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To-Day's Short Story. I -0…

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To-Day's Short Story. I -0 THE ABDUCTION OF HENRY FOREMAN. I was holiday-masking in Sydney some few I was holida,y..m.á'king in SY.Qnf'y some few I 70- a?o, after a serious iitn?ss broaght I on by overwork in London. One morning, w-,idli,, stayi-n_- -,L t the while .staying at the Metro-pole, I received a note from a friend of mine in the old days I —now manager of the Sydney branch of the I London Bank of Asia—asking me to call ? upon him. "Max!" said he, heartily grasping my hand, and the old smile lighting up his somewhat altered fa>ee—"or should I say the now celebrated: detective, Mr. Arnold Maxwell?'' "Old friends want no new names," I f replied, returning his honest srrip. he said. "I saw your name in the visitors' list yesterday, amd, cariouoly enough, this morilin.g I want you to do me a fa-vol, c.' "With pleasure, old man; I'm getting somewhat rusty. No-thin^ serious, I hope?'' I Wi"oll, it sounds gonsewhaA tary to your well-known skill, but I expect the explanation to my trouble will be so commonplace, that I do not wish to create a I iuirii by putting the matter in the hands of I our police." "WhtH afre the facts?" I inqmred. have a clerk named Henry Foreman, a qoiet; steady, hard-working young fellow, and one who \i.a. r lit en by perseverance until he now holds a position of trust in our bank. Among Ilia duties lie once a month collects large sunn of money from various mercan- tile ccmoerns, part of which is paid to 1'.3 and part to the London and Asiatic Rank. This money we receive for transmission to London and Pekin, and a.3 it is collected tram Chinese merchant*?,, it is nearly always pa,id in notes or specie. "Yesterday -was his day for collecting this mone;7, ana, a« he had not returned at five 0 clock, the other cierks left, I undertaking to receive the money at the private door, as I have done before when he has teen delayed. At, seven o'clock I began to worry, and tele- phoned down to HosLina of the Asiatic to know if he had bee-n there, but, as their cashier had left, lfnslins could not tell. "This morning I received a note from them, saying that Foreman had called as usual about 3.30, and had paid them il,711, for which they had given him the usual receipt. I then sent down to his digging?, thinking he mi?ht be ill, but learned that he had not been there since yesterday m?rn- ing, a most unusual occurrence, they added, i ■inquiries at the hospitals have met with a like result. What do you think about it?" "Is he a man likely to lead an extravagant life and be in pecuniary difficulties?" I inquired. "Do you think he has simply bolted with the money?' £ ar from it. I think the man is as honest as the day, and he Ü one of my favourite clerks. Ko; what I fear is that his move- ments? may have become known to some of the lower class of CFirese, and that he has uean drugged and robbed, or perhaps worse. But, as I said before, these are only sup- positions, and the explanation of his conduct may be quite ordinary. Therefore, I do not wish to communicate with the police until I have something further to guide m-p "I quite agree with you," I replied, "and I the nest plan will be to trace hi., movements unfit we find the man. Can you give me a I LA fjr the places he should have called upon I ye;.teraay?" Certainly, and I will send one of my ci^ ^as round with you. No the .search for Henry Foreman beggar*. I ncitsd one place of business after another, only to hear the same tale. Henry Foreman? les, they knew him well. Came itS usual yesterday. Paid him so much in gold and nates. Notes numbered so-and-so. Have his raoeipt for same. Did not tppear strange. Took money away as usual in strong leather o-ag fastened by a steel chain to a. leather bracelet round his wrist' -ere is no greater mistake than not starting your inquiries at the beginning, otherwiee I should have called upon the London and Asiatic Bank first. Up to his reaching there I found he had received <t~,678 10s. in gold and notes, and he paid I to the Asiatic £ 1,711, of which £1.463 was in notes and the balance of £ 243 in gold. I compared the numbers and found he had Parted with every note he bad received, ■retaining for his own huonk only gold. This struck me as peculiar, especially as some, of the notes were the Asia's own, but the cashier informed me that this was not at all unusual. Nothing occurred, then, ont of your ordinary bosdimees routine?" I concluded. "Absolutely nothing, 11 replied the cashier; closing- his books. "There was nothing-oh, by tn-a way, Smith didn't yoa give Foreman a note or something?" "It vra.s a-telegram, sir," said Smith, ■coming up, addressed to Foreman, Asiatic Hank It is a mistake often made, and as I knew Foreman would come here before I reaching his own bank, I retained it for did he do with it?" I asked. He read it through carefully, tore off a portion and said something about being 'Ju.t timp,' or words to that effect." And the rest- of the telegram ? I think he threw it over the counter, in TVHICH case, if it is not burned, it will be in the housekeeper's kitchen." Luckily a ca.refcul search found it, and I eagerly read: Fo.eluazl, Asiatic Lank, (.r^orge-strect; come at once; Miss Lindsey tram accident, lying dangerously ill at And that was all, for he had evidently torn the address off. you Jcaow who Miss Lindsey is?" I inquired. I think she is Foreman's nanc&e," repli&d the cashier. s Foi,(,man's fiine", replie-,ti me bank porter remembered him leaving. Said he had his usual cab, which nnfortu- nately was not at the stand. Inquiring at the cabman s house, his wife— "Thought as 'ow Jim 'ad said eomethink about a good job taking him all day." weaving word that he was to oome to th.e i Bank of Asia immediately on his return, I sent a messenger to the Tramway Commis- sioner's office, asking for a report of any tram or accident that had occurred J during the last two days. As there ""]5 nothing to do but wait until I the ret-uln of the cabman, I went back to the Bank of Asia and acquainted my friend I Rodney with events up to the present • He was delig-htod. Yoti see I was right," he exclaimed. "The aH_ air M quite simple. He is very much in I Jf ove with thi. M.?s H?dse.v, who is a charm- ing girl, aild 1 am grieved to hear hL. 'n'1_  J}U ?ee, when he got this t. el, egram, he hua-ri?doS iiLtF?d.?? the return, tut. findin her pel'harm dying, has for- I gotten the bank- 1 c.a,n quite understand." -?;u t hG mj-g,ht ??'? sent wor? I argued. -"rrue; but. then, they may be busy. Eyry moment may mean life or d,?ath. I w?? er wh?re the ?cid?nt occurred3" ?a were soon to he enlightened, for my messeig?r reported that the Tramway Com- mjssion?rs st.?ed that no accident of any kind bad occurred during the last fple day- and thw was confirmed both by the Transit Oommissioners and the police. Here wm a complication. No accident in Sydney for five days! What did it mean' Wo ,o,I-i-d blankly at each other. The hall I

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To-Day's Short Story. I -0…