ng the message which notified the
despatcher of the train's safe arrival and of the capture of the two
bandits, he was surprised and speechlessly confused by having pressed
upon him by the enthusiastic passengers an impromptu purse of
seventy-five dollars.

Later in the afternoon Alex was called to the wire by Jack, at Hammerton.
"Say, what is all this you've gone and done, Al?" clicked Jack
enthusiastically. "The afternoon papers here have a whole column story!
'Please attach statement at once!'"

"Oh, it looks much bigger than it really was," responded Alex modestly.
"And anyway, it came about through my own carelessness. I ought to have
been reprimanded, instead of patted on the back."

"Nonsense! Those hold-up men would have got you, anyway. If you had seen
them coming, they would simply have approached in a friendly way, then
got the drop on you. You had no gun.

"But, say," added Jack mock-seriously, "how is it these real high class
adventures always come your way? I'm getting jealous."

"I can assure you you needn't be. It's lots more fun reading about them.
Wait and see," said Alex.

Jack was soon to have his opportunity of "seeing," though a more
disagreeable experience was first to come.

V

AN ELECTRICAL DETECTIVE

"Orr, Mr. Black wants you."

Jack, who was passing through the business department of the Hammerton
office, toward the stair which led to the operating room, promptly turned
aside and entered the manager's private room.

"Good morning, Jack. Sit down.

"My boy," began the manager, "can you keep a secret?"

"Why yes, sir," responded Jack, wondering.

"Very well. But I must explain first. I suppose you did not know it--we
kept it quiet--but the real reason Hansen, the janitor, was discharged a
month ago was that he was found taking money from the safe here, which he
had in some way learned to open. After he left I changed the safe
combination, and thought the trouble was at an end.

"Last Tuesday morning the cash was again a little short. At the time I
simply thought an error had been made in counting the night before. This
morning a second ten-dollar bill is missing, and the cash-box shows
unmistakable signs of having been tampered with.

"Now Johnson, the counter clerk, to whom I had confided the new
combination (for it is customary, you know, that two shall be able to open
a safe, as a precaution against the combination being forgotten)--Johnson
is entirely above suspi