The Pensacola journal., 1917-08-16
Magnesium powder"

ana Keep quiet. Shut your eyes-turu
your face away"
There was a flash. binding. then a
steady. brilliant burst of noLseless, pene-
trating flame.
Anita had expected an explosion.
instead she found that her eyes hurt
She had not closed them tightly quick
enough
sun, Constance's warning had been
suthcient to prevent any damage to
the sight. and she slowly recovered
Actually, the burning powder seem
ed TO be sinking into the very steel
OF the safe itself, as If IL had bcun
mere ice,
Was it az optical illusion. a freak Of
"Wh-what is it," she wnispered I'm
awe. drawing closer to her friend.
Ihermlt' whispered Constance in
reply. as the two watched the clowing
mass fascinated, AN invention OF a
German chemist named Goldschmidt
II Will burn hole right througa
Sleet-at terrific temperature. three
thousand or more degrees"
The almost burned rur mass seemed
TO fall into the safe as II il had been
a wooden box instead Of chrome steel
They waited a moment. still blink
ing, to regain control over their eyes
in spite Of the care they had used to
shield them.
In the top Of the safe yawned
hole large enough to stick ones hand
and arm through,
Constance reached into the safe and
drew out something on which she
flashed the pocket light
There was bundle after bundle Of
checks, the personal checks Of A noethodi-
cal business man. carefully preserved
Hastily she looked them over. All
seemed to be perfectly stralght--payments
10 tradesmen. to real estate agents. pay
ments OF all sorts, all carefully labeled
oh, he'd never let anything like that
lie around" remarked Anita. as she be-
gan to comprehend what Constance was
after.
Constance was scrutlnizing some OF the
checks more carefully than others Sud
denly she held one up to the light Ap-
parently 1t was in payment of legal
services.
Quickly she took the little bottle OF
brownish fluid which she had brought
with the sponge,
She dipped the sponge in it lightly and
brushed Il over the check. Then she
leaned forward breathlessly.
"Eradicating ink is simply a bleaching
process" she remarked, which leaves
the iron of the ink as a white oxide in
stead OF a black oxide. The proper re-
agent will restore the original color
partially and at least for a time All
yes-it is as I thought There have been
erasures in these checks Other names
have been written in on some of them
in place OF those that We're originally
there. The sulphide OF ammonia ought
to bring out anything that is hidden here
There, family was the original writ
ing. 1t read. Pay to the order of
Helen Brett"
Mrs. Douglas with difficulty restrained
an exclamation Of anger and hatred at
the mere sight Of the name OF the other
woman.
He was careful" remarked Constance.
Reckless at first in giving checks-he
has tried to cover IT up. He didn't want
to destroy them, vet he couldn't have
such evidence about. So he must have
altered the name on the Cancelled vouch-
ers after they were returned to him
paid by the bank. Very clever-very.''
Constance reached into the safe again
There were some personal and some bust
| ness letters. some old check books some
silver and gold trinkets and table silver
She gave low exclamation. She had
found a packet of letters and a shcaf
of typewriter flimsy tissue paper pages.
Mrs Douglas uttered a little cry. quick
ly suppressed. The letters were those I'm
her own handwriting addressed to Lynn
Munro.
Here are Drummond's reports. too
Constance added.
She looked them hastily over. The
damning facts had been massed in a way
that must inevitably have prejudiced any
Jase for the defense that Mrs. Douglas
might set up
"There-there's all the evidence against
you" whispered Constance hoarseIy,
handing It over to Anita. ITS all yours
again Destroy it."
In her eagerness, with trembling hands.
Anita had torn up the whole mass OF in
eliminating papers and had cast them
into the fireplace. She was just about
to strike a match.
Suddenly there came a deep voice from
the stairs
"Well-what's all this?'
Anita dropped the match from her
nerveless hands. Constance felt an arm
grasp her tightly. For moment q chill
ran over her at being caught in the
nefariOus work OF breaking and entering
dwelling-house at night The hand
was Anita's. but the voice was that OF
a man.
Lights flashed all over the house at
once, from a sort OF electric light system
that could he instantly lighted and would
act as a burglar expeler."
II was Douglas himself He was staring
angriIy at his wife and the stranger with
ner.
"weH?" he demanded with cold aar-
casm. why this-this burglary?'
Before he could quite take in the stu
alton. with a quick motion. Constance
struck a match and touched II to the
papers in the fireplace.
As they blazed up he caught sight Of
what they were and almost Ieaped across
the floor.
Constance laid her hand on tis arm
"One moment, Mr. Douglas" she said
quietly. Look at that
"Who-who the devil are your he
gasped whats all this?''
Il think" remarked Constance slowly
and quietly. that your wife is now IN
a position to prove that you-well, don't
come into court with clean hands, If
you attempt to do so. Besides, you
know the courts rather f-oWn on de
tectives that practice coIluson and con-
spiracy and frame up evidence, to say
nothing Of trying to blsckmail the vic
tins. I thought perhaps you'd prefer
not to say anything about this-er-vislU
| tonight-after you saw that"
Constance had quietly laid one Of the
/ erased checks on the library table Again