The Washington herald., 1909-06-27


dent was so far away at the time the money
disappeared that he could not possibly have taken
It. He had considered the probability that the
bank president had been I'm collusion with another
who actually committed the robbery, possibly
crook or a professional bank robber with an
equal division Of the spoils as the consideration
for divuging the combination of the safe but
that trail ended against a blank wall There
was not single peg on which to hang a sus-
picion against the president
The more Cushman investigated the case
however, the firmly convinced he be-
came of the cashiers innocence He had
trailed Mrs. Timmons, watched her every
movement, searched her home from cellar
to garret in her absence without finding
scrap of evidence for or against her hus
band The president also came in FOR
close surveillance. His nome revealed Kill
nothing His life above reproach ST
Thus the case stood Cushman finally 8#
admitted that he had been beaten, He NM
aimlessly turning the leaves of his maya iM
zine as he debated the advisability of drop WI
ping the case when his eye caught the title
of a detective story, From An Open Win w
dow" profusely illustrated and occupying W
the prominence of first position AT W
glance he IL something about
bank robbery and he read paragraph mere
and there to catch the drift Of It. Sudden VI
ly he sat up alertly and began at the first
and read every word of the story to- the end
Then for a long time he gazed out of the
window and pondered. Gradually the interest died
from his eyes and he sank back into his chair.
"It is another of those of magazine story
plots made out of newspaper stories" he said
aloud. Some bright fellow has seen the story oil
poor Timmons In the public press and made hc'
tion Of IT,"
LIE could not quite drop the story, however, for
"A II carried many odd details, and was told so
conyincingly true TO life. He studied the name
of the author Stanford Williams, long and thought
fully. 1t unfamiliar to him. He looked at
the title pages of other late magazines at hand,
but could not find the name in any of them
Must have been a single hit and then quit, or
tailed to reach the mark in previous and subse'
Quent efforts" he mused.
The name OF the illustrator given that OF
a we'll known New York woman. He knew her
well and Immediately dropped her from the case.
Presently he put on his hat and walked over 10
the editorial Office of the magazine in which he
had found the strange story.
"Who is Stanford Williams?' he bluntly asked
the editor.
blessed is know" the rather Duzzling re-
ply.
Have you a good and sufficient reason ior ask
ing that question:?
Cushman nodded affirmative
The editor pulled book from his desk and ran
his finger down the list of WIS. This story, From
an Upper window" said the editor, "came from
Wall City, New Jersey, and we sent a check to
the same place for it."
How long ago?"
Again the book was consulted 'Tt is just a
year since we accepted and paid for the story,
looking up with his finger still on the place In the
book where the entry appeared.
HAS any one about your Office seen it, except
your manuscript readers and the illustrator
mo not to my knowledge The fact is, 1T was
locked in the safe until couple OF months ago
when IL was taken out to be illustrated by Miss
Cady and she did the work here and returned the
manuscript to the safe each night"
"Did you ever receive any manuscripts from this
man williams before the one in question"
"The records do not show that we did, again
consulting the book.
HAS he submitted anything since?"
Nothing"
'Is the name given his real name or a pen
name?"
II think it is his real name; we made our check
payable to him and never heard that 1T was not
cashed but I should like to know what you are
driving at by asking all these questions, said the