J
KID CLOUD, X1B1AIIA, CHIEF
n
'
i!
Fl
s
I
I
I I
KKXCTK:o:orocox'
The Strange Adventures
of Christopher Poe
StoHts of Strang Cast Sotwdtn Start by a Bankcr-Ditocth
By ROBERT CARLTON BROWN
(Copyright. 1915, by W. O. Chapman.)
THE GOLD SWEATERS
B
V
K
i
V
a-KMC-a-a-aa-ae-
Christopher Poe, dog-tired, turned
off the light, and (ell asleep, sprawled
at full length on a roomy davenport.
It was after midnight when ho stirred
for the flrat time, stretched languidly,
and opened his eyei. In a moment he
realUod that he wu In hli own rooms,
And the discomfort of having slept In
his clothes became apparent
A soft-chlmlng clock In the next
room sounded In unison with the door
bell. The doorbell rang again. Poe lis
tened for his man to answer, but there
was not a step to bo heard In reply.
"Couldn't be anybody but a night
watchman at thlB hour or Hums!"
exclaimed the banker, straightening
bis rumpled clothes and stepping Into
the hall. With anticipatory eagerness
he flung wide the apartment door.
"Hello, Burns!" he crlod. "Guessed
It was you. Hut you ought to be
home In bed."
"No. No. I had enough sleep. I
can't drug myself with It as you do.
I was at the office by three this after
noon." Burns hurried In, slammed the
door bohlnd him, looked about anx
iously to mako euro that Poe was
alone, glanced at his friend's clothes,
and smiled.
"You havo been sleeping since 1
left?" he queried.
"Every mlnuto!" exclaimed Poe.
"And I fool like a boy. Though I
would like to pull these things off and
get Into somothlng decent."
"Keep 'em on, keep 'em on," said
Burns, dropping into a loungy leath
ern chair and exhaling a long, pent
up breath.
Poe stood tall and straight by com
parison to his friend bunched In tho
halr, though ho was a Uttlo bolow av
erage height Stopping to a switch In
tho wall, ho turned on a light which
Illumined Burns' faco.
"Something now In tho bad-money
Jfno?" ho asked, as Burns pulled
forth hU right hand, which had been
thrust deep In his pockot, and threw
open his clenched flngors, displaying
throo gold coins on his moist palm.
"Thoy'ro badly worn!" observed
Poo.
"It's Undo Sam's own money this
time," answered Burns. "You're right,
they're worn. And look at tho date!
Poe picked up tho double eaglo
which lay between two slnglo ones,
and whlBtled his surprise as ho read
tho date, "1013."
"Worst of It 1b," continued Burns,
"they Btuck our own bank on them.
Every branch uptown had been tak
ing them for a week or two." A
worried look camo into his faco; ho
leaned forward anxlouBly, looking at
tho coins. "I can't mako head nor tail
out of thlB thing."
"Head and tail seem to bo about tho
samo," replied ChrltJtphcr Poo, weigh
ing tho coin on bis finger tips, sensi
tive through years of actual money
handling in bank-tellers' cages, and
still kept In practice by his avocation
of solving crimes against banks.
"Focls llko the vintage of '72, and
yet dated this year," ho continued.
"Thoy must havo used an entirely new
process in sweating. It can't bo acid;
tho edges aro never worn this thin,
and the lettors would be sharper.
You soo that it is qulto smoothed
down, particularly at tho centers."
"Yes, I know. I had an idea or two
on the thing myself, but I'm all balled
up on It," agreed Burns. "They're all
this year's coins that have been tam
pered with, and they're worn as con
sistently smooth as that ten-dollar
gold pleco you read about, with which
the follow paid back what ho had bor
rowed from hlB friend, and tho friend
paid his tailor, tho tailor paid tho coin
to tho doctor, tho doctor gavo It to tho
grocer and tho grocer "
"By tho way," cut In Poo, hefting
another of tho reduced coins on hlB
sensitive finger tips, "didn't a lot of
this light stuff como In through tho
grocers?"
"Why, yes," cried Burns. "How'd
you know that? Confound It! I
worked all ovenlng getting Information
on that. I know I'd never bo nolo to
handle this alone."
"Good! Tho mlnuto you Bald up
town I thought of tho grocers In that
particular part of Manhattan island.
Thero's a reason. You'll know why
later."
Christopher Poo smiled dreamily;
his violet oyes, usually vivid, becamo
vaguo, and he absently picked up a
granlto paper wolght, placed ono of
the gold coins flat on Its faco against
tho Btono, and rubbed it back and forth
for two or three minutes musingly. At
length he turned to Burns, who sat
with lingers knit contemplatively, his
gazo fixed on the paper weight and
colu In Christopher Poo's Angers.
"Thero'B been nobody at all sweat
ing coins slnco that Denver gang waB
caught threo years ago, has thoro?
Poe asked.
"No, 1 can't remember oven any
small sweating being reported."
Christopher Poo smiled broadly, the
corners of his lips joining tils nostrllB
In deep wrinkles, as they Invariably
did when ho was lost In thought.
"New York is such a silly placo for
any one to try passing lightened gold
coins.
fancy San
any city near the other coast where
they are more apt to test paper cur
rency with their teeth than metal
money. But then," Poo laughed, "they
are the greatest children in the world,"
his lips drew down soberly, "but the
nastiest rascals on earth to deal with."
"Who? Criminals, you mean?"
cried Burns, leaning forward, having
failed to catch the connection.
"No. Sicilians."
"Sicilians! What about them? You
were talking about criminals."
"I know, but I was thinking all the
time about those broad-shouldered,
swaggering, swarthy fellows from the
wondrous Italian Isle.
"Then you think there Is a gang of
Sicilians behind this flux of defalcated
money?"
"Oh, It's only tho merest notion,"
Poe hurriedly assured Burns, who waa
by this time sitting on the absolute
edgo of bis chair, endeavoring to read
Poo's theory in his manner. "The only
thing wo know Is that grocers, deal
ers Is butter and eggs, vegetables and
tho like, have been depositing these
puny coins quite generally In uptown
Now York."
"That's all. But how In the world
do you gather from that that the peo-
plo behind this thing are Sicilians?"
"I'm not suro yet But If you can't
sleep and want to make a night of It,
I'm game," answered Poe, glancing at
tho clock.
"What do you mean? What can we
do at one o'clock In tho morning?"
asked Burns, curiously.
"Well, In tho first place wo can get
ready." Poe switched on another
drop light, and stretched acrosB a low
cabinet to a telcphono on a swinging
Iron arm. He hooked tho phone Into
a comfortablo position and called a
number. Securing tho man bo want
ed, ho asked that an ordinary grocery
wagon and an old horse bo ready for
him at three-thirty that morning.
"A grocery wagon? What'a that
for?" asked BurnB,a as Poe hung up
tho receiver.
"Well, if you can't figure It out, I'm
not going to tell you," answered Poo,
drawing a highly polished chess-Bet
from a caso beneath the davenport.
"But at three-thirty in tho morning!
A grocery wagon! 1 don't got you,
Chris!" Tho other looked at him
quizzically.
"Oh, I forgot. Beforo I beat you at
a gamo of chess, I'll rig you out in
lowly clothes, llko mine." Poo disap
peared into his dressing-room, return
ing In ten minutes with a threadbare
golf sweater, a dented and dusty
derby, a celluloid collar, a ready-tied
foro-In-hand, and a neat, Germanic,
squaro cut suit, which ho dumped Into
Hums' lap, and leisurely arranged tho
men on tho chess-board, playing
against himself until Burns returned,
looking llko a thrifty German grocer.
They sat down beforo tho board,
and played In silence until tho clock
chimed three-thirty. At the stable a
broken-splrltcd nag and a rickety
grocery wagon awaited them.
Mounting tho driver's scat together,
tho brother bankers drove out and
cross-town to First avenue. It was
qulto dark, and there were very few
wagons nBtlr at that hour, other than
milk und bakery carts.
Poo whipped tbo horso into a chop
py trot, and they bounced over tho
pavement up First avenue, talking
but little. When they reached tho
"nineties," Burns asked abruptly:
"Aro you going to tho Harlem Mar
ket?"
"That's It," nnswered Poo. "Wo'ro
almost there 1'vo decided It'll bo best
to try tho small Italian dealers first"
"So that's how you Jumped to the
conclusion that tho sweaters wero Si
cilians? You knew If tho small mer
chants up-town possessed shrunk gold
they probably got it down hero at
their wholeBulo market?"
"That's It. Tho market Ib full of
Italian dealers, and Ib a pretty good
distributing point for coins that havo
been tampered with. But hero wo
aro. Take this."
Poo extracted eight fifty-dollar
bills and ten twenties from a supply
of largo bills ho had removed from
his safo beforo starting. "Mingle
with the crowd as though you wero a
grocer, buy anything small from Ital
ians only, and look sharp for gold
change."
Finding a narrow space between
two trucks, Poo backed his wagon In
qulto skilfully, and leaped down over
a pllo of lemon crates. Burns followed,
and they separated on reaching the
cluttered walk.
Poo canvassed his side of tho street
for two blocks, either buying some
thing or asking for chango at each
Italian wholesalo store. Much disap
pointed at receiving no gold except
two live-dollar pieces, which showed
no signs of having been tampered
with, Poo returned to his wagon,
whoro ho met Burns, who had secured
threo ten-dollar gold pieces In chango;
but on inspection these, too, proved
to bo as fresh and unsullied as when
they enmo from tho mint.
Well, we Beem to be on tho wrong
scattering shops left; we caught the
market at its flood, and If there were
any of these sweated coins In the
neighborhood, it seems to me we would
have had some."
"I'm hungry," replied Burns. "Let's
get a bite to eat somewhere. The
sight of all this foodstuff has made
me ravenous; and you must remem
ber we haven't had much breakfast"
They crossed to the restaurant
Burns had indicated. It stretched the
length of flvo cheap-curtained win
dows, and along It ran an old weather
beaten Blgn printed In purple and red,
"Rlstorante del Etna." With 1U lurid
representation of a volcano, the old
sign Itself gave a romantic, devil-may-care
aspect to tho place.
"1 rather like the look of this! "cried
Poe, glancing around the big dining
room as soon as they were inside,
soated at an oll-cloth-covered table.
"Looks more llko Naples than Amer
ica," said Burns.
"Or Sicily," replied Poe, pointing
to a crucifix on the wall opposite.
"That Is Sicilian workmanship."
Thero were only three other custo
mers in tho place, Italians all, Juggling
with macaroni and moat for break
fast, an acquired American habit.
The cook, a tall cadaverous creat
ure, a perfect giraffe of a fellow, with
tho proud mien of an amiable eagle,
came striding out of his kitchen like
a grenadier, and smiled hesitantly.
"What you want maybo?"
"Oh, somo ham and eggs anything
American you can get In a hurry."
"Eengllsh. Blfsteak. Hamneggs!"
grinned tho coatless cook, wiping his
hands on his apron, hanging slack.
"Alia right. Blembye maybe."
Ho turned, and stalked measuredly
to his kitchen door, stooping his high
shoulders and ducking his head be
neath tho six-foot portal topped with
the sign:
INGRESSO PROIBITO.
"Seems to bo particular about his
kitchen," remarked Poe, reading the
"Alia right. Alia right," came a
good-natured growl from the kitchen.
The cook left off stirring his stove,
and came out directly. "
"He always busy backa dere. You
hava to pound da table to maka him
hear."
Giovanni smiled Indulgently toward
his detractor, and In answer to Poe's
question of "Quanto?" replied, "Sixty
cent."
Poe pulled out his change, counted
it over, found It Insufficient, and hesi
tantly drew out a twenty-dollar bill,
proffering It apologetically, with the
remark, "It's the smallest 1 have. Can
you change It?"
A greedy light snapped In the deep
set eyes of the tall cook. Two little
spots of color appeared near his high
cheek-bones as he went through his
pockets and found only three or four
dollars. Stepping to a cupboard in
the corner, he unlocked a drawer, and
drew out ragged bills to the amount
of fifteen dollars, and finally pieced
out the change.
Poe handed back ten one-dollar
bills.
"By the way," he asked, "have you
a gold piece for this? I'd rather have
It."
Giovanni shot a surprised glance
from beneath bis twisty brows, and
shook bis head, "No ondrastan'."
The Italian customer translated, but
Giovanni only hunched hlB shoulders,
and threw out the palms of his hands
In a hopeless shrug, giving to under
stand that ten-dollar gold pieces were
quite beyond his ken.
"What did you make out of that
fellow?" asked Burns when they were
on the street again.
"He's an Add one. Happy-go-lucky.
Seems to be master of his own res
taurant Sort of a go-as-you-please
place, wasn't It?"
"He had such a romantic look llko
a reformed pirate."
"Why a reformed one?V smiled Poe.
"But here, the market trading Ib al-
riS&gssslibmDiaBiHBl 'V hRuIwu v IttMl n mtitm J Hli StlilBusiBl
wi-r i.t ... MM te3J lY i U MhJLnrf uu vm
Burns Ww&S&t I lOIHffllll
yelled
Now, as a criminal, ono might scent," admitted Poo with n shrug of
Inn Francisco, Denver, Seattle, ' his shoulders. "Thero aro only a few
sign. '"Keep out' sounds sullen for
our old friend."
A minute later Poo looked from a
stuffed bear, left over from some
street carnival and now adorning the
middle of tho room, to the kitchen
corner. Nothing could be seen of the
Interior, for it wbb enclosed, but the
cook could bo heard tinkering with
bis stove and usjng an ashslfter at
Intervals. '
"Doesn't seem to pay much atten
tion to our breakfast," remarked
Burns. "Seems moro absorbed in his
stove, if one can Judge from the
sounds."
"Oh, he'll get through with tho
breakfast all right He's ono of these
methodic old cooks who thinks more
of tho behavior of his coal-rango than
tho comfort of his guests."
A Bwarthy Italian entered, and
cried, "Giovanni!"
In onswer tho cook poked his head
through a Branll serving-door In tho
partition dividing the kitchen from
tho dining room, and, perking his
head with a wIbo roll of his eyes llko
a parrot In n cage, asked Bhrllly what
tho customer wanted.
A dish of macaroni was all. Tbo
face darted back, and half a mlnuto
Inter camo tho samo sounds of fusBlng
with tho Btovo.
"Ho's a most methodic old rascal,"
smiled Poo. "I'd llko to havo a look
Into that kitchen of his, but his for
bidding sign scares mo out"
At that moment tho tall, omlnouB
eyed Italian stepped forth from hlB
cook-shop, and plnced two plates of
ham and eggs beforo tho bankers,
cooked Italian stylo, which moans tho
ham waB sliced very thin and tho
eggB wero very old.
They ato from hunger, nnd really
relished it. Having finished, Poe
took out his purse and called, "Bobb!"
tho Italian-American word for man
ager or proprietor.
But tho cook did not hear. The
swarthy Italian customer who had Just
entered laughed, and shrugged his
shoulders. Then ho called through
tho holo In tho kitchen partition,
"Giovanni! Giovanni!"
most over. You work the small Ital
ian wholesalers on both Bides of the
crosB streets above. I'll cover those
below. We'll meet at tho wagon again
in half an hour."
At the third from the last store in
his territory ho stopped, and inspected
a bunch of bananas.
"Three dolla' three dolla'," said
the proprietor of the small storo with
an urging, ingratiating smile.
Christopher Poo looked once at
tho bananas and twice at the man,
muklng a mental noto of the dark
Italian's prominent features, and
quickly decided, "I'll tako three
bunches."
Ho produced a treasured fifty-dollar
bill, his last, and handed It to tho ac
tive Uttlo Italian in payment The
merchant seemed pleased with the
size of the note, and quickly counted
into Poo's hand ono twenty and two
ten-dollar gold pieces, grinning pleas
antly, "No mlnda da gold, slgnor?"
"No," answered Poo nonchalantly,
for as the coins lay in his palm, with-
out inspecting them closely, ho saw
that they had been sweated.
When ho left tho place, all that re
vealed his success wub tho triumphant
snap In his eyes. Ho went at onco to
the wagon, and found BurnB awaiting
him.
"No luck?" ho asked.
"None," said Burns.
Beforo Burns could question him In
turn Poo thruBt a list of his purchases
into his companion's hand.
"You drive to theso places, and have
the goods I bought loaded on. I've a
Uttlo business that'll keep me about
half an hour. Pick up all tho goods
you bought too. Wo don't want to
excite suspicion by paying for any
thing wo don't take away with us."
With these wordB he darted across
the street, and was soon on tho walk
opposlto tho "Rlstorante del Etna. ' He
glanced through tho curtained win
dows as ho passed, In an effort to lo
cato Giovanni's position Inside with
out attracting attention. Not seeing
the cook, ho walked to tho corner and
then back. This timo he had a glimpse
of Giovanni leaning over to place a
dish before a customer at a front
table.
Quick as a flash Poe turned Into an
alley which ran behind the restaurant,
and made his way stealthily to the
rear. There a small stoop Indicated
the back door to the restaurant, which
Poe knew, from the plan of the in
terior fixed In his mind, led outward
from the kitchen.
He sneaked up to within a foot of
the small vestibule, and stood flat
against the outside kitchen wall, In
such a position that he would not be
seen by chance from any of the win
dows looking onto the alley.
Ho stood for flvo mlnuteB listening
hopefully. Finally he heard Giovanni
enter the kitchen and stride to the
stove, which ho knew from the loca
tion of the pipe was near the vestibule
door.
The steps stopped, and Poe held his
breath as the same sound of tinkering
with the stove camo to his taut ears.
A moment later Giovanni walked Into
tho vestibule and began sifting ashes.
Poe stood motionless and silent lis
tening Intently.
In a minute or so Giovanni was call
ed away to serve a customer. Poe slip
ped up the steps to the small entry
way and quickly lifted the lid off a
rickety ash-barrel ttandlng there.
Plunging his band In, he pulled out a
fistful of ordinary stove ashes, and
thrust It Into his outside pockot
He darted down the steps and
through the alley to the street as
he heard Giovanni returning.
He Joined BurnB on the wagon a
block away. All their purchases hav
ing been gathered up, they drove
down-town directly. Poe was reticent
beneath Burns' curious questioning.
"I don't know that I havo anything
worked out," he said finally, having
showed Burns tho sweated coins re
ceived from the last dealer, "but here
Is something tangible at least." Ho
held his coat-pocket open and showed
tho handful of stove ashes.
"But what on earth has that to do
with these shrunk coins?"
"I don't know for certain that It
has anything to do with them, but I'm
going to find out. I'll call you up
about noon If things work out the
way I think they will, so you can bo
In at the finish."
Poo hopped down from the wagon,
and walked cross-town to an offlce
building on Broadway. Thero he
dumped out tho handful of ashes on a
pleco of paper In the olllco of a chem
ist friend, held a short conversation
with tho man, and at twelve o'clock
went to his rooms, called up the chem
ist, held a short conversation with
him which seemed entirely satisfac
tory, and then 'phoned Burns, saying
simply:
"Everything Is in band now. Meet
mo here at once."
Burns came, still dressed as a mer
chant. Poe called up a taxlcab office,
left an order, and then took a Third
avenuo street car up-town, alighting
at 104th street, having blocked all of
BurnB' attempts to find out what bad
passed in the hours they had been
apart.
"You enjoyed Giovanni's cooking so
much this morning I thought you'd
like to lunch hero today," Bald Poe,
pushing open tho door to the "Rls
toranto del Etna" as they reached it.
Tho place was deserted but for
three or four Italian customers, and
when Giovanni camo out to' take their
orders ho seemed qulto pleased that
the merchants had Been fit to con
tinue their patronage,
Poe ordered qulto a splendid meal
for such a modest restaurant, and Gio
vanni busied himself In the kitchen;
for whatever else ho was, he waB a
good cook.
Onco Poe reached over, and touch
ed Burns' arm significantly. It was
when Giovanni madb a clattering with
the doors of his carefully tended
stove.
The meal camo on, and was eaten
with relish. Twlco Giovanni left his
work in tho kitchen, and peered be
nlgnly through tho Uttlo serving-win
dow to make sure that his customers
were well provided for.
When Poe called him finally and
put tho question, "Quanto costa?" Gio
vanni looked at him sharply as he
produced a live-dollar gold pleco with
which to pay.
The cook seemed ill at ease, and
had some difficulty figuring up tho
price of tho meal with his stubby
pencil.
Meanwhllo Poo held out tho gold
pleco toward Burns and remarked:
"Pretty badly UBed for a 1913 coin,
Isn't it?"
BurnB ngreed, glanced wondcrlngly
from Pco'b tense features to Giovan
ni's glowering face.
"Somebody has stolen a dollar's
worth of gold from that coin," con
tinued Poo, paying no attention to Gio
vanni. Ho reached Into his pocket,
and pulled out tho two tens and tho
twenty-dollar gold pleco given him by
the Italian wholesalo grocer.
Giovanni stooped down, peering over
Poo'b shoulder with ominous gazo, his
fingers fumbling with tho account he
had been penciling.
"See!" cried Poo to BurnB. "Theso
coins havo been worn down in the
same way. Each one is minus two or
three dollars' worth of good gold," ho
wont on, with impressive emphasis,
feeling Giovanni's hot breath on bis
forehead.
He turned to tho cook, and held up
ono of tho sweated gold pieces be
tween thumb and forefinger.
"Giovanni," ho said banterlngly,
"somebody's squeezed thlB coin llko
a sponge That's good money, .but
somo crook has been tampering with
it"
"No ondrastan," faltered Giovanni,
his eyas shifting to tho account in his
trembling, big brown band.
'Well, anyway, If I could catch the
rascal who has been sweating these
coins, I'd make him"
Giovanni, evidently to cover hla
contusion, had turned and hurried to
the sideboard where he kept Msv
change locked up.
Poe gave a quick sign to Burns,
slipped from his chair, and darted
through the kitchen door.
Giovanni turned Just In time to sea
Poe's feet disappearing Into his pri
vate kitchen.
"Andatovcne!" he yelled out whirl
Ing around, his face white, his lone
fingers seeking In the belt beneath hla
vest
He lurched forward, leaped across
the Intervening space, grasped tha
door-Jamb, and swung Into the kitch
en, "Chrlsto! Chludete la porta!" he
screamed, springing for Poe, who had
stooped before the stove and opened
the ash door.
Poo leaped to his feet, evaded Gie
vannl's clutch with an expert twist,
and burst through the outer doorway
Into the small vestibule, where ha
snatched up the heavy ash-alfter from
tho top of a barrel.
Giovanni, his teeth bare, screaming
In rage, grasped a long, keen knife
from the meat-block, and leaped
through the doorway after him.
"Drop that!" yelled Burns, rushing
In from behind, revolver drawn and
ready.
As the hulking big cook sprang for
Poe with hlB vicious knife, Poe swung
with the short-handled ash-sifter and
smashed It full force In his frantic
face.
"Quick!" Poe signaled to Burns,
who stood stupefied as the top of the
ash-sifter was smashed In, and Ha
contents whizzed through the air; a
stifling cloud of ashes, a patter of
clinkers and coal, and, chief of all, a
shower of shimmering gold pieces
which cut Into Giovanni's battered
faco hnd whizzed past his head. Gold
coins were hurled In all direction
from tho ash-sifter.
As the cook, dazed and blinded,
slashed at Poe with the knife, Burns
leaped upon his from behind and
pinioned his arms to his side, wrest
ing tho blade from htm.
A rush of feet was heard In the res
taurant, as the customers came to
their tenses and flew to Giovanni's as
sistance. "Through hero! Quick!" cried Poe.
He caught up a handful of gold
pieces that had scattered from the
ash-sifter, grabbed Giovanni's legs,
and, with BurnB supporting the upper
part of tho cook's body, dashed down
tho steps into the alley.
A shot rang out from behind as
they swung into tbo street, and
shoved tho struggling cook Into the
open door of a taxi that, Poe had In
waiting two stores below.
Poo dexterously tied the frantic,
fighting cook, and by tho time he
had finished tho taxi-driver had stop
ped in front of the police station,
Poo spoke to a lieutenant, and
threo plain-clothes men ruBhed off at
once to capture the Uttlo wholesale
merchant from whom Poe had ob
tained tho sweated twenty and ten
dollar gold pieces. Poe, at his own
request, was locked alono In the coll
with Giovanni.
After half an hour he camo out
smiling, and Joined Burns, who told
him that tho wholesalo grocery dealer
had been easily captured and Just
locked up. Ho pressed Poo for an ex
planation. Tho banker-detective was
Jubilant; after disposing of a few de
tails with the police he ordered a taxi,
and when they had started for home
drew a deep breath and turned to
Burns.
"Wasn't it great!" he exclaimed.
"Did you think I'd rubbed Aladdin's
lamp when I conjured all thoBe gold
pieces out of the coal and ashes in
tho sifter?"
"I didn't know. How on earth did
you guess tho gold was there?"
"That puzzled mo for a while,'
smiled Poe. "But I slipped around to
tho back porch, listened for a minute
to Giovanni shaking the sifter, and
finally took a handful of ashes from a
barrel standing there. I took the hand
ful to a chemist friend, and asked htm
for an analysis for traces of gold. Hla
analysis showed that In tho handful
of dust was 30 per cent emery and 2
per cent pure gold."
"You don't mean It!" exclaimed
BurnB excitedly. 1
"Ycb. It startled me too. But I re
called an old unique case In which
somo sweaters had placed gold coins
In a burlap sack, and shaken them un
til enough dust had been worn off.
Then they burned the sacks, and col
lected tho dust that had adhered to
tho cloth, and sold It through regular
JewelerB' findings Jobbers who buy
scrap gold and sliver. I Just found
out from Giovanni that ho and his
brother had used practically tho same
method, shipping the carefully mads
nsh-barrelB to a secret cellar, where
tho pure gold was melted from the
mixture of ashes, emery, and coal In
a big furnace, and sold through a Jew
elers' findings man who had no sus
picion of how the gold was procured.
Giovanni's brother attended to that
part of it, as well as tho passing of
tho shrunk coins. It was a close cor
poration." "His brother?"
"Yes. The grocery wholesaler who
gave me the gold colnB this morning.
Tho minute ho gavo mo tho Bweated
gold In chango I was sure of Gio
vanni's guilt, for I noted tho resem
blanc6 between tho two men high
cheek bones, square Jowb, samo com
plexion and niland wns Bure they
came from tho samo family. That was
what tho wholo thing hinged on."
"And a handful of ashes," cried
Burns enthusiastically.
.,''
m
tit
m
f
jpf&m&s&l
.jfr..
yr)Wtt-r!kJW'i?a!fffy:
&-"
.- ,
.yilsywaifc-awweX . -