The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-10-11


! $4,000 check. Mr. Clay has not seen
! her since, nor anyone else, so far as
/ We have been able to discover. At
/ the moment when the young lady
( passed out of this bank she passed
/ into obscurity. Our floor detective
! has made some casual investigation.
He has found no trace of the move
! a. m, May IS, no clew nor hint of a
1 clew as to her present whereabouts.
She has vanished completely"
The letter l asked for said Mar
vel briefly, in his mandatory, decisive
way; and when | had prepared and
/ delivered it he left the bank without
/ another word, his thoughts envelop-
ing him in a silent, battling mood
knew his habits too well to intrude
/ upon.
The loss of $4,000 was not much
! for an institution of our financial in
! tegrity. and so far as he was person
ally concerned our president would
ordinarily have been content to
/ charge it off to profit and loss &C
count. However, when Resilius Mar
J We! entered a case he was certain to
bring to light the goods or at
least some development that express
/ ed lucidity and satisfaction.
/ The bank was just closing that aft
| ernoOn when my friend reappeared.
AS he came into the private Office the
president was just putting on his
| gloves preparatory to taking his au-
tomobiIe for the club. He paused
with his usual genial nod to Marvel,
/ and stepped within the room and lin
gered for a moment
Il presume it is a plain case and
the bank is $4,000 OUT" he observed
Hardly" was the prompt response.
The case, however. calls for some
attention possibly several thousand
miles from here"
Then there is a chance?" was sug-
gested hopefully.
Il shall want the best man in the
bank and my good friend" replied
Marvel, placing his hand on my Shout
der
That is foregone, since you say it."
smiled our president. IT'S the girl,
| suppose-the forger?"
1t is the girl, yes" assented Mar
vel LAS to her being the forge.-
1 doubt it."
What's that" demanded the pres,
ident, with a start. You don't mean
to say"
Il mean to quote from the CONNER
cal agency patter: considerable CON
servation should be exercised in deal
ings with
Warner Clay?"
Take it So
as that a warning?"
You might act on that basis until
you hear again from me" said Mar
vel
You amaze mel"
Inc president departed. thoughtful
Iy drawing on a glove, an awakened
distrust in his bearing that indicat-
ed a shock
Now, then, you and I will thrash
this thing out" he began First.
though, make your arrangements to
bear me company"
How far?" inquired, sorting over
my short and long distance travelling
satcheIs in ny mind
"Galveston-first You will have
time for preparations. The train
leaves at 8. only want half an hour
just now That is Miss Farrar." He
said, and drew a card photo from his
pocket.
The young lady" I ventured.
'Is at Galveston, or Whereabouts
l saw your esteemed bank client, this
Mr. Warner Clay. | found him as
had pictured him: an elfish, misery
/ being with no thought outside of his
money and getting more. The man is
, financial pervert and sly and
. shrewd as a fox. He positively wei
coined me Then he lied to me and
had him. I left him so well salts
| fed that his word was gold with the
bank, and that my brief visit was a
cursory and superficial bit of routine
, that he will gloat over his fancieG
success for a week to come When
stated that we wanted to go over
his returned checks as a matter OF
= business system, he landed their
: down on me with a frank willingness
' that was almost painful. l even got
: him to give me several samples Of
? his handwriting, BY the way. did yor
ever notice his right hand forefingel
r and thumb?"
2 Of course I had not. Perhaps thu
5 paying teller had, and I said so
Sometime and somehow our Mr.
] Clay has slipped the upper joint D
t that forehnSer out Of plumb" mar
rated my informant ct does no
|, trouble him in eating or cutting cou
= pons, or Tipping over interest money
Nor when he writes a screed will
e straight-going letters does he expe
}. rience any difficulty. A lower loop
C however, is his Nemesis"
; "Nemeais?" I repeated vaguely.
d Not too strong, that, in this case
y The lower loop is the pit I dug TO
It him. and he fell into it. To be plain
Q when Warner Clay signs his name i
t is plain sailing. Even when he makes
0 that downward stroke to form the
in his last name he is all rjuht