The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-07-31
CHAPTER V.
Doddridqe Knapp.

II was past ten o'clock of the morn.
ing when the remembrance of the
mysterious note i had received the
preceding night came on me. l took
the slip from my pocket, and read its
contents once more. 1t was perpleX-
.ng enough. but it furnished me with
an idea. OF course l could not take
money intended for Henry Wilton.
But here was the first chance to get
at the heart of this dreadful business.
The writer of the, note, l must sup
pose, was the mysterious employer.
II | could see her L could find the way
of escape from the dangerous burden
of Henry Wilton's personality and
mission.
But which bank could be meant?
The only names l knew were the
Bank of California;, who's ailu in
the previous year had sent echoes
even into my New England home, and
the Anglo-C Californian Bank, on which
J. held a. draft. The. former struck
me as the more likely place of ap-
pointment,. and after some skilful
navigating l found myself at the cor
ner of California and Sansome streets,
before the building through which the
wealth of an empire had flowed.
| watched closely the crowd that
passed in and out of the treasure
house, and assumed what l hoped was
an air of prosperous indifference TO
my surroundings.
No one appeared to notice me.
There were eager men n cautious
men, and men who looked secure and
men who looked anxious, but neither
man nor woman was looking for me.
Plainly | had made a bad guess. A
hasty walk through several other
banks that | could see in the neigh.
borhood gave no better result, and
had to acknowledge that this chance
of penetrating the mystery was gone.
speculated for the moment on what
the effects might be. To neglect an or
der of this kind might result in the
Withdrawal of the protection that had
saved my life, and in turning me over
to the mercies of the banditti who
Thought | knew something of the
whereabouts of a boy.
AS | reflected thus, | came upon a
crowd massed about the steps of a
great granite building in Pine Street;
q whirlpool of men, 1t seemed, with
c~ross-currents and eddies, and from
the whole rose the murmur of excited
voices.
1t was the Stock Exchange, the
gamblers paradise, In which millions
were staked, won n lost, and ruin
and .afiuence walked side by side.
AS | watched the ~swaying. shout
ing mass with wonder and amuse
ment, a thrill shot through me.
Upon the steps of the building
amid the crowd of brokers and specu
lators, l saw a tall. broad-shouldereG
man of fifty or fifty-ive, his face
keen, shrewd and hard, broad at the
temples and tapering to a strong jaw
a-yellow-gray mustache and imperial
ha%lf-hiding and h~alf-revealing the
firm lines of the mouth, with the
mark of the wolf strong upon the
whole. 1t was a face never to be for
gotten as long as l should hold mem
DRY at ali. 1t was the face l had seer
twelve hours before in the Lantern
dash In the dreadful alley, with tbs
cry of murder ringing in my ears
Then it was lighted by the fierce fires
of rage and hatred, and marked will
the chagrin of bafied plans. Now 1
was cool, good-humored, alert for the
battle of the Exchange that had al
ready begun. But knew 1t for thu
same, and was near crying aloud tina
here was a murderer.
l clutched my nearest nelghbor b.
the arm, and demanded to know whit
1t was.
"Doddridge Knapp" replied the
man civilly. Hes running the Chol
lar deal now, and IL l could only guesi
which side he's on, I'd make a Tor
tuns In the next few days. He's the
King Of Pine Street"
While I was looking at the KIM
of the Street and listening to m,
neighbor's tales Of his operations
Doddridge Knapp's eyes me- mine
To my amazement there was q loo!
Of recognition in them. Yet he maut
no sign. and Ia d moment was gone.
This. then. was the enemy ! VA