he way now to act on what the letter may
disclose. But read it."

"I will open it; you read it. I am so overcome I have not the strength
to do so."

"All right."

Mr. Townsend did open the letter. We will not attempt to produce its
contents in detail, but relate the main facts wherein the strange
mystery of the extraordinary deposit was fully cleared up, and also how
the remarkable cleverness of Detective Jack Alvarez was fully and most
amazingly verified.

Jack had traced down to the real character. Jacob Canfield was the man
who had made the deposit, and as Jack had discerned he held the money in
trust. One morning the fishermen along the Jersey coast discovered a
bark in distress off the shore. It was in the midst of one of the
fiercest northeast storms in the remembrance of any man. No boat could
go to the aid of the crew, and all efforts to send a line proved futile,
and through the day the vessel was seen beating and thumping, and when
night fell it was decided that ere morning she would have gone to
pieces. Among those who were on the beach was Jacob Canfield, and at
night he walked along the beach, when from the breakers he heard a cry.
Jake was a powerful swimmer, and he ran down into the water, and it did
seem as though in fitness of time and place his rush was providential.
He saw a figure, brought in on a wave, and he plunged forward, seized
the form of a man who had lost his strength and was being carried back,
never to be plunged forward again alive. Jake dragged the half-drowned
man ashore and carried him to his own little home. At that time he lived
alone, a widower. After hours of work he managed to restore the man to
life, and at the rescued passenger's request he let no one know of the
rescue. In the meantime, during the night the storm went down, and lo,
the stanch bark withstood the mad assaults of the waves, and life savers
in good time were able to go aboard. They did so and later saved every
man of the crew. There was one passenger, however, missing, named Harold
Stevens. He was the only passenger, and he was washed overboard and
drowned--that is, so every one believed. Luck favored the crew, as later
on the baggage of the sailors was saved, and also the baggage of the
missing passenger.

Meantime, as the rescued man revealed to Jake Canfield, he was Harold
Stevens, and Jake was sent to bring the captain of the bark to his
cottage, and the rescued passenger and the captain of the bark had a