Show the protector of finance tales of Re silius marvel guardian of bank treasure by WELDON J COBB OPEN FOR RATING i hi W 0 ch 5 ailen ill the president of the he atlas WIEN national hunk bank ant ant for Re sIllus marvel I 1 wits was selected sele cud eted us its ills big messenger when I 1 returned from the office of the united hankers bankers protective association with its active head in my company I 1 wits us quite naturally ur tilly being the private secretary of the one and the closest friend of tic the other motioned to re rem inala alii I 1 sank into one oft or the lie su sumptuous easy chairs which crowded the inner sanc sanctum of the he great king of finance I nance mr robert drew feeling sure that I 1 wits as about to listen to something new and important Re sillus marvel looked easy minded and receptive I 1 fancied I 1 detected a very slight smile pass over his face as hla his eye fell upon a heap of bonds outspread and held down by a paperweight on thu the desk directly before mr drew the serious somewhat irritated faco face of the bank president indicated that ho he was ill at ease mentally that he had sent for marvel much as might a man who had bungled over mending a bruised finger and had bad been compelled to call in skilled surgical aid lie he tried to bo be offhanded off handed as he selected ono one of the bonds and passed it over tor for tho the inspection of the man whom I 1 had seen do so many clever things whom I 1 had come coma to r recognize as the grand past master ot of foresight and efficiency in tho the bank mysteries line what do you know about these bonds mr marvel was waa tho the question put everything was the prompt reply so speedily given that its enunciation and a bare careless glance at tho the broad black letters jebel aebel river gront great janger railroad co were simultaneous that Is good said tho the president quite gratefully clearing his bis throat and looking hopeful this is a special matter you understand and confidential I 1 shall be sorry or glad that the bank holds over of those securities curi ties after I 1 have heard what you have to say you will be sorry bluntly replied marvel the whole proposition la Is a dream perhaps a fraud the securities are waste paper unless yes unless pressed mr drew eagerly almost piteously with a face grown many shades paler pale unless I 1 am able to locate tho the man who signs them as president of tile the road his royal highness of jan an cob I 1 was vas struck with tho extraordinary ary words marvel had placed tho the bond on the desk it was within my rah mch r and as unobtrusively as I 1 could I 1 drew it towards tile me several of the bonds of his issue had passed under tinder my eye eve casually in the regular course of bull bus ness of the bank during the past two months but I 1 had never scanned them particularly now isow I 1 read the signatures gwun zhi king of Jan janger gell president napoleon Lu lecroix croix Imper lp treasurer secretary halt of these bonds spoke ar air drew placing an unsteady land hand on oil tho the heap are collater aled over ov er however represent a direct purchase of tile the bank at what price inquired marvel from 85 to 02 and they dropped 15 points this morning recounted my well bostad postad friend they will go down to 40 to day before the stock exchange closes I 1 caught a convulsive click in mr drewa throat ills fingers were beating a rapid tattoo on tile the crisp gaudy securities the sound appealed to me like the ominous swish of dry leaves in harvest time preceding a term storm B you see he be managed to speak there seemed no doubt of the security while jangda Is a barbaric kingdom its resources are tremendous ivory gold diamonds and immense droves of cattle all the country lacks ta Is some thoroughfare to the coast the idea was to build a line out from uganda on the victoria nyanza a large inland lake beyond angora angara to the jebel aebel river the na tives could then float their cattle and other products product down the stream transfer to the coast road and reach zanzibar through german east africa it looked as favorable as aa the cecil rhodes modes development schemes or the recent soudan exploitations yes so the prospectus said nodded de d marvel dryly the deed of trust went on oa mr drew in almost feverish haste and with a shade of pleading unction in his tone covers nearly acres of land two palaces pa lacea fifteen native cities halt a dozen gold mines gather valued at some fifty of dollars the bond issue Is ia a bare trill mil lion another point ralston C co ban kero havo have the construction contract and guarantee suar anteo th payment ot of interest and principal on those these bonds again tho the prospectus you have a good memory mr dew said eaid marvel quietly 0 why see sea hate bare I 1 resumed th thal hank bank president more ake lluc a roan man a client than asking for information inform alloa look at this very animatedly ho he drew over to him tho the big rating book ills ilia nervous flagen fumbled ho he leaves end then ran over tho the initial inde here it is ralston co GAA r million and over the highest capital and credit rating possible I 1 cannot understand the flurry in those bonds ralston alston Il co egand behind the proposition on a strong guarantee lie ho looked at marvel in some come defiance the latter took the challenge mildly itts ills hand went into an inner pocket and drew forth a slip of tissue paper lie ile passed this to the bank president 1 I sent tho the day before yesterday ho he said to the commercial agency for a report on ralston co you observe what the agency reported open for rating it was ft as not tho the first time mr drew had heard that technical agency phrase in a vague way it was waa generally understood to indicate an investigation ti pending a lacking verification of antecedents or anticipation of a promised statement As AB you know observed mr drow drew closely scanning the bit of flimsy they are a comparatively now firm very often a rating is withhold withheld or suspended suspend hiis od awaiting a reorganization or for some borne other transitory condition today pursued marvel steadily 1 I have learned a somewhat peculiar fact the reporter who hold that rating open the next day went to tho the office of ralston alston Il co to receive a promised statement ile iio withdrew the rating owing to sonic some suspicions lie he did not impart to his chief ile ho has haa never been seen since ills hla name Is clinton durham and he has haa mys utterly disappeared aril you infer from this 7 questioned mr drew blackmail briefly or foul play for last evening ralston co which means gernard bernard ralston drow drew out every dollar they had in the local banks and have evidently closed shop tho bank president sprang to his I 1 feet 1 I had not heard of that he said eald huskily you will in the afternoon papers cap explained tattled marvel the laggard interest money suspicion a sense of insecurity have caused the first birts raid on tile the jebel aebel river bonds you can faucy what the stock exchange will do when the disappearance of ralston la Is public property the bank president was pacing the floor in sheer agitation always hit hitherto berto lie he had posed to me as a grgat grat man handling big events and never showing allowing tile the whito white feather just now lie ho disdained disdain ed nil all self belt restraint or egotism do something he said in a hoarse broken tone 1 I intend to replied marvel you have done all the talking so BO far let me do some I 1 will tell you what very vey few know the bonds were invalid in the first pice a signature is lacking I 1 think T can obtain it it if I 1 dp do tho the bond holders will riot not lose au aa you vou quoted from the prospectus the physical security behind the deed oi of trust Is ample provided the title Is right it is quite the reverse but I 1 hope to rectify it marvel was done too many times held had ir drew consulted him not to know that lie he drank a glass of water in feverish haste then he took up his check book you ot of course he began significantly when the case la Is tb through rough interrupted marvel 1 I want our friend hero here for a week and he be placed his hand band on my arm 1 I need some help I 1 smiled at marvel in deprecation I 1 had been so fortunate as to be his companion in several cases he be had bad worked up to speak of help and from me I 1 laughed outright tho the only suggestions I 1 had fiven ventured to make to him had been based on stupid deductions 1 I dont think you yon understand lie he said looking locking his arm in mine as we left the bank metaphysically I 1 have found you a eilent but willing buffer in tho thi of developing ideas I 1 rome sometimes times think you are valuable in catching them and by come telepathic sense extracting their they percolate through your mentality and come back to me clarified that is tho the real transference of thought you know there was always inter eating going on at Resl lun marvels office on the present oc occasion caslor I 1 looked around it to cacci any indication there might be of a suggestion of the unusual its proprietor me to chair in the outer apartment in less than a diunte lott his handy nan man servitor and assistant came from a side room ile ho greeted me with his reserved yet graceful obeisance lying on a table was waa a cane and a womans comans handbag I 1 watched him as he halted where they lay then touched thorn them I 1 noticed those delicate nostrils of hla his quiver contract and relax A strange man this LOU gifted in his peculiar genre of smell still nion more in fit lip ito theories rles he adduced from an exercise of it I 1 had known him to scent the germs of pestilence in a closed packet I 1 had heard of ilia his analyzing ownership by the same highly developed trait of a roll disputed bank bills I 1 augured that tho the cane and the handbag be longed to present visitors in the private office the cane was such as a born dandy might carry the handbag was crude in material and clumsy in shape it was made of alligator hide and was ornamented with shiny mottled scales bacales of some gaudy tropical flab at n one no side elde of marvels desk and within its shadow was wait a woman I 1 could only divine this from her apparel nothing of her features showed for she was deeply veiled I 1 mado made out that she must be squat to tho the point of obesity iter her hands were splay but stumpy I 1 wondered what tho the handbag and cannibals could have to do with ft ath her this Is my friend spoke marvel shortly and did not even look up from some writing ho he was engaged in the man straightened up with an elaborate gesture of courtesy lie iio was a natural poseur his manner showed bhoj cd it is my service profound to tho the friend of a friend and lie he kissed the tips of his fingers towards me be brief came curtly from marvels lips tho the frenchman made a slight grimace of hurt dignity and reproach then ho be reached within the fashionably modeled coat lie he wore and brought out a tattered and indented card case its dislocated hinge came loose loosa as he be opened it ile ha extracted daintily and with infinite care what it contained this was the dirtiest card I 1 had ever seen lie ho handled it as aa carefully as if it was some treasured heirloom ile ho tendered it gingerly tiptoeing to reach me if monsieur will mill read and return he said the card was lot hot illuminating with infinite pride the frenchman received it back from me and then with sorrowful intonation remarked once honored 1 I lefort in the grand days of the the models of worth of due duchesses besses while now alaan ile ho embraced the squat figure in shadow mute and ominous as some veiled sphinx within a sweeping in 7 vill api R 15 w FX A AWE 0 01 it 6 laiq it I 1 V 0 ice CE HONORED THE GRAND DAYS OF TIIE THE MODELS OF WORTH OF DUCH DUCHESSES WHILE MILE NOW ALAS I 1 F cl illation of 0 hla his hand then a diminishing crescendo croE cendo of tits his ulin nimble ble airy fingers seemed to indicate leagues of 0 space something bom ething too immense to describe aud and far away aay alie house lie he finally resumed vine blecha tho the one tile tho only and vienna tho the center of of of C sublimity ile he sighed deeply ilia his eyes grew moist and 1 I lefort represent atif that was vas nearly two to years ngo ago since then again the hand band wave despairing and dismal embracing the universo universe and always the squat yelled veiled figure included ot of the house what Is there to tell institute IV berlin tho the credit dictator of the world orld has already told toi dolls atiat tt at speak that walk that waltz and live and the apotheosis of art attained when tho the great sophia foltmar model was waa reach reached edl I 1 I 1 understood that the house with three names were nere doll makers extraordinary tra that he letort lefort was their representative represent athe see you even royalty came to view in the brilliantly illuminated show window sophia tin the miniature min lature latest idlest creation of worth in fit which the doll was garbed cost th thaders alers about its neck was the damon string of pearls it had taken fisherman two years to tather gather these tl mated from the center from a hazel bazel nut size to that of a pea and listed at pounds sterling from all this I 1 began to understand that the racy sophia founder of the tha celebrated cobra darice dance known over oer two continents had been duplicated in doll fashion and exhibited to the vienna world as a most artistic spool sped men of if tho the cx clutie handicraft ot of the 1 I was deputized honored with tho the commission to convey tills thin latest production of tho the house to paris proceeded the volatile lefort when it was ready for packing the damon string of pearls was removed there was substituted a cheap imitation necklace it was wais unfortunate that in my pride my desire to show this thin marvel of tho the house housa to somo some friends at marseilles I 1 did not proceed direct to paris where the doll was to bo be i placed in a coso case bafo before re tho the grand opera house where acre sophia was the attraction I 1 found my friends tit at tho the seaboard city absent at a wedding always my precious case with me I 1 strolled about tho the harbor it was ono one of those royal evenings tho the air pure wine the sky a vaulted sapphire the lovely mediterranean a sheet of liquid gold I 1 took a row boat my case ever at my side just as dusk camo came up a yawl holding three men they ran into me I 1 later guessed that these bandits must have followed mo me from vienna and were after the damon pearls which they believed had remained on the doll A blow insensibility and it wits was a long dull dream of many weeks tor for me when I 1 came to myself again the world was vas nearly a month older I 1 had been picked up I 1 and my case by a schooner in the african trade my pockets hae had been ransacked there was nothing to indicate who I 1 was when the schooner found mo me the card I 1 showed you ou I 1 later discovered in the lining ot of my coat A storm had driven tho the schooner butof her lier course they simply kept me aboard because they made few landings there was a passenger who probably recognized that I 1 was a gentleman of culture possibly of means this was ono one napoleon Du decroix ducroix croix 11 I 1 gave the speaker an intense the pen lien with which marvel was writing mado made a splatter just here it was waa purposeful purpose tul to emphasize what I 1 naturally lad had discovered that napoleon decroix ducroix was tho name attached to the jebel aebel river great janger bonds Du decroix ducroix croix learned my story ile he affected great interest in my forlorn condition ile he advised that I 1 remain on board tile the schooner until capo town was reached thence I 1 could cable to the house explaining all my first care was the |