Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23
CHAPTER IV-Continued.


rubbed his hands together In pleasant an
ticipatiou. For this he reasoned with HIM
self was the latest job that he had ever
swung.
He smiled and threw open the safe doors
and looked within lie found few small
bills-enough for the daily use OF a man
about town, and a bank book and check
look of the Monroe National Bank, stand
Ing in the name of the late Ellington
OKeefe
The check book showed a balance on de-
post of just SI63.75.
That was all-that was the whole story
There were plenty of private memoranda;
few very doubtful securities. and nothing
else. And Constitutional Smith, though
from that day forth he commenced care
full search which lasted for months and
constitutional Smith never found
another thing of value
He did not winCe-he only wondered. lie
was too experienced man to be disappoint-
ed. He took the good that the gods pro
vided. the situation was not as bad as II
might be. He was safe, and If o Keefe did
not have present wealth, Smith doubted
not his own ability to turn dollar after
dollar as OKcefes counterfeit presentment.
He little knew-he little understood.
But what did bother him-though 1t did
not worry him exactly-waS, what had be-
come of all the O'Keefe wealth? That
was a thing he could not understand.
Day after day he tried to solve the problem,
and little by little he formed the conclu-
sion that O Keefe had been overrated and
that he had been a Spendthrift. Gold dust
from the klOndike trail is alluring; in the
minds of the pOpulace each grain becomes
magnfied into a nugget This, doubtless,
is the way il was with Ellington O'keefc.
lie had made a respectable strike; he had
come back; the people had bowed down
before him, and he was compelled to Keep
I'D a reputation made In such a dazzling
manner All his life he had been without
money, and now that he had made a strike.
doubtless he had not realized the value of
it: it had run through his fingers like
water-and now it was all gone, perhaps
before he realized it. 1t is but the way of
the world.
In cracking open this safe and in seach-
ing through it Constitutional Smith had
done two things, each of which seemed at
first of trivial Importance.
The first was that he had, in his eX-
element. jabbed his index finger with the
drill and caused a slight wound, which
bled. He bound it UP with his handker-
chief. Ii was while lie was examing the
signatures of Ellington Okeefe, with a
View of drawing checks and signing docu-
ments of various kinds, that it sud- only
occurred TO him that this small hurt was
a dispensation of Providence. Allowances
are made by banks and other concerns ior
the signature of man who had mart MS
hand And though Smith concluded that
he could make a dab al the bold, pialn
signature of Ellington O'keefe-notWith-
ture the hardest kind to copy-he cal
culated that a teller, seeing the rag
upon his finger and noting the slight dliter-
ence in the signature would attribute IL TO
natural and reasonable causes rather than
to the actual and existing cause ms was
satisfactory; and If one wears rag dpout
ones finger. 1t Is just as well TO nave
wound behind to snow IN case ol hecSssit9'
Smith had one.
The other thing that he had done was
to discover among the private papers ol
Mr.. Ellington O'keefe the photograph VI d
Young and very beautiful girl 1t was APP
parently recent photograph, ana pore the
name of a Monroe photographer;
on the back of it. in hand which seem
cd to be old and tremulous ra Their thdn
Young and girlsh, was written IN PACK
ink the name of Margaret Robson
Few women's faces had ever appealed
to Constitutional Smith; rev women, iI ~
He was not woman's man. although he
could be If he chose. -.
But there was something IN the lace pa
this Young girl that made MIN pause iio
gazed at 1t for some time ~ c,.,
"Ry George" said Constitutional smith
IN himself that's the face OF queen
among women, I wonder what me osc
duck. O'Keefe, Is dom with this PICTURE
/ wonder now" 90 -.
The next day Constitutional Smith start
ed In In dead earnest. He was no Longer
Constitutional Smith. He became BILLING
There were two things that aided him
Immensely. One. as has been SAID. war
the fact that he had made extensive aiu
exhaustive preparation. The other Wds
that he was completely at his ease. ne
understood one thing perfectly; he knew
he was bound to make mistakes, put nc
knew. also that to people whose suspicious
are not aroused even huge discrepancies
seem immaterial. They are unnouced. he
knew that as Ellington O'keefe. the re-
puted millionaire, but little that ne u,9
would be questioned. and mistakes would
be set down to eccentricity or forgetfulness.
one thing he had to do, and 1t was the
only thing that worried him, though ne
assumed that he could raise the money TOT
the purpose He owed $4,000 cold, hard
cash to the two young toughs who had
done his dirty work. He had less than
thousand to pay them with. ana II ne
didn't pay them-that was q situation TOT
which he was somewhat unprepared BUY
he was satisfied that in the end he couid
arrange II TO his satisfaction and TO theirs.
He discharged his servants. one by one
He did this at once. He knew that in doing
1t at any early date he would be unques-
toned and he made some excuse 10 each
Of them. They went. 1t mattered niue
to them: they were sure of good positions
elsewhere He employed new servants. but
only half as many. He felt he must econo-
mize.
check in the sight OF the teller-after six
hours study in the demand presented it
for payment The teller merely glanced
at 1t. .,,-,.- ~. o,ryoo.o >,
he smiled
For answer Smith held UP his MANNED
finger. ,. ..
that There you are, SIR.
He received the money. Then spent some
time about town. chatted with several ia
mtlisr acquaintances. and returned to his
home , 90,
Several letters awaited luminosity bills
for II was around the LIST OF the month
There was one check-a very small divi-
dend upon a railroad stock. In addition 10
these there was another letter, addressed
in a feminine hand.
He tore this letter open and read Its con-
tents They were as follows:
MY Dear Mr.. O'Keefe-You are such q
very active man and seem 10 enjoy doing
fayors so very much. that l am going to
ask you 10 stop in at the library and bring
to me the next time you happen out this
way the new book. The Chilled Soul.
Peggy who usually does these little favors
for me- Is not very well. She asks me, by
the way my dear Mr.. O'keefe. to beg your
pardon for her rudeness of the other night
The poor dear child is not altogether well
and her head was splitting. ! think you
understand her, and understand that she
has deep. very deep. regard for you, and
that she meant nothing by an outbursi
caused only by a slight indisposition Bott
she and /, my dear Mr.. O'Keefe. welcome