Year: 1879

hint at all to follow.


Nine days had gone by since / had
come to T. turned into q beer
garden In the neighborhood of the town
one evening, and sat down near we'll
lighted bowling-alley, in which about
ten gentleman were busy at a game
My seat was rather in the shade. Ipaid
little attention to the players, but leaned
my head upon my hand and reviewed
the defeat had sustained and the small
estimation in which should be held,
for sake of it, by my colleagues and
chief at home, feeling altogether ex-
tremely out of humor. Suddenly an
ill.thrown ball rolled almost to my
feet.


"A miss, miss ~ shouted several
voices together, while one cried, "Why,
Bottcher, is your hand not even yet re-
coveredp You are not complaining of
it still ?''


l felt like huntsman in forest who
sees the game at his guns end. / was
on the alert that second. lost no time
in finding out all Herr Bottcher's ante
cedents. He was a merchant, one of
Frau Friedow's connections, and an
occasional visitor at her house. He was
continual guest at this place of enter
tainment. brought the doctor here
next evening, and set him to work steal
thily considering my game. My discom-
future was great when he fatty refused
to identify Herr Bottcher and his patient
as one and the sameperson. They might
be one, he confessed; but then-they
might not.


| If the medico turned rusty, like this,
| 1t seemed to me utterly useless to bring
hither the ferrywoman on like errand.
/ must trust to myself alone. We Off
cials have two methods of doing business
of this sort. We use the long or short
line, according as either seems most
likely to suit. determined to try one
after the other.


In order to put Bottcher quite off the
the scent, went now to the host of this
house of entertainment, and introduced
myself to him as Hamburg agent for
the forbidden lotteries. begged him to
keep this close, but saw very plainly
by his face that he intended doing moth
ing of the sort. Next morning, to my
great contentment, / found myself out
wardly under the supervision of the
town police and generally regarded by
the public as shabby individual.


meantime was as busy as ever, but
it was little discovered. Herr Bottcher
was certainly not in good repute amongst
his fellows. Nevertheless, could hear
of no particular difficulty in which he
had fallen of late, although did learn
that he had, three weeks since, made a
hasty journey. One little fact, however,
seemed to be of great worth. Herr
Bottcher these times slept badly, and
was wont to rise often by night and pace
up and down the garden.


lay lurking for two entire nights
uuder bushes In this same plat !; but dur
ing all those weary hours whoever did
come to this place, Herr Bottcher un-
fortunately did not, and in the garden l
could find no trace of any hidden treas
ure or likelihood of such.


fell into greater despair than before.
What could doY Upon one side my
absolute certainty of having tracked my
man on the other, no earthly means of
bringing home his guilt. If only had
sufficient ground to demand a search
through the rascal's house, but 1 had
not. One afternoon was walking up
and down my room considering, when
the post brought me brief but concise
and decisive dispatch from my chief:


Return Immediately unless all mat
ters are in train. Give up. Your presence
here is necessary"


This order was like a thunderclap in
my ears. My commanding officer was
plainly displeased at my long delay
Should simply throw the cards down
and venture all on one trick this same
evening, SO as to be ready to depart to-
morrow, at furthestp decided for the
last alternative.


Twelve gentlemen sat in the town
club-room. My friend made one of
them. To his great surprise, sat down
close to him and began to talk little.
Presently our nearest neighbor stood up
and departed, to my great joy. / bent
over Bottcher now and whispered that
had weighty matter to talk over with
him.


"What may 1t be ?n he inquired