The $500 Check — page 195: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

178 THE $500 CHECK. ‘‘Or—or money?’ and he pulled out his wallet hurriedly. | ‘* No, no, it isn’t that.’’ ‘What is it then?” ‘*T left that pitcher half-full of milk when I went to bed last night. This morning there wasn’t a drop in it, and the pantry door was open.’’ ‘“Cats are fond of milk,’’ suggested Silas, with a glance at Tabby, who was lying near the fire- place. ‘*Tt wasn’t the cat. She couldn’t get her head inside the pitcher. Besides, there are three slices of bread missing.’’ ‘“ Won't cats eat bread ?”’ “Tt was a two-legged cat!’ replied Mrs. Wilson significantly. Bert reddened in spite of himself, and tried to look unconscious. He saw that Mrs. Wil- son was on the point of making a discovery, and that suspicion was likely to fall upon him. This he could clear up, but it would be at the expense of the poor fellow who was asleep up- stairs. ‘“But how could anybody get into the Gomicbooks