Evening star., 1924-12-10
CHAPTER IT.
Clues and False Leads.

].
1t was around quarter past S
o'clock when l got back to the Ma
rtonal MetalurgicaL | found II diff
cult TO realize that only an hour had
passed since | had landed with my
father at the seaplane jetty on the
west side Of Battery Park. and | had
a feeling that the time should have
been close TO noon al least, for the
hour had been crammed with Incl
dent and impression.
A number of the bank executives
had arrived, and the place already
had Mustered air of activity. The
chief accountant was with my father
and | judged by the look of him that
he was a very scared man. APP
parently he and the president had
heen calculating on the banks losses,
for as | came into the room the old
man drew firm line under two rows
Of figures he had written on d small
piece Of paper
"A good haul. Risbridscr," my
father was saying casually. Two
hundred and ffty-three thousand five
hundred dollars in gold. Two hun
dred and thjrty-four thousand seven
hundred in securities But God knows
why they didn't take AL we had. You
had better see about broadcasting the
descriptions and numbers of the
securities. and inform the police. l.
the thieves have not succeeded in
getting out OF the country, We may
get line on them. should they at
tempt TO dispose of the scrip. See to
this at once. will you?'
The white-faCed official Scurried
away, glad to have som ething to oc-
cupy his mind, and my father turned
10 me.
told him everything I had picked
up. and he listened without comment
until I had finished.
Mn" he said That's a queer
thing about the gold furnishing.
what do you make Of it. SOM"
"I don't know quite what to make
Of it, I told him. My mind some
how connects II with whatever was
used TO dope the watchmen and the
police. The stuff would have to be
distributed in such a way that its
fumes could be breathed The whole
affair has such unusual features it
might even prove that If We were to
discover what had sent every one to
sleep we might land on the thing
that tarnished Jaxon's watch and the
policeman's locket I don't know OF
anything that has such an effect on
gold, nor of anything capable of pro-
ducing the anesthesia. I'm inclined
10 think some sort of gas was used.
! ne IrSt Clf1CultN We re up against
is that none of the sufferers were
conscious of even the slightest
smell"
'Whew." my father whistled. a
new gas, eh? II you're right, Jim
my, we're up against a big thing.
When a gang of crooks can put the
whole of the Wal street district to
sleep and get away with it, can you
prophesy where the game finds its
iimit?'
1T opens up limit!ess possibilities"
l agreed.
There's no saying where this
mornings work Will end" the old
man unused. LAS it stands, if the
other banks have been d 5 easily en-
tered as We have. there's the max
ings of a fine old panic"
III there's going to be ructions,
dad-don't you think you'd better
meet them in comfort? What about
a, bath and breakfast ."
The old man surprised me by let
ting out a sudden little laugh. with
a queer note in it. as If some hidden
chord in his memory had been struck.
You're like your mother. Jimmy"
ne said, after a pause. You have her
fair hair and gray eyes, and when You
said that cou d fancy it was she
who spoke. You see. son, life was
pretty full of ructions in the old days,