The Mystery of the Steel Disc | Page 4

property?"
"When I was on accounts he always had fifteen or twenty thousand on
time deposits, and drew some large checks or made heavy deposits
when Mr. Anderson bought or sold property for him--"

"Whom did you say, Mr. Anderson? The real estate agent who sent Mr.
Duncan to see you?"
"Yes, Mr. Martin Anderson. He is Hanahan's agent. They were old
volunteer firemen together in Williamsburg shortly after they came to
this country."
"Indeed! How do you know that?"
"Well, one evening shortly after I met Marie, I went to call on her and
she said her father was not at home; that he was down at our bank
chatting with Hanahan and having a smoke. Then she told me about
their having belonged to the same fire company. After the old man had
taken a dislike to me and threatened to shoot me if I came to the house
again, I used to watch for Hanahan's check, for every time he drew, I
knew he was expecting to see Mr. Anderson and I would go up to the
house. I never missed it."
Rand smiled as if he enjoyed the humor in the instance. He thought a
moment and then said:
"Well, now, if you will go back to the bank I will be over presently
accompanied by a man from the Broadway office of Mahler's, and you
will be asked to show us the vault. Please do not indicate that you know
me."
When Rhodes was gone, Rand turned to me quickly and said: "Mr.
Duncan, kindly go over to Mr. Robert Steele in Hargan's office in Wall
Street and tell him I sent you. Ask him whether any government fours
of '90 have been in evidence in the market recently. Meet me in half an
hour at the telephone booth in the Park Row drug store."
I hurried to the office of the great firm of Hargan Company and sent in
my card to Mr. Steele with "through Ms. Rand" on the corner. I was
ushered in immediately.
"Mr. Steele, I was sent here by Mr. Rand to inquire whether there have
been any '90 government fours on the market in more than the usual

quantity recently?"
At the question he started visibly and whirled abruptly around in his
desk chair to face me. He stared at me a moment as if weighing his
words forthcoming.
"Well--yes," he said slowly, dropping his eyes in a manner that was
anything but frank. "Yes, there have been--some." He paused and
looked up at me again, took off his glasses, and, wiping them
tentatively, put them on and looked me full in the face as if decided on
his course.
"Since Mr. Rand sent you, it must be all right, for we trust Mr. Rand
thoroughly here. Tell him that a pile of them has been dumped into the
market in the past week, not into the market exactly, but Strauss
brokers had them and loans on them were used to buy Overland Pacific
at an average of 87, and when it reached 161 last Thursday, whoever
was in this pool began to take profits as nearly as we can tell and closed
out the line at an average of 157. Of course Overland went to 136, but
she is--let me see--let me see--" he looked at the tape--"is 206, so
whoever held these bonds must have been outside of Strauss's pool. It
cost us about three million dollars, and if you can tell me any more
about it I will be very grateful."
I told him there was absolutely nothing of which I knew personally.
Suddenly I remembered that I had not learned even the name of the
president of the Municipal Bank, and if Rand had asked Rhodes at
lunch I had let it slip by me. Inwardly ashamed of my loose methods,
compared with Rand's thorough ones, I hastened to ask of Mr. Steele,
as a by-matter, being sure that he would know. I was at the door ready
to go out when the matter flashed into my mind.
"By the way, Mr. Steele," I said, "do you happen to know the president
of the Municipal Bank--"
"J. R. Farrington Smith?" He jerked his head around sharply toward me
as he interrupted me. "Indeed I do." Then he emitted a short, grating

laugh, and continued, looking at me sharply all the while: "How odd I
should be thinking of him also at that moment! Do you know, Mr.
Duncan, that Strauss is or was his broker? Yet, he was on the short end
of Overland very badly; that I know, to my sorrow."
He dropped his voice to a confidence-inviting tone, and said as he
leaned forward, motioning me to a chair once more:
"Come now, Mr. Duncan, why