With Links of Steel | Page 9

with Rufus Venner and his partner in their Fifth Avenue store.
It was now about six o'clock in the evening, and Chick had just
returned from having a confidential talk with one of the stage hands of
the theater in which the then famous attraction, the mammoth European
and American vaudeville troupe, of which Señora Cervera was a star
attraction, had for several months been playing to crowded houses.
Chick found Nick seated at the table in his library, with a powerful
magnifying glass in his hand, while the table was strewn with the
papers he that morning had brought from the office of Venner & Co.
Nick looked up with a laugh, and knocked the ashes from his cigar.
"Well, there's no doubt about it, Chick," he replied. "We are finally up
against them."

"The Kilgore diamond gang?"
"Precisely."
"I'm glad of it, Nick, as you remarked this morning."
"Well, I've not changed my mind since then. So am I."
"We shall now find out whether they are as crafty and desperate as they
have been painted."
"I guess there is no doubt about it, Chick."
"Well, if we fail to throw them down, Nick, my money shall go on
Kilgore from that moment," declared Chick, with a grin. "What have
you dug out of that mess of papers, Nick? Have you arrived at any
conclusions?"
"Rather!" smiled Nick, significantly. "Did you ever know me to study
for five hours over anything of this kind without arriving at some
conclusion?"
"Never!" laughed Chick. "And the best of it is, Nick, your conclusions
nearly always prove to be correct. What's the verdict, old man?"
Nick glanced at the French clock on the mantel.
"Sit down and light up," he replied. "We have half an hour before
getting down to work against this push. I will devote it to informing
you of the case as it now appears."
"Good enough!" exclaimed Chick, drawing up a chair and lighting a
cigar. "Let her go, Nick. I am all ears, as the donkey said to the
deacon."
"To begin with," began Nick, more gravely, "this order sent to
Hafferman, for the diamonds which he delivered at Venner's store, is
merely a forgery. Neither Venner nor Garside wrote it, that's as plain as
the nose on an elephant's face."

"Which is plain enough, surely," nodded Chick.
"Furthermore," continued Nick, "the forgery was not the work of any
clerk employed in either store. I have compared the writing of each and
every clerk with that of the forged order, and I will stake my reputation
upon my conclusion. The forgery was committed by some outside
party."
Nick was an expert chirographist. To have deceived him with a
disguised handwriting would have been utterly impossible, and none
knew it better than Chick, who now nodded approvingly.
"Some outside party, eh?"
"There is no doubt of it, Chick. And this conclusion at once suggests
two very natural questions," Nick went on. "First, was one of the
Kilgore gang in Hafferman's store when Venner went there yesterday,
and did he overhear enough of what passed between them to enable
him to plan the job done this morning?"
"Possibly."
"In opposition to that theory, however, is the fact that the forged order
is written on one of Venner's printed letter sheets."
"By a little adroit work, Nick, one of the gang could have obtained a
sheet of Venner's office paper."
"That is very true," admitted Nick. "But since this is a theory founded
only upon conjecture, with no positive evidence to back it up, the
stronger probability is rather to the contrary."
"Right, Nick, as far as that goes."
"I think so."
"And what is the second theory suggested?"
"That some clerk in one of the stores got wind of Venner's

contemplated purchase, and revealed the fact to one of the Kilgore gang,
by whom I am confident--bear in mind--that the crime was committed."
"That theory seems plausible," nodded Chick. "There is young Boyden,
you know, at Hafferman's. He may have got wise to Venner's intentions.
Garside remarked that he appeared quite anxious to leave the diamonds
until Venner should return. That would have been very natural on his
part, in case he was then co-operating with the party who finally
secured them."
"The same objection again arises, however," argued Nick. "Boyden is
not employed at Venner's, and therefore has not access to his letter
paper. Furthermore, Venner's visit was made only yesterday afternoon,
less than twenty-four hours before the robbery occurred. It seems
hardly probable that Boyden was already in league with the Kilgore
gang; and, if he was not, it is even less probable that he so quickly got
in touch with them."
"By Jove! that's so," cried Chick. "As a matter of fact, then, neither of
these theories has