The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-11-08
, yHEN his office stenographer an


" invincible head of the famous
United Bankers Protective as
ISOLATION, had gone to Rio Janeiro, Bra
Zil, on a secret and important mission,
l smiled to myself. 1t was true that
for several days the secretary of the
association had attended to the duties
of the office. 1t was also true that
Marveps bachelor quarters uptown
were closed and the shades drawn. He
was no longer present at his accus-
toned haunts. l, his favored friend,
had not seen him since the Tuesday
previous. For all that, l doubted if
this secret agent and protector of the
city's banks was one and identical
with the Resilius Marvel whose minor
office force supposed him to be a thou
sand miles distant.
The more l revived the last occasion
upon which | had seen him, the more
certain was I that my informant was
mistaken, and some one else double
crossed" l applied this phrase at the
time with casual glibness. little
dreamed how pat was my surmise I'M
til events progressed. Upon the eve
ming referred to l had strolled over to
Marvels room for quiet smoke and
chat, to find him packing a grip.
Rush call" he announced briskly.
TITS a brief journey, a consultation
and small fortune, this time"
1 expressed my regret at losing his
company. l repressed my intense Gu
riosity. He never wasted words to no
purpose, never made untimeIy dis
closures. When he got ready, or the
minute was right, or time developed
the circumstances, | would be duly
appraised, knew.
Sit down." he directed, leading me
into little den off the main apart
ment. Il have something to tell YOU"
and he pointed to a sheet of tissue pa
per spread across a stand.
l noted a nondescript assemblage of
some matches, what suggested shoe
scrapings, little heap of hard black
einders, a jagged piece of parafI1ne
paper and a pile of crisp brittle ashes.
I'm the first place. narrated Marvel,
"a letter was slipped through the door
slot into my metal mail box yesterday
evening, and am unable to determine
its contents. In plain words, a missive
intended for me was destroyed Some
one knew it was coming to me, or had
arrived, and slid lighted matches
through the slot until the letter was
burned up"
@yust after noon today" resumed
Marvel Il had visitor He presented
a card which announced him to be
Senior Marco Valdez, a business man
of Rio Janeiro, Brazil. He did not pre-
possess me favorably from the start.
In fact, he had not been with me more
than two minutes before I traced an
alterior design in his mission and
straightway lent myself to his leading
He had baited his trap with five thou
sand dollars, and to his way of think
ing l fell into it body and heels. There
was family trouble at Rio. serious
trouble with the various branches of
The Valdez family, rich as it was, pow
erful as it always had been. Bankers
eattlemen, exporters, their family in
terests were in peril from circum-
stance of which l would be appraised
when l reached Rio-With sealed in
Btructions, mind you; for, although he
had Travelled far to engage me at the
suggestion of the president of a New
York bank, he must leave an eXp1ana-
ton as to how and why my services
we're required to his brother, Colonel
Valdez, Of Rio Janeiro. My visitor pro
suced five one-thousanddoilar bank
notes, and requested me to designate a
bank where he should deposit them,
subject to my order upon my return
from my mission. He further rendered
4 memoranda OF a contract to be
o. KID by his brother. Two million
dollars was involved in the case.
Should I succeed in accomplishing
shat his brother would direct, was to
receive ten per cent of this enormous
sam"
quite a speculation" l suggested.
$50 rich and promising" observed
Marvel in his dry, wise way, that l ac-
eepted at once. The details were gone
over. l am expected to leave on the
evening fast mail. The office can run
itself on routine work until l return.
II you feel lonesome, drop over here
once in while" and he handed me a
duplicate key to the apartments.
And you may return more speedily
than you now PLAN" l suggested.
Possibly. After all was said and
done" continued my friend, my Wis
Etnr proceeded on his trip-to Denver,
think he said. Then l sat down to
cogitate over some flaws in his story.
One-he said he had been at his hotel
all the morning See exhibits l and
2. meaning that little heap of cinders,
and next to it that pile of shoe scrap
ings. l took pains to place brim
up on newspaper the hat my visitor
wore, shaking these cinders off the
rim They came from a locomotive,
reckon, thereby indicating that my
client lied to me, and that he had been
sitting at the open window of a rail
way car just before he reached here
AS to the shoe scrapings, they are the
racuIf of contact of tho colo of bic