Evening star., 1925-02-01

Thus with elegant care and ef-
| fortress skill he established a thou
sand witnesses at one end of the line
who could swear on oath that Mr..
Wilfrid Wilderson, smart, dapper, alert
little Mr.. Wilfrid Wilderson. had been
an honored and respected citizen of ST.
Adams for at least two years to their
definite knowledge: and that he
hadn't left the town for months on
end. At the other end almost as
many were quite convinced that poor
old Pogarty, who, alas, was failing
fast, had discharged his skilled and
arduous duties faithfully and well
at the bank for as long as they could
remember.
The only possible weakness was the
train. 1t was the one connectin e
link that, unfortunately, could not be
eliminated. He had thought OF maxi
ing the journey by car, stopping at
some lonely point on the road and
getting into 1t TO change, but that
would have created an even more no.
table link at the garage. Further
more, it would necessitnte his learn
ing to drive car, an expedient
which at his time Of life would be
indiscreet, to say the least. So the
train 1t had to be. and his season
ticket was held In the name of VIII
derson.
The last and final preparation occa-
stoned him q good deal OF thoughtful
study. 1t concerned the demise Of
Mr.. Jerold Pogarty. The ideal loca-
tion for that old boys tragic exit had
long been firmly fixed in his mind.
1t was an ideal place. There was
not the slightest shadow OF a doubt
OF II. That little strip of coast where
England peeps across at the Isle OF
Wight carried features that dove
tailed in perfectly with every single
one of his requirements.
He spent his Summer holidays there
for two years running, maturing his
plans and perfecting his arrange
ments without the slightest suspicion
OF haste or hurry. He took Gosport
as his center. From there he hir ed
out little sailing dinghies and went
for long, invigorating trips down the
green waters OF the Solent, going
right up close to the mammoth hom-
ing liners. He lowered the little
stunsl, stood up In the boat, and
cheered Justify as the splendid yes
sells swung grandly past him and
rounded the point for Southampton.
The boatmen smiled at him. He
was a quaint little figure, old MT.
Pogarty. Some said he had the sea
in his blood. but II had been denied
he didn't find out until II was too
late that he was born OF the old
woman Of the sea. But he certainly
had an abounding. exultlng pride IN
the great ships that came IN from
the far ends of the oceans.
Even after his plans were all COM
plete and ready for fulfllment, he
still, dallled with his scheme. He
was obsessed with the skill and the
hp1 ~ Te snl = H.
sense to a point OF quiet rapture. He
thought OF it as beautifully con-
structed machine, waiting stationary.
ready at a touch on the master key
to slip smoothly into a veritable poem
of motion.
LIE waited for the Summer, and
l. then pressed the master key. on
that day he took up his pen and
wrote a few figures on the wrong side
of the legal line. Tho thing was sim
pllcity itself, merely the writing of
the right figures in the wrong
ledgers. Mr.. Pogarty went down to
the strong room with the ledgers and
returned without them. In his inside
pocket were 100000 in notes and
bearer bonds.
He sat in his chair, appalled, at the
simplicity of crime. He was one Of
the eight men in that building privi-
legged to enter the vaults.
My dear Mr.. Wilderson," he said
judicially to himself, isn't it amaz-
ing what simple, tiny, insignificant
little actions can make a man a
criminal? The mere twitching Of a
f1nger-the gallows! A simple Yes
instead of an equally simple NO in
a court OF law-Dartmoor. The mere
inscription of the right figures in the
wrong sequence living tomb of
isolation in a sepulcher OF silence.
Awful to contemplate"
II have long pondered the same
painful thought" smiled Mr.. Wilder
son, his fngertips pressed benignly
together. Modern progress seems TO
have created system wherein It Is