ered:

"It is all straight enough save the fact that the old man who has such a
good memory in one direction should forget so important a fact as those
names, which it appears must have been written on the securities and the
drafts; and yet," added Jack, "he appears perfectly frank and honest."

Our hero saw his brother Gil, and the two discussed for a long time the
strange incidents, and Jack said:

"It is possible that Mr. Townsend is crazy. He is over seventy years of
age and may be laboring under a hallucination. His story does appear
incredible; there are elements of romance stranger than any I ever read
about. Had the money been deposited with him for a few months, or even
years, it would have been different, but a deposit to cover twenty years
seems to me almost incredible; and then again, he appeared to be all
right."

"You know," said Gil, "some people laboring under a hallucination will
tell a straighter narrative than those who are relating facts."

"Yes, I've thought of that, but there is one thing I particularly
observed: the old man answered my questions. I revivified his memory,
and every time he answered me clearly and naturally, and it is this fact
which makes me believe that there may be some truth in his extraordinary
narrative. At any rate, I shall investigate the story."

"Have you formed a plan?"

"I have."

Jack revealed his plan to his brother and laid out a course of work for
the latter, for which he was particularly fitted. He said:

"I shall proceed in this matter for awhile as though I had not a single
doubt as to the authenticity of the old man's tale. I have a theory, and
if I am correct I believe I will be able to delve until I strike a clue,
and if I do and prove the story correct and solve the mystery, we shall
have performed one of the most extraordinary detective feats ever
accomplished."

"I will tell you frankly, Jack, I believe you are being played by a
crazy man."

"All right, we shall see."

Jack was not a man to be played very easily. He did not accept the story
as a whole, nor did he absolutely reject it, as intimated. He determined
to make a test, satisfied that he would be able to strike a clue, a
sufficient one to at least confirm the story. And such being the case he
could then go ahead and investigate further.

Our readers will remember that our hero was working for a clue on an
event which had occurred forty years previously, and the difficulty is
apparent