Under His Thumb — page 217: what you’re looking at

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

—- — 208 UNDER HIS THUMB, — murder. I know who shot your partner. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt.”’ , The other sprang to his feet, his face deathly white, his limbs trembling under his weight. | ‘“You—you are not sure?’’ he huskily asked. ‘‘Perfectly sure.”’ ‘Ts it—is it Brandon?”’ ) ‘No, itis not Brandon.”’ : ae “Dyer, then—the foreman.’’ | ‘‘Nor Dyer, the foreman. The one who fired the shot is safely lodged by the police. But he is not the one who is alone responsible. He is a mere tool, like the weapon that he used. His name is Bill Leary, and he is known as ‘the tough.’ I went down to see him this morning, and showed him how I had got his case down fine, and he told me the rest—just what I suspected before. Oh, I wouldn’t draw any pistols, if 1 were in your place. Better wait and hire somebody else to do the shooting. But you must go with me, all the same, and answer to the charge of Souris the murder of your partner, Hiram Wal- ron.” Croly sprang forward as he ceased speaking, and caught the upraised weapon in time to prevent its being discharged. At the same time the door again opened, and two policemen entered, followed almost immediately by Hyjah, the Hindoo detective. The latter stepped up to Croly, and said, in a low, earnest tone: “You have won, and I congratulate you. I was on my way hither upon the same errand that brought you, when I saw you enter, and foresaw your pur- pose. We both solved the mystery, but you were a few minutes ahead of me. I probed the business affairs of Julian Blain, and found that he had been swamping the firm through private speculations, and that Mr. Waldron, upon the night before the tragedy, had discovered the condition of affairs. Blain has cheated, lied, and embezzled. Threatened - with exposure, in a whirl of desperation he gave Bill © Leary a large sum of money to commit the crime. Blain was in the front part of the counting-room — comicbooks.com |