Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

10 OLD SPECIE. ‘Not at all, sir. You are above suspicion, but you can help me get upon ane track of the rascals wee manutactured that note.’ , ‘Tell me how?”’ ‘Calm yourself. I want you to think. Who gave you that bill in change?”’ The cashier pondered. ‘“‘T know for a certainty. It was given to me in payment of a cash sale—let me see, here in the petty cash—for one dollar, seventy.’’ “Who made the purchase?’’ “A stranger.’ ‘Do you generally take such large bills from strangers without close scrutiny ?”’ “T applied the usual test, and it was all right.” “Can you describe the man?”’ “He was tall, wore a gray mustache, and had what I would call red eyes.’’ ‘fA strange color.’’ “The pupils were blue, but the white of the eyes seemed to be inflamed from cold.’’ : ‘“‘T have seen persons chronically affected in that way. Avery good clew. Was there anything else singular about this stranger?”’ “He talked in a rasping voice, as though hoarse with a cold.”’ “Good. What did his purchase consist of?” ‘“A few articles. I believe there was a small coil of rope among them. He impressed me as a sailor. I don’t know why, but Iam sure that was the idea I had.” “Well, Mr. Merwin, I am obliged to you. Kindly Say petng, of this to any one, not even your em- ployer.’ “It shall be as you wish, sir.”’ Comicboo SS) co “3