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 ness, is more than I can see. You must be a man of extraordinary resource."

The officer stared like a child at the dreamy-eyed Oriental before him. "Gosh!" he said almost plaintively. Then he rose and thrust his big hairy hands into his pockets. "Say, what do you know about that dynamite affair, anyway?" he asked.

Astro smiled. "Nothing. I'm too busy to trouble about things that are not any of my business."

"But what if it was your business?" continued the policeman eagerly. "What if I made it an object to you?"

Astro assumed a dramatic air of omnipotence.

"Ah!" answered the Seer. "No doubt I could tell you anything you wished to know."

The man drew out a pocketbook. "See here," he said, tapping it, "I ain't rich by any means; but I'm up against it on this case, and if you can look into them glasses and give me a tip, I'll make it worth your while."

Astro laughed. "Oh, it's not quite so simple as that. You must understand, my dear sir, that I can do absolutely nothing without coming into direct personal contact with the vibrations emanating from the scene or from the individual. I can tell about you, because you happen to be before me; but I should have to be present at the place in order to become sensitive to the occult influences that have permeated the vicinity of the crime. Do you understand?"

The officer evidently did not understand; but he was in nowiseno wise [sic] deterred from making use of this power that had so impressed him. "I'll take you up there," he offered.