Tombstone epitaph., 1915-08-15
POPPY SEED


cates down on top of his tin safe box out of the way and immediately for got them until ten minutes of one. when his trained eye was suddenly at tracted to the top of that box by a quick movement, but the bills were then there. all right. Jackson heard a low whisper which sounded like the word General and was about to reach for the bills, to put them in a safer place. when a shot blazed out, not two feet In front of him. a bullet nipped his hand. and be drew 1t back sharply with a twinge of pain. leaped oil his stool. and scanned the sur prised. frightened faces of the GUS toners outside the bars. The line had been broken up by the effect of the shot. and it was impossible to tell pulled the trigger.
 "Jackson's eye3 returned mechan- ically to the bunch Of bills for which he had reached. They were gone, Twenty thousand-dolIar bills stolen while the paying teller's eyes were oil his money for one confused in- stant,
 The two bank detectives and the doorman had drawn their revolyers at the sound of the shot, and rushed to protect the doors. but before they could reach them several alarmed customers had dashed into the street, and probably the bank sneak was among them.
 T rushed out of my room. pushed through the panicky crowd. told the | detectives to lock the doors, and stop ped in front of the chief teller's win dow.
 What was it. Jackson" I asked. "'Twenty thousand he said. I didn't see it. but it must have been a sneak. The shot confused me; when I looked up. couldn't make out who I did it. That's all, Mr. Hardy" There's a crowd out there yet" said Poe quickly. Ask them what they saw"
 MT Farley stepped to the door. and called out to the roomful, Did you see anything of this. any of you?" A wiry little southern gentleman, a well-known cotton merchant, step ped up. tugged at his dropping mus ! tache, and remarked
 T was standing. sir. next in line beside the teller's window, and the bullet must have come as close to me as the one that grazed my elbow at Pickett's charge; but it's my opin- ion. sir. though there was a powerful i explosion, that the shot was fired from the street or the door. by Cad, sir"
 Couldn't have been," cut in a pon- derous. low-browed foreigner, who proved to be the very Spanish mer- chant for whom Jackson had provided the bills T was standing right be- hind this man, and the gun went on right behind me. The shot sounded, BoomI right in my ear"
 That's strange" answered Farley, glancing at the Spaniard's broad hand, his check for the twenty thousand dollars trembling slightly between a thick thumb and forefnger. Looks as though the powder singed you. Whats that on your hand. Gonzales ?''
 The merchant glanced at a big hand "That's-that's-well. maybe the powder did burn me. Didn't tell you 1t was closer"
 And who stood behind you in the line, Mir Gonzales?" came the quick question.
 The merchant dropped his eyes confused.
 'I don't know It looked like MT Reiliy's clerk there" be stammered
 The young man In question. whc had come to cash a check for his employers payroll. flushed. and said he guessed he was behind Gonzales though he couldn't remember. ht hadn't noticed, everything had hap pened so quickly.
 As unnecessary precaution ever! man in the bank submitted to [ search before the big outside door. were unlocked, and even then Farley asked Jackson, Gonzales, and Mir Reilly's clerk to confer with him ir his office.
 The conference developed nothinl of importance. but it gave time fol the two bank detectives tc station l themselves outside at a suggestion from Poe, and when Gonzales and thu clerk left the building their trail
 were diligently taken up by the soft , footed pair lying in wait
 P-esiden. Farley had no sooner dis l missed them than Poe rose. paSse' } his smooth, firm hand through his uI ] standing touzle of brown hair in : movement habitual with him. an - said:
 Really. I can't recall anything i ! my experience to fit the case. It i l evident the usual bank sneak's metf
 cd has not been used. We must loo 7 for what the detectives call a clue. f There's nothing to go by but th s bulles-hole in the ceiling: it seem E that the bullet went almos d straight up after it nipped Jackson !. hand"
 }, That rather conflicts with tn n statement of the depositor neare' L. the window who thought the bullt p was fired from the front door," ol if ! scrvad Doc