The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-02-24

people changed their tune. A speclal
meeting of the directors was held, and
in ten minutes the loss, If loss it could
be called, was made good, and bust
ness went on as usual. Just at that
time, l guess, no one wanted any pub
licity, for mere rumor OF trouble
might have resulted in more damage
than could be repaired in a month OF
Sundays. There's nothing easier to
start than a financial panic, under
certain conditions, and once it gets
started it usually runs its course like
a big fire-until it burns itself out
Naturally the directors were not TAX.
ing any chances, so they just kept
the matter quiet among themselves
and called in Bullivants Limited.
That's how l came to be on the case
within thirty-six hours.
We'll, sub, 1t was the cleanest and
cleverest getaway ever saw, whether
planned beforehand or not After
looking at the thing fran the outside
rather thought it was case of Not
but then you can never tell. AS l
said, I'd known John Risdale for
long time, and knew that he wasn't
in the common embezzler class. OF
course, he might have yielded to sud-
den temptation, or been living a
double life, but after looking up his
home surroundings l couldn't see it
that way. He and his wife were just
as much lovers as when they had been
married a dozen years before, and he
never spent night away from Mrs.
Risdale and the child. There remain
ed one other neutrality-suspicious.
in the street, the reef upon which so
many bank officers have run aground.
But not clue of that sort could |
light on either. OF mail he had very
little, and that mostly from country
relatives addressed to his fiat. The
ordinary threads that 60 to make up
the criminal skein were not to be
picked up in this particular instance,
and l must confess that for the time
being had to acknowledge myself at
fault. There remained the possibility
that Risdale had become frequenter
of brokers' Offices or bucket shops, but
this theory proved to be as useless as
the rest. And yet the man had van
ished and a hundred thousand dollars
besides! AS usual, the agency said
take your time and spare no ex-
pense," so went at the thing quietly
and deliberately. Mrs. Risdale gave
me all the help she could-which was
mighty little, for the poor woman was
mighty near distracted. Luckily they
had few hundreds in the savings
bank, so there was no danger of she
she and little Lois coming to immedi-
ate want. Of course, you couldn't
get Mrs. Risdale to admit for an in.
slant that there was anything crooked
about her John. l didn't blame her
either, for felt that way myself,
knowing the man as l did. But you
see the best Of men do go wrong &C.
casionally-and then there was that
hundred thousand dollars!
well, sub, settled down to a long
still hunt. For six months | was on
the road running false clues to earth,
for the absconder-or some one resem-
bling him-was reported by my CORE
spondents all over the states. Natur-
ally I'd sent his photograph broadcast,
yet strictly on the q. t., you under
stand. I'd also had the European
steamships watched on the other side,
but nothing came Of it. Mrs. Risdale
put on black and mourned her hus-
band as dead, but that somehow,
didn't believe. Naturally I'd formed a
theory Of my own, which wasn't so far
wrong as the sequel proved; the only
trouble was couldn't account for that
hundred thousand. And l guess
wouldn't yet If ! hadn't found John
Risdale.
Zone day l got wire from our cor
respondent in Kingston, Jamaica, say.
! ing:
"'Your man here working for whole.
7 sale fruit company, assumed name
No mistake. Better come yourself and
bring necessary papers,
You'll reckon I took the next boat
and landed in Kingston within week.
Saw my correspondent, who posted
me up. Risdale-or someone who
looked like him-was doing bookkeep-
ing for a fruit-exporting firm, and liv.
ing quite openly, but under the name
Of Oliver Hazard. This was joke,
II he was really the man I was after,
because that was the very name Of
the president of the Borough Ma.
tional!
Il expressed my doubts to Clancy
our local man-for I'd been on too
many wild-goose chases after John
Risdale to be over sanguine. Has
he been spending money! inquired.
Not so as you'd notice it, was Clan
cy's reply. His pays only forty shil.
lings week, and that don't go very
far in Kingston, let me tell you
well, where can / get look at
him." I demanded. That's the first
thing to settle-whether he's my man
| or not"
''He eats at little cabaret on
Prince George street. Well drop in
there for tiffin."