Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-09-21


right on my lap and counted the mon.
~ slowly. That's queer said he and
counted II again. l watched him and
saw that the amount was right There
were ten $1,000 and sixteen 5000
bills. He put them back into the bae
and snapped tho catch. I beg your
pardon said he. The teller must
have been Mistaken flo went into
the bank, and told the coachman to
drive away. Just after the carriage
started I thought Id have a look at
the money and count II myself. I
opened the bag. and this was what I
found"
Az abe said these words she laid the
bag On the table and pulled ont Of Il a
roll Of green paper IN pieces cut to the
sise Of bank notes. There were two
one dollar grecnbacks In the bunch.
Presumably they had been ON the out.
side Of the green paper to give the roll
O more genuine look. That Ia the way
that the bunko game lie usually work.
ed, but could hardly believe that this
young man Perry had worked It.
Perry was a nephew OF the cashier
and had been rather wild, as l hap.
pened TO know.
Slower did not seem to be the least bit
anxious about this accusation against
his nephew, but he was puzzled by the
case az q whole, as I could sec plainly
enough.
You're sure that the man who came
to your carriage was Mr.. Perry?" he
asked. ibid you recognize him at the
timer
Il never saw him before" replied
Mrs. Holden, but know him now"
She turned and pointed toward Per.
~, while she said slowly and with de-
cision:
II know that coat. I noticed the but
tons particularly. can't be mistaken"
Perry was wearing white linen Of.
fee cont Of fine and peculiar texture.
and when Mrs. Holden said she recog-
nixed him by that I was more i'm
pressed than II she had pretended to
know his face. had noticed all along
that she was looking at the coat
II never saw another like it," said
she. Those nre real pearl buttons"
meaning mother pearl. Of course.
Now, some men might have thought
that this was ridiculous. but to me 1t
was convincing by this sort of thing
you know that woman IL telling the
truth and giving the evidence just as
1t really exists IN her own mind.
Five minutes ago, ten minutes ago,
twenty minutes ago." said Slower i'm.
pressively, mfr. Perry was sitting in
this room. talking with me. He has
been away on his vacation. lie came
back, a little ahead OF time, this morn.
ing. He came into this room wearing
gage"-hc pointed to it on the floor
about half an hour before you made
your charge against him. Not more
than two minutes before that he left
this room and went TO his own, which
Is the one nearest the door He chang
ed his coat and came back. not having
been out Of my sight more than min.
ute. He looked in. and / said I'd be
busy for n little while, so he went out
and met you. give YOU my word o.!
honor that 1t Is utterly impossible by
your own story that Mr.. Perry could
have had anything to do with your
loss"
That was cIenr enough Of course, anu
Mrs. Holden turned a bit pale. but she
stuck to the one certain fact that sht
knew.
as there another coat like that in
this bank:" she demanded. And Perry
smiled and shook his head.
I'VE will now see whether any ont
was sent to your carriage" said Slower,
touching bell
OF course it was easy enough to dis
cover that no one had been sent.
"Mrs. Holden" said I, "who knew
that you were going to draw this mon
ey?"
Nobody" she replied, but there was
q slight uncertainty In her tone.
"You came to the bank alOne?"
my stepson came with me-"
This was Frank Holden. a young man
who was disinheritcd by his father for
excellent reasons. but had been trea ted
very generously by his stepmother. as !
had read In the newspapers. He was
with her In the carriage OH the previous
occasion when I committed the awful
outrage upon the liberties OF the plain
citizen by arresting doc" Turner.
what has become of him." l asked
She was quite slrewd enough to see
that knew the reputation Of her step
son.
Mr. Holden left the carriage as soon
as It stopped at the door Of the bank"
she answered. HE went ncross the
street to buy u cigar
"And You haven't seen him sInce?"
"Well. I've seen him." said she. but
he did not get back into the carriage"
after you got in with your money"
said I. "why didn't YOU drive right
away?
She looked nt me keenly.
1T wasn't more than minute" she
said. "before the man came out OF the
bank"
but II you hadn't waited Just that
minute" said l. "there'd have been no
trouble"
She turned to Slower.
III this man Is trying to prove that