eBooks Base 2000

"A queer devil," observed Claiborne, as they drove away. "A solemn
customer, and not cheerful enough to make a good drummer. By what
singular chance did he find you in that shop?"
"I found _him_, dearest brother, if I must make the humiliating
disclosure."
"I shouldn't have believed it! I hardly thought you would carry it so
far."
"And while he may be a salesman of imitation cut-glass, he has expensive
tastes."
"Lord help us, he hasn't been buying you a watch?"
"No; he was lavishing himself on a watch for the foreman of his ranch in
Montana."
"Humph! you're chaffing."
"Not in the least. He paid--I couldn't help being a witness to the
transaction--he actually paid five hundred francs for a watch to give to
the foreman of his ranch--_his_ ranch, mind you, in Montana, U.S.A.
He spoke of it incidentally, as though he were always buying watches for
cowboys. Now where does that leave us?"
"I'm afraid it rather does for my theory. I'll look him up when I get
home. Montana isn't a good hiding-place any more. But it was odd the way
he acted about old Stroebel's death.


Pages:
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57