New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-15

on his way to the police station Bar
ney was sound asleep in his bed at
home, tucked in by his mother. And
it was not till he arrived at the Bah
bing Bureau next morning that hA
remembered Harper. There was a
note on his desk: "Chief will call
you to his Office about TO-"
AS soon as he entered Babbing's
door the detective said: 81 under.
stood you to report that no one was
shadowing Mr.. Harper"
Harper was sitting there, mas.
sively composed.
"Yes, sir"
"Mr. Harper tells me-" Babbine
said, "that detective got into his
house yesterday, disguised as an
electrician, on the pretext of renew.
ing the light bulbs"
II didn't cover the house." Barney
replied.
"He was detailed" Babbing ex.
planned, "to see whose men were fol-
lowing you on the street. He found
no one at it,"
II think you'd better put man o.
sthe job" Harper grunlbled.
II don't think you'll feel that wa7
when you hear his report. / wantta
go over it with you. Sit down, Bar.
ney."
Barney sat down, alertly.
"He finds" Babbing said, glancins
over his typewriter sheets, that the
anonymous letters could not have
come from Mr.. Van Amberg."
why not?"
Because Van Amberg intercepted
them before they reached your wife.
She has never received them.'
Harper turned on Barney. Glow
do you know that?"
Barney nodded to the paper in
Babbing's hands, as if it contained
the answer.
at doesn't matter how we know
it," Baobing said. 'Tt's fact"
Harper glanced suspiciously from
one to the other. The boys face was
an ingenious mask. Babbing tapped
the typewriter pages. "He also
reports" he said. "that you're prob
ably sending these anonymous letters
yourself"
Harper took it without culver.
"Well," he said, rising, "Ive no time
to waste on this sort of nonsense"
you're not wasting it," Babbing
assured him. you're employing it
very proftably. Your wife has been
i'll. With typhoid fever. She's re-
covering. But she has made will
appointing her brother trustee Of her
estate-in the event of her DEATH
till her son comes Of age"
"What's that got to DO with you?'
Nothing whatever" Babbing said
"But great deal to do with you As
long as she lives, I understand, you'll
continue in your present position
But if she dies, you see, you'll
lose it,"
Harper was very coolly pale, and
he confronted BahAing's critical
scrutiny with firm scowl. What
the devil are you trying to insinu-
ate?"
THAT you've been very wise in
making study of the typhoid bacil-
lus. No doubt you're experimenting
to produce the anti toxin. Eh?"
Harper sat down again quickly.
"You can't say thing ike that to
me and get away with it. Now
- you, what do you mean?"
Babbing smiled at him, in ironical
silence, contemptuously. 1--WE been
in this game for forty years. Did
you think that you could sit into it,
for the first time in your life, and
make a fool Of me? Barney, show
this crook the quickest way to the
hall" He jerked nod in the direc-
ton of the door. He added, as he
dipped his pen: Ill send you my
bill as soon as my men report their
expenses"
"Blackmail, eh?" Harper said,
hoarsely.
Babbing replied, in the voice of abb
straction: "Worse than that. Ruin,
if you don't behave yourself. |
haven't enough evidence to convince
a jury, perhaps, but I've enough to
satisfy Eugene Van Amberg and his
sister" He was signing his letters.
you'll tread gently for the rest Of
your days, you sneaking parasite.
And if you so much as put toe out
side the straight path II have you
flung into the Broad Street cutters
like drunken bum. You can go.'
This way" Barney said, and
threw the door open.
Harper hesitated, tugging his hat
down on his forehead in a manner 81