The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-06


Gated by the addresses given in the
Belle jules register. In this arrange.
ment Miss Charlotte Farnham's name
stood as No.
Landing In Wahaska the next eve.
ming, Broffins first request at the no.
tel counter was for the directory. Run
ming an eager finger down the "F's,'
he came to the name. 1t was the only
Farnham in the list. and after 1t he
read: "Dr. Herbert c., Office to 10.
2 to 4, POI Main st.. res. Is Lake
boulevard"
Then he registered for a room and
prepared to draw the net which he
hoped would entangle the lost iden.
tity of the bank robber. After q good
nights sleep in q real bed, he awoke
refreshed and alert, breakfasted with
an open mind, and presently went
about the net drawing methodically
and with every contingency carefully
provided for.
The first step was to assure him.
self beyond question that Miss Earn.
ham was the writer Of the unsigned
letter. This step he was able. by .
piece Of great good fortune. to take
almost Immediately. A bit Of morn
Ing gossip with the obliging clerk Of
the Winnebago house developed the
fact that Doctor Farnham's daughter
had once taught in the free kinder
garten which was one of the CHAIR
table outreachings of the Wahaska
public library. Two blocks east and
one south; Brofin walked them
promptly. made himself known to the
librarian a. visitor interested In kin
dergarten work, and was cheerfully
shown the records. When he turned
to the pages signed charlotte Farm
ham" the last doubt vanished and
assurance was made sure. The anony-
nous letter writer was found.
1t was just here that Matthew Brof-
fin fell under the limitations Of his
trade. Though the detective in real life
10 as little as may be likethe Inspector
Buckets and the Javerts Of fiction. Ger
tain characteristics persist. When he
found himself face to face with the
straightforward expedient, the craft
limitations bound him. He thought OF
q dozen good reasons why he should
make haste slowly; and he recognized
In none Of them the craftsman's slant
toward indirection-the tradition Of
the trade which discounts the straight
forward attack and puts premium
upon the methods of the deer-stalker
Sooner or later. Of course. the at
tack must be made. But only an ap
prentice. he told himself. would b.
foolish enough to make it without
mapping out all the hazards of the
ground over which 1t must be made
In q word. he must place" Miss Farm
ham precisely; make a careful study
OF the young woman and her environ
ment. to the end that every thread o.
advantage should be in his hands wher
he should finally force her to a con
fession. For by now the assumption
that she knew the mysterious banl
robber was no longer hypothetical II
Brofan's mind: 1t had grown to the di
mansions Of conviction,
With the patient curiosity of hi
tribe he suffered no detail. however
trivial. to escape Its jotting down. I,
familiarize himself with the going
and comings Of one young woman. h
made the acquaintance of an entir
town. He knew Jasper Grierson's am
bition. and its fruitage in the practics
ownership Of Wahaska. He knew tina
Edward Raymer had borrowed none
from Grierson's bank-and was likel
to be unable to pay 1t when his note
fell due. He had heard 1t whispere
that there had once been a love affai
between young Raymer and Miss Farr
ham. and that 1t had been broken Of
by Raymers infatuation for Marger
Grierson. Also. last and least impol
tant Of all the gossiping details, as
seemed at the time. he learned thu
: the betwitching Miss Grierson was
creature of fads; that within the pas
month or two she had returned from
: Florida trip. bringing with her q sic
man. total stranger, who had bee
: picked up on the train. taken to tn
: great house on the lake shore an
nursed back to life as Miss Grierson'