The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-10-17
CHAPTER XVIII,
A Tramp and the Toothache.

memory was CNcCratcd bN people WHO
had lost nothing. but who were filled
| with disgust by constantly hearing new
stories Of the man s grasping avarice,
The Traders had been favorItc bank
for small ;radcspeoplc, and in its saw
ings department IL had solicited the
! smallest deposits. People who had
thought 10 be self supporting 70 the
last found themselves confronting the
poorhouse. their two or three hundred
dollar savings wiped away. All bank
failures have this element, however.
and the directors were trying 10 prom
Use twenty per cent on deposits.
But, like everything else those days,
I the bank failure WAS almost forgotten
! by Gertrude and myself. We did not
mention Jack Bailey: ] had found
nothing TO change my impression of his
guilt, and Gertrude knew how | felt. As
for the murder of rhe bank president 5
/ son, | was Of two minds. One day |
| thought Gertrude knew or at least sus-
| pected that Jack had done it; the next
| feared that il had been Cert rude her.
self, that night alone on the circular
staircase. And then the mother Of Lu-
cien Wallace would obtrude herself and
an almost equally good case might be
made against her, There were times,
of course, when [ was disposed to
! throw all those suspicious aside, and
fix definitely on the unknown, who
ever that might be.
/ had my greatest disappointment
when it came TO tracing Nina Caring
ton. The woman had gone without
leaving trace Marked as she was,
it should have been easy 10 follow her,
! but she was not TO be found. A de
! scription TO one of the detectives. on
my arrival at home, had started the
| ball rolling. But by night she had
not been found | told Gertrude, then,
| about the telegram 10 Louise when she
| had been Ill before, about my visit TO
DR.. Walker, and my suspicious that
Matte Bliss and Nina Darlington were
the same.
l said nothing to her, however, of
the detective s suspicious about Alex.
| Little things that ! had not noticed
| at the time now came back 10 me. J
had an uncomfortable feeling that per
haps Alex was a spy. and that by tax
| ing him into the house ] had played
into thc enemy 5 hand. But al eight
! o clock that night Alex himself ap-
peared, and with bim a strange and
repulsive individual. They made n
queer pair. for Alex was almost as dis
reputable as the tramp, and he had Il
| badly swollen eye.
Gertrude had been sitting listlessly
waiting for the evening message from
/ Mr. Jameson. but when the similar
pair came in, as they did, without Ger
cmony, she jumped mp and stood star
| ing Winters. the detective who watched
the house at night, followed them, and
! kept his eyes sharply on Alexis pris-
oncr-for that was the situation as it
developed
He was tall, lanky individual, rag
gcd and dirty, and Just now lie looked
both terrified and embarTa Ssed. Alex
was TOO much eugrossed TO be either,
aud TO this day ] don Z think / ever
! asked him why he went off without
permission the day before.
"Miss lnnes. Alex began abruptly.
'fthis man can tell us something very
I important about the disappearance of
Mr., lnucs. L found him trying to sell
! this watch.
lie took watch from his pocket and
put ii on the table. 1t was Halscy -
watch | had given il 10 HIM on his
! tweuty-first birthday: [ WAS dumb
with apprehension.
,'He saws he had q pair of cuff.
links also. but he sold them
"Fer dollar u half. - put in the
dIsreputable individual hoarsely. with
an eve on the detective.
! "He is not--dead?' + implored. The
tramp cleared his throat.
''No m, - ne said huskily. d" He was
used up pretty bad. but he wcren Z
dead. He was comm 80 hisself when
i I''-he stopped and looked at the dc.
tectivc. Il didn t steal it. Mr.. Wiut-
crs he whined. ''I found it in the
road. honest 20 God. | did.
Mr., Winters paid no attention TO him.
He WAS watching Alex.
- d better tell what he told me- -
\ Alex broke in. ''lt will be quicker.
When ,Jamjeson--wheR Mr.. Jameson
calls up We can start him right, MIR.
Winters. ! found this man trying to
sell thai watch on Fifth street. He
offered il 10 me for three dollars -
How did you know the wntchin
Winters snapped al him.
u had seen II before. MANY times.
| used il at night when | was watch.
ing AT the foot Of the staircase - The
detective WIS satisfied. When he
offered the watch 10 me, | knew it.
and pretended ! was going 10 buy il.
We went into an ailev and | GOT the
watch. The tramp shiycrcd II was
plain how Alex had secured the watch
"Thcn--i got the story from this fcl-
low lie claims 10 have seen tho whole
affair. He SAYS h" was IN an empty
car--in the car the automobile struck -
The tramp broke in here, and told the
story, with frequent interruptions by
Alex and Mr.. Winters. lie used a
strange medley, in which familiar words
took unfamiliar meanings, but it. WAS
gradually made clear 10 Us.
On the night in question tho tramp
had been pounding his ear ibis
stuck 20 ME as being graphic--in an
empty box. X.car along the siding AT Casa.
nova. Tho train was going west, and
due IN leave AZ dawn, The tramp and
the "brakcy' were friendly, and things
going we'll About ten clock. per
haps earlier, terrific crash against
the side Of thp car reused him. lIs
tried 10 orcu the door. but could no,
move II Iic got ont of the other side
/ and Jus, as he did SO, he heard some
one gCOan.
The habits Of lifetime made him
cautious. lie slipped OF 20 the bump
ct Of a car and pccrei through An
automobile had struck the cnr. and
stood there on two wheels. The tai
lights were burning. bat the headlight,
were out. Two men were stopping over
! some one who iav on the ground. Then
the taller of tho two started on = dog
! trot along the train looking for an
empty boX.car, and, getting in them
1 selves. Stnvcd for three or four minutes
] When they came out. after closing the
. sliding door, they cut ny over the rail