Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

ae THE ‘ARGOSY. season, but the place was already swarming with sportsmen. He strolled out to take a look at the mountain streams. Later in the afternoon he returned to the inn and in- quired if one could have any luck fishing at night. The affable clerk answered in the affirmative. “Guess I'll try it to-night, then,” said Carlstach. ' He went out and sent a telegram to the cashier: - Fishing to-night. Will write my luck to- morrow. At the post-office he posted a letter to the same address, purporting to tell of his ex- periences the previous night. He was in- formed that the mail for Carisford had al- ready gone and that his letter would not be postmarked and sent away till morning, which suited his purposes excellently. Then, with his car replenished with gasoline and oil, he started toward the mountains. But once outside the village, he headed directly south. Four hours later John Sibert was taken up in Carisford for public drunkenness) He was indignant and loquacious. He put up a cash bond, but insisted that that was un- necessary, as nothing short of steel bars could keep him out of court the following ~ morning. He had important disclosures to make—startling disclosures. If they would send for the president and cashier of the Hibernian National Bank, they would find that he was of good character. But wait till morning, and the town would wake up to a sensation in its criminal circles! The morning papers played up his arrest with a humorous story. His promised sen-— sation might have been only drunken gib- berish, but several Carisford citizens elected to be present. Carisford was not so large or so old that it was calloused with sensa- tion, and it could not be denied that a wave of petty crime, mysterious in origin, was sweeping the city. Arraigned for trial, the culprit turned from the judge and addressed the specta- tors dramatically: ‘““T have made an epoch-making discov- —ery: the origin and the cause of crime. It is a disease—a disease of the mind, as typhus and cancer are diseases of the body. It is—”’ ““Qrder! Silence!”’ commanded the court. “caused by a germ—a germ in the brain which I have discovered, precisely as fevers and diphtheria are caused by germs in the body. Itis—” _ ““Ten dollars and costs,” snapped the judge. ‘‘ And officer, has the prisoner any ‘visible means of support?” The officer knew of none, but a boat- owner present volunteered information that the prisoner had a fish-monger’s license. Sibert, evidently a man of pride, denied the allegation bitterly. He was no fisher or fish - peddler; he was a gentleman with a private ‘Income investigating along unusual lines of science and philosophy. An examination of the city’s books, however, disclosed the . humiliating fact that the prisoner did have such a license. Carlstach had seen to that. It would never do to have Sibert guspected of preying on the city for subsistence. ‘Ten dollars and costs,” répeated the judge. “ And I’d advise you to study fish more and crime less. There’s more money in fish.”’ ‘“Ten dollars?”.cried the prisoner, and then laughed as if at a huge joke. ‘“ Why, judge, can’t you see—haven’t any of you gentlemen caught on yet? Don’t you know who Iam? I—I’m”—dramatically—“ I’m Herman Carlstach.”’ “Your Honor,” explained the arresting officer, ‘‘ this nut has been told that he - looks like Mr. Carlstach of the—of oné of the banks.” “But I am—don’t you see?” he cried, and attempted to straighten up and change his voice from a weak wheeze to Carls- tach’s easy, natural baritone. The cashier of the Hibernian National, Mr. Hood, who had started on his two weeks’ leave of absence that morning, was present. Like many others, he was curious _ about Sibert’s sensational disclosures, When he heard the paying teller’s name brought. into ‘the affair, he rose and addressed the judge: “IT know both these men, Carlstach and Sibert. To my certain knowledge, Carls- tach is now at Mountainboro, forty-five COME aoolks @ C@