Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-11-28
The Doctors Wife
BY MISS NJ e. BRADDON
CHiPTER XII.-(Continued.)
A

Q.J
"A criminal casey'
eyes. l was in town on business a
year or two ago, to renew some leases
and look into a whole batch of tiresome
business matters which my lawyer In
sisted upon my attending to in my own
proper person, very much to my annoy
ance. dropped into the United Stock
Bank While l was talking TO one of
the clerks at the counter a man came
In and stood close to my elbow while he
handed in a check l know it came very
close upon the hundred-received the
money and went out. He looked like
groom out of livery. 1 left the bank
almost Immediately after him, and as he
turned into little alley | followed
Few PAGES behind him. At the bottom of
the alley M friend the groom was met
by big, black-whiskered man who seem
ed to have been waiting for him, for he
caught him suddenly by the arm and
said: Well, did they do itP Yes the
other man answered, and began fun
bling IN his pocket, making a chinking
sound as he did so. You needn't have
bounced upon me so precious sharp he
said, rather sulkily; I wasn't going to
bolt with it, was II The black-whis-
kered man had seen me by this time, and
he muttered something to his companion
which evidently meant that he was to
hold his tongue, and then dragged him
of without further ceremony. This was
all l saw of the groom or the black
whiskered gentleman upon that occasion.
l thought their method Of cashing
check was rather a queer one; but l
thought no more about it until three
weeks afterward, when l went into the
United Stock Bank again, and was told
that the check which had been cashed
IN my presence was a forgery, one of a
series of the most audacious frauds, per-
petrated by gang whose plans had only
just come to light and none of whom
had yet been arrested. They've man
aged to keep themselves in the dark in
the most extraordinary manner the clerk
told me; the checks are supposed to
have been all fabricated by one man, but
three o. four men have been employed to
get hold of the original signatures of
our customers, which they have obtained
by a complicated system Whereupon I
told my little story of the biRck-whis-
kered gentleman"
Mr.. Lansdell paused to take breath.
pale always-but she was very pale now
and was watching him with an eager,
breathless expression.
SILLY, romantic little thing" he
thought, ito be so intensely absorbed in
my story
You're getting interesting, Roland"
said Gwendoline. "Pray go on"
THE upshot of the matter was that at
~ nfRlnRlr hot ,tr,c.
tleman came to me and cross-questioned
me as to what l knew of the man who
had cashed the check. You think YOU
could recognize this man with the black
whiskers? he said. Yes; most decidedly
/ could And you'll swear to him, if
necessary With pleasure On this
the detective departed and came to me
the next day, to tell me that he fancied
he was on the track of the man he want
ed. but he was at a loss for means of
Identification. He knew, or thought that
he knew, who the man was; but he
didn't know the man himself from
Adam. The next morning l had the su-
preme pleasure of pointing out my black
whiskered acquaintance. He looked very
black, declaring that it was all a mis-
take, and thGt it would be easily set
right. | let The two go together, very
well pleased " tn my adventure
Il was not so we'll pleased, however.
when l found that | was wanted as a
witness at preliminary examinations, and
adjourned examinations, and on and off
through trial that lasted four DAYS and
q half; to say nothing of being badgered
and brow-beaten by ractitioners-who
were counsel for the prisoner-and who
asked me if it was my friends whiskers
recognized, or if had never seen any
other whiskers exactly like his? If |
should know him without his whiskers?
whether any member OF my family had
been in a lunatic asylum? whether I
usually devoted my leisure time to travel
ing about with detective officers? whether
l should be able to recognize an ac-
quaintance | had only seen once in TWEEN
ty years? whether l was short-sighted?
would | swear | was not short-sightedP
would l be kind enough to read a verse
or so from a diamond edition of the
works of Thomas Moore? and so on.
But question me as they would, the pris-
oner at the bar-cOmmonly known as
Jack the Scribe, alias Jack the Gentle
man, alias ever so many other names
which l have completely forgotten-was
l the identical person whom | had seen
meet the groom. My evidence was only
q, single link in a long chain; but I SIM
pose 1t was eminently damaging to my
blaek-whiskered friend, for when he any
two Nof his associates had received their
sentence he turned toward where l was
standing, and said:
L don't bear any grudge against tbe
gentlemen of the jury, and l don't hear
any malice against the judge, but when n
languid swell mixes himself ND in bnsi-
ness that doesn't concern him. he do
serves to get it hot and strong. If ever
l come out of prison alive, III kill vonp
He shook his fist at me as he said If
There wasn't much in the words but
there was . good deal in the wav in
which they we're spoken. He tried to saw
more; but the warders got hold of him
and held him down, painting and gasning
and with his face of a duh liyid wbite
saw no more of him; but if he does live
TO come out Of prison, | most firmly he.
lieve he will keep his word"
lizzie" cried George Gilbert, sudden
ly, whats the matter?"
All the point of Mr.. LansdelPs story
was lost; for at this moment Isabel tot
tered and fell slowly backward upon the
sward, and all the goldfish leaped away
in panic of terror as the doctor dipped
his hat into the marble basin. He
splashed the water into his wife's face.
aud she opened her eyes 1T last, very
slowly, and looked round her.
Did he say that" she said, "did he
say that he'd kill"
CHAPTER XIII