong starting-point sets
| people on wildgoose chases."
Swan, who was one of the brightest
men in the profession. took up the
matter with great enthusiasm after he
talked with Constance.
IF he is not innocent he ought to be
| for her sake" he said to Tony.
AS IL transpired the search was not
| as long as he anticipated, for, although
the direct line of railroad was COM
| plete, a branch road was in process of
| construction about fifty miles distant,
| and a gang of Italians, presumably the
| same, were at work on it under the
| same boss" employed while engaged
on the Grovedale line. The boss could
talk little Italian, but not so perfect
ly as to warrant the expectation that
| they could be made to understand an
Intricate matter like the one now pre-
| scented. But at last a confused inkling
of 1t seemed to have penetrated the
mind OF one of the Italians. for, with a
look of malice, he pointed TO another
at work not far distant, saying. Lee
tie button goold."
| Does he mean that the other one
has little gold button?" asked Swan.
Yes, l think so" said the boss.
The detective took from his pocket
the gold one marked v. which Tony
had given him and held il UP before
the first Italian. He began gesticulat-
ing with great rapidity.
Wees. yees," he said. and ratified off
besides a long string OF Italian which
was Greek to the boss as we'll as to
Swan.
Upon this, Swan went to the second
man. the boss walking beside him and
saying, "The two had quarrel
yesterday, drew their knives on each
other before they were separated"
The Italian No. evidently did not
| care 10 talk with them, but laid awaV