Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-07-15
Farnsworth paced turn or two and


the outer Office.
"Mr. Hartzell!' he called. "Come in. y
A slender. keen eyed man of forty
entered.
'When my nephew called on you
month ago about the Gorham deal. did
you mention any date when you would
probably settle?"
Hartzell stroked his chin.
Il may have mentioned the 18TH"
said he. 81 told you over the phone"
"You told me the 20th." said Farms
worth, unless I've forgotten. But
what did you tell him? That's the
point
81 think said that Gorham would
probably pay on the 10TH
every good Did you call at the Corn
on your way up here?"
Eyes; they're looking the matter up
FarnsWorth sat down to the tele-
phone and called up the Corn. There
was brief conversation, at the close
of which Farnsworth pulled open a
tall drawer in his desk and took out a
check book
"Well," said he at last, there's the
joker. a leaf containing three checks
signed in blank has been cut from this
book. and l didn't notice it, Shrewd
work, HartZell You see, that check
of yours was too big to be safely han
died at your bank. so the rascal de-
posted it in mine. That gave me a
balance of $4,700 more than knew
about, SO of course I wouldn't draw
against it. Then our thief filed out
my blanks to bearer and cashed them
at my bank. The way l play this
game, HartZell, any smooth fellow can
cash a bearer check of mine at the
Corn for a couple Of thousand without
ever being asked to indorse it. pre-
fer to make some Of my payments that
way, and the bank knows it,
"Indeed!' said Hartzell, and he
stroked his chin again. "1'm afraid
you're stuck, FarnsWorth."
He turned to so, and Farnsworth Gid
not detain him. AS he passed out
James Kneeland, the detective, entered,
and he gave the departing form half
glance.
"Do you know Hartzell?" said
FarnsWorth.
81 met him some years ago." re-
sponded the detective thoughtfully.
'Has Bailey told you about this
game that's been played on me?"
kneeland nodded and winked his
eyes behind his big round spectacles.
"Now, the point of it, said Farms
worth, sis that Hartzell's letter, with
the check, was intercepted and opened
in this Office"
''If it ever came here" said Knee
land
II tell you the thing was done here
Checks have been taken from my
book. Who could have done that ex-
cept some one who knows, the ropes
here?
Il could have done it, said Knee
land complacently. "a good many peo-
pie know where you keep that book"
"But the forged indorsement-how
do you account for that?'
'Probably traced. You haven't the
check, Of course?'
eyes. Hartzell brought it up from
his bank Here it isl
'HartZell left it here,' said the de-
tective. well, that's good evidence"
"EviGence"'
"That he didn't do the trick himself"
"1ll tell you who did do it, said
Farnsworth. "My nephew did it. It's
no trouble for him to forge my name.
Ask this young lady here. Is Bob's
writing like mine?''
Remarkably So" said Miss Claren-
don calmly. F..
Important coincidence said Knee
land. "Have you got a specimen Of
his hand? I am tolerably familiar
with yours"
'There's a letter from him some
where here" said Farnsworth.
Miss Clarendon went into the next
room and returned Immediately with
an open letter.
Here is sample of Mr. Robert
Farnsworth's writing" said she and
gave page to the detective, who read
as follows, Farnsworth reading over
his shoulder:
"You know he lent me 5000 to settle
some matters in the west, and l was
paying it back at the rate of $40 every
e;,o
been here, and fierce strain it has
been, for I'm getting only eighteen.
The most annoying part of it is that
my pay day is Tuesday, and get my
money about 2 O'clock. So in order to
keep my word to him I have to tele-
graph the money, and the expense
comes right out of my dinner have
written to him suggesting that send
the amount by mail. but the old mud
turtle hasn't opened his shell. So
keep at it. I wouldn't fail if starvation
were twice as inconvenient, for he
tainted me with that loan when we
parted'-
"Telegraphs you money every Tues
Gay, en-! said kneeland, glancing up.
DO you collect it yourself?"
Farnsworth Redeemed.
EYES," said he
Mr. Robert Farnsworth was here
Tuesday morning." said Miss Claren-
don, ION an errand for his employers,
but he returned in time to get his
wages and send the usual remittance
to his uncle"
kneeland was looking dreamily at
HartZel's check. which was unusually
large and of q M 10 rroopicL ~.