Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-24
The Affair of the Man Who Van
ished-Being the further adven-
lures of the reformed Grim
inal once known to the po-
lice of the world as The
Vanishing Cracks
man.
Rv T. W. HANsRAW.
Copvrisbt bv Doubleday, Page & Go.

~ II. - a
MI tsndent at Scotland Yard, hung I,
ana wheeled round in his revolving chair
all alert on the instant, like terrier that
scents = rat
He knew well what the coming Of the
footsteps toward his private office por-
tended: his messenger was returning at
last.
Good, Now he would get at the facts
Of the mstter and be relieved from the
sneers Of osrping critics and the pin prick
~ ovsrzsaIous reporters, who scenes 10
think that the Yard was 10 blame for all
the forces connected with 10 80 he scream
ed at as incompetents f every evlI-doer
in London was not instantly brought TO
book and his craftiest secrets promptly
revealed.
Cad, let them take on his job. then, II
thev thought the thing so easy. 1t,
them have a 20 at this business of stop
ping at ones post until 2 o'clock In the
morning trying to patch up the iumbled
fragments Of puzzle Of this sort II they
regarded II as such childs play finding
as assassin whom nobody had seen and
who struck with method which neither
medical science nor legal acumen could
trace or name. Then, by James.
Dead as Julius Caesar,
The door opened and closed and Detec-
tive Sergeant Petre stepped into the
room, removing his hat and standing at
attention.
"well?" raped out the superintendent,
in the sharp staccato of nervous impa-
tience Speak up, It was a false alarm,
was ii not?'
NO, sir It's worse even than reported,
Mr.. NarlIom Quicker and sharper than
any Of the others. He's gone. sir
Gone? Good God you don't mean
dead
Yes. sir Dead as julius Caesar. To
tai collapse about twenty minutes after
my arrival and went on like that'-snap
ping his fingers and giving his hand an
outward fling. Same way as the others,
only. as I say, quicker sir. and with no
more trace Of what caused II than the
doctors were able to discover in the be-
ginning. That makes five in the same
mysterious way, superintendent, and not
a ghost of a clue yet. The papers will he
ringing with il tomorrow"
Ringing with It? Can they ring any
more than they are doing already"
the thin. mirthless laughter Of utter de-
spair
"Csn they say anything worse than
they have said-blame any more un-
reasonably than they have blamed? II
is small solace for the overburdened tax
payer to reflect that he may he done to
death at any hour OF the night and that
the heads Of the institution he has so
long and so consistently supported are
capable Of giving his stricken family
nothing more in return than the dear me!
dear me- OF utter bewilderment, and to
prove anew that the efficiency OF our
boosted police-detective system may be
classed under the head of Brilliant Fic-
ton
THAT sort Of thing, day after day
as IL l had done nothing but pile up
failure Of this kind since l came into Of
1ce No heed Of the past SIX years bril-
liant success! No thought for the manner
in which the police departments Of other
countries were made TO sit up and 10
marvel at our methods. Two months
failure and that doesn't count, BY the
Lord Harry, ia give my head 10 make
those newspaper fellows cat their words
CAD YES