The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-09-15
AWAITED the opening of door in

AhdA vel private ONCE
with good deal of interest. Upon
that action hinged something i'm
,portant, and | knew it. Here was
place where small things counted-a
strange room, strange man its mas
ter; only the unusual happened here
Besides that, beyond the door of this,
the headquarters Office of the United
Bankers Protective association, there
were strange sounds. They were i'm
polling and then deterrent; shrill
cackle, more eerie than human, as of
some hunted animal in mortal terror
voice calling distressfully into the
bleak stormy night, like that of Il vic
tim from the outer world being resist
1ngly dragged over the threshold of a
new and uncertain one.
To the inner circle of financial men
given to good comradeship in exclu-
sive club circles, the mention of the
name of Resilius Marvel would bring
a tender glow to heart and brain. 1t
would suggest quaint tale told SO
evenly and entrancingly that the mem
ory Of the tranquil, musical tones
would be like the echo of golden beads
dropped into a crystal dish. In one
mood STEPPED in the ichors Of Thalia.
at Calliope, of Euterpe, of Erato, in
the next following some sloping fancy
Gown a fairy trail Of thought sweet
and refreshing as a field of daisies,
one of the Marvel reminiscent hours
would mean a transformation of lazy
rising rings Of rich Havana smoke into
filmy lace pictures formed of cobwebs
and starshine. His sayings were chaste
as a Tiffany gem, his mind palace.
making men forget for the nonce that
he held the destinies of the great
banks as an egg shell in the palm Of a
giant, lulling them with this NEGRO
NANCY of tone and professional expert
ness into the security of Vision
house.
had not spoken since I entered the
rooms, for saw that Resilius Marvel
was in one of his dark moods. So
we'll did l know him that I at once dis
cerned that he was struggling with
some great case where the dead blank
wall of NO Clue" faced him grimly.
He stood at the window looking out at
the rain-blurred lights of glowing
thoroughfare, just now remindful Of
some woeful Bagdad. Out Of that
world of shadows lone bird beat its
wings against the window. Into its
secret recesses Marvel seemed boring
lis way through obscure labyrinths,
seeking that which he must find. Fifty
framing the picture was wall COW
cred with duplicates of famous forged
checks, portraits of the great counter
feiters, cabinet sections containing
odd trophies of his career. Here was
a stamped brick from Assyria four
thousand years old-"the Book Of the
Dead"-one line of the hieroglyphics
of which had solved an international
mystery. Next was rude seal from
the Beloki Congo, wrested from the
possession of a native chief who had
flooded the country with "phoney"
government scrip until Resilius Mar
vel had found him. Next was an ivory
fan from Turkestan with sangulnary
streak that was the blood Of prime
ess, fragment from a dynamited
American steel pillar Of linda that
could have told racy tale of smooth |
contractor. And bullying scrap book,
clasped and locked like a bank code |
ledger, containing his private person |
al notes on the new generation of bank |
criminals, modern in education as In |
an appreciation Of the value at the
graver's tool, "the drag" the raised |
check manipulation, the automobile as
assets to crime against obsolete police
methods.
Always there was an air of complete
stiffness in this inner room. At the |
disturbing sound without Resilius Mar
vel turned-distracted, and therefore |
annoyed His eye fell upon Lott, his
servitor, who, velvet-shod, noiselessly
opened the door and closed 1t after him.
The man had face like one of those
you see on old Roman medals, an &C
ouaintance with the moods and ways
of his master that enabled him to Ques-
ton intelligently and to respond
Through a look, hand movement, a
mere expression of the lips. Lott was
of three generations who had given
their entire lives to the production OF
four famous statues-one at the GENE
terry OF Genoa, three at the beautiful
Pere lie Chaise at Paris. He was
theorist as to the sense Of smell. bold
ing that he could analyze a man by
seeming his favorite dish. At him now
in sharp silent challenge Marvel
looked.
know not what telepathic system
hridged the chasm Of inquiry and re-
snonse. but at once Marvel straight |
ened up magically as if touched by
sharp mental prod. Then he glanced
ot me and further knew that he had
made some new and important dis
coverv in the Paget case.
When / had first entered this room |
felt sure that Marvel was preoccu-
MED and that, too, over the case l
have mentioned. In fact had come
there on that business, being bank
man and myself interested in its out
come. To Marvel the banks were
something more than clients-they
we're as children who went topping
down the line like tilted cards, once
ctarted in panic. 1t was for this rea'
son. when the Clearing House after