The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-10-04


and stepped within the room and lin
gered for 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 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. tits the girl,
I suppose-the forger?"
st is the girl, yes assented Mar
vel. Gas to her being the forger-
l doubt it."
Whats that" demanded the pres
ident, with start. You don't mean
to say"
Il mean to quote from the CONNER
cial agency patter: considerable con-
servation should be exercised in deal
ings with
Warner Clay?"
Take it so"
is that warning?"
You might act on that basis until
you hear again from me-" said MAJ
vel.
you amaze mel"
The president departed, thoughtful
ly drawing on a glove, an awakened
distrust in his bearing that indicat-
ed a shock.
Nov, then, you and 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
satchels in my mind.
"Galveston-first. You will have
time for preparations. The train
leaves at s. l only want half an hour
just now. That is Miss Farrar." He
said, and drew card photo from his
pocket.
"The young lady" I ventured.
us at Galveston, or thereabouts.
l saw your esteemed bank client, this
Mr. Warner Clay. l 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 fox He positively well
coined me- Then he lied to me and>
had him. 1 left him so well salts
bank, and that my brief visit was a
cursory and superficial bit of routine,
that he will gloat Over his fancied
success for week to come. When +
stated that we wanted to go over
his returned checks as a matter Of
down on me with a frank willingness
that was almost painful. 1 even got
him to give me several samples of
his handwriting. BY the way, did you
ever notice his right hand forefinger
and thumb?"
OF course / had not Perhaps the
paying teller had, and l said 80.
Sometime and somehow our Mr..
Clay has slipped the upper joint of
that forefinger out Of plumb" mar
rated my informant "It does not
trouble him in eating, or cutting cou-
pons, or Tipping over interest money.
Nor when he writes screed with
straight-going letters does he expe-
rience any difficulty A lower loop,
however, is his Nemesis"
Nemesis" / repeated vaguely.
mot too strong, that, in this case.
The lower loop is the pit l dug for
him, and he fell into it. To be plain,
when Warner Clay signs his name it
is plain sailing. Even when he makes
that downward stroke to form the y
in his last name, he is all right.
| Where he comes to turn, however,
call it looping the loop'-that mis-
placed joint in his forefinger jars the
nerve. If he let the pen have free
play it would wander and scribble all
over the paper, BY study and train
! ing, however, he is enabled to in
stantly stop the pen by pressing down
upon it, give his lame joint rest
and twist, get new start and wind
up the y quite creditably. Only"
Resilius Marvel drew from his peck
ct check 953. also a sheet OF paper on
which he had the recent handwriting
samples from our client, also the re-
turned May checks. He placed them
before me.
Feel of those signatures" he di-
rected. No, not that way-catch the
signature space between your thumb
and forefinger. Do you notice any
protuberance in the lower surface?''
"N-no." l was forced to admit, and
called attention to the usual calloused
condition of a bank mans finger tips
Take the magnifying glass then,
ordered Marvel. Now, them"
saw what he intended should
see. Minute, scarcely perceptible to
the naked eye, there was almost g
hole through the check surface wher
ever the loop of the In Clay was