The Glenwood post., 1906-02-10

but I am empowered to offer $1,000
more. making the sum $500. though
for the present no change will be
made in the wording. unless you ~
wise it."
Il do not advise it. A change would
alarm Hamilton, showing that sue-
picions had been awakened To show
that he is thought to have absconded
with funds of the bank would alarm
him directly and put him beyond our
reach. But he might even return II
he thought nothing was suspected, II
it should be automatically stated by
you, for instance. that upon examina-
ton everything had been found cor
rect. Still, he must know the affair
of the altered note would leak out
some time
Yes, and there may be others of
still larger amount, Mr. Bruce"
True. One thing more l wish to
ask you. Who presented the note and
received the money at the Boston
bank?"
Mr.. Hamilton. himself"
"Are you sure?"
Il have the written word of Simon
Low, the cashier of the bank. Low
has been here more than once. He
knows Hamilton nearly as well as
l do"
"A dark look"
Couldn't look much blacker. hey?"
No; but l am sorry for his wife,"
said the detective. at will be sharp
work hunting him up"
Mr.. Bruce took his departure short
ly afterward, musing deeply over the
present developments of the mysteri-
GUS affair, for exceedingly mysterious
it seemed to him. In the whole course
of his calling he had known of nothing
like it, SO puzzling and complicated
with what appeared to be such ad-
verse matters.
Here was man universally es.
teemed, who for years had been guilty
of nothing worse than mysterious
yearly journeys (yet which were sup
posed to be innocent enough until
now); a devoted husband and father;
member of the Congregational
church, of which he was deacon,
though young for the position; cashier
of the savings bank where the poor
people who worked at his mill de-
posted their earnings-this man. it
seemed, was a defaulter, forger. the
deserter of his wife and family. Worse
yet it appeared also that he had left
his wife and went away in company
with another woman, though this did
not seem quite so evident.
Confirmation, slight though 1t
might be. was waiting at the corner
of the street in the person of Miss
Talbert.
Il saw you.' she began directly,
when you left the bank, and as had
given you a wrong idea | felt bound
to set it right at once"
How do you mean?"
about the handkerchief. Mary.
our chambermaid. came in soon after
you left and asked if she might have
it, as it was marked with her name,
and she was the only Mary in the
house"
"I suppose you might as well have
it, then, | said; but how did you hap
pen to know about it?' Oh said
Mary, 4 handed it to Mrs. Anderson
when she first came. She was con-
tinually dropping things, and
noticed the name. She asked me
what it was, and | told her Mary
She said she did not notice that it
had name on it when she bought
it Before she thought, Mary asked
her if it wasn't her name then. and
she said no. her name was Lenora."
The detective was startled out of
his general immobility by the internal
workings of the matter. A develop
ment like that was startling, when it
would have seemed so much more
likely to have never come to the sur
face. But he managed to thank Miss
Talbert for her information and to
say, No wonder she did not recog-
nize the name herself. 1t looked quite
as much like a rosebush or a wheel
barrow. You gave the handkerchief
TO Mary. | conclude; Mary-what?"
Mary O'Neil. Yes. l gave it tn
her.
(To be continued)