III. THE CADIZ BANK LOOT 96 IV. AN EXPENSIVE CHICKEN 109 V. A ROCK CLEFT FOR ME 130 VI. ’TWAS A SWEET BABE 156 VII. POLICE SHIELD NOT WORN FOR HEALTH 165 VIII. SHERIFF SMITH’S BRIBE--THE LITTLE JOKER 185 IX. BREVOORT STABLES 207 X. I CORRUPT A BANK CLERK 215 XI. A COLOSSAL BANK BURGLING ENTERPRISE 232 XII. JUGGLING WITH DEATH 244 XIII. CAPTAIN JOHN YOUNG’S GRAB 272 XIV. PLOTTING AGAINST YOUNG 286 XV. MY PATENT SAFETY SWITCH AND JIM IRVING 303 XVI. HARD WORK UNDER GREAT DIFFICULTIES 319 XVII. MARK MAKES PI OF LOCK TUMBLERS 337 XVIII. DISPOSITION OF OCEAN BANK LOOT 341 XIX. A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH 356 XX. TALL JIM MOVES FROM COLUMBUS PRISON 368 XXI. JIM BURNS AND HIS CONGRESSMAN PAL 380 XXII. WILLIAM HATCH, ESQUIRE, DAY WATCHMAN 403 XXIII. THE PLOT THAT FAILED 421 XXIV. THE PERFIDY OF CAPTAIN JIM IRVING 440 XXV. SOME DETECTIVES I FOUND USEFUL 463 XXVI. THE MICROBE “CALLOUSITIS” 480 FROM BONIFACE TO BANK BURGLAR PART I CHAPTER I MY HOTEL DAYS “Here I am back again, Ellis, my dear boy!” I said to my clerk in the Central House, as comfortable and inviting a country hostelry as the average man of travel would want to make an occasional visit to, if I do say it myself. “Glad of it, Mr. White,” returned Ellis Merrill, as he reciprocated my hearty hand-grasp. He had been with me in the hotel business for some time, and I rather fancied him. And he was a most trustworthy young man too. I glanced at the register on the desk, as any hotel proprietor is apt to do after several days’ absence. “Ah,” remarked I, as my eyes fell on two names--“Wyckoff and Cummings. They came yesterday. Are they together?” “Yes, Mr. White; and they seemed to be mighty well stocked with cash. Up to date they’ve been very prompt in paying their bills; in fact, have paid for everything in advance.” I glanced over a file of business papers. Then I said: “It seems they’ve hired one of our best teams for three days, paid for it, and will return to-morrow. That’s good business, Ellis.” “Right you are, sir.” I gossiped more about my guests,--as to what business they might be engaged in, and the like. “Mr. Wyckoff told me that he’s a United States deputy marshal. As to his companion, he didn’t say anything,” said Merrill. “I allowed him to have about the best team we had in the stable, on the representation that he was a government official.”