“To tell the truth, I’ve actually adopted the suggestion,” he informed them. “Eighty thousand dollars in gold is actually on exhibition at the present time in the windows of the Hattontown _Observer_—under the eyes of armed guards day and night.” “But——” Gordon had started to speak, but a gesture of Griswold’s stopped him. “Let me explain,” the great newspaper owner hastened to say. “The original fund has been stolen, but, of course, that fact is known only to very few, including the officials of the Cotton and Wool Bank in Hattontown. We cannot afford to let the truth get out, if we can possibly help it, for it would be a serious blow to the prestige of our organization; therefore I have duplicated the fund, drawing on my private account for the purpose, and, as Simpson suggested, the money has been placed on exhibition. It’s attracting an immense amount of favorable attention, and will doubtless mean a great increase in circulation for the Hattontown _Observer_. We have that much to thank Simpson for, at any rate.” “Very extraordinary!” murmured the supposed detective aloud. “Better and better!” he commented inwardly. “I haven’t any scruples to speak of, but it goes without saying that I’d rather relieve this hog of a millionaire of eighty thousand than take it from a few hundreds of poor devils who have been cleaned out of everything. That money seems to be fatherless, and waiting to be adopted. It was contributed to the fund, but the fund is now complete without it. It doesn’t belong to Simpson, and Griswold doesn’t need it. Obviously, it’s mine, and I’m going to have it.” “But you haven’t told us yet,” he added, addressing his visitors, “how the missing treasurer actually got his hands on the money. The bank in Hattontown naturally wouldn’t have turned any such amount over to a stranger.” CHAPTER X. THE IMPOSTOR’S CLEVERNESS. “You may take that for granted, of course,” Griswold agreed, in reference to the bogus detective’s last suggestion. “But Simpson was treasurer of the fund,” Cray interposed. “He worked it so the bank accepted his authority, and——” Gordon was studying the millionaire’s face, and was clever enough to read what he saw there. “By no means, my dear Cray,” he said. “Simpson didn’t approach the Hattontown bank in his capacity as treasurer of the fund. He knew better than to do that—knew that he would have no standing there, unless identified and backed up by the organization itself. He knew, too, as I reason it out, that the bank would look for any action to come from the local newspaper, and would be off its guard if it did, the _Observer’s_ man being naturally known to the bank officials.” He was watching Griswold narrowly all the time, and saw that he was on the right track. “Mean he had an accomplice on the Hattontown paper?” demanded Cray, looking startled.