Page:The achievements of Luther Trant - Balmer and MacHarg - 1910.djvu/164

138 "You will go with Mr. Shaffer," he said to the burly man, "who will bring back to me here ten thousand dollars in bills. You must be sure that he does not get away from you, and—say nothing about it."

When the door had closed upon them he turned to the others. "As to you, Ford—"

"Ford has not yet told us," Trant interrupted, "how he came to be in the game with Gordon."

"I got him in!" young Gordon answered, boldly. "He—he comes to see—he wants to marry my sister. I told him how they had taken our house from us and were sending my sister to work and—and I got him to help me."

"But your sister knew nothing of this?" Trant asked.

It brought a flush to both their cheeks. "No; of course not!" the boy answered.

Howell opened the door to the next office. "Go in there, and wait for me," he commanded. He took out his handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his hands as he faced Trant alone. "So that was what happened to the money! And what Gordon knew, and was hiding from me, was that his son meant to rob the bank!"

"No, Howell," Trant denied. "Gordon did not know that."

"Then what was he trying to hide? Is there another secret in this amazing affair?"

"Yes; William Gordon's secret; the fact that your cashier is no longer efficient; that he is getting old, and his memory has left him so that he cannot