"UBIQUE," The Scientific Bushranger.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 161, 9 July 1910, Page 15

"ÜBIQUE," The Scientific Bushranger.

By. ' W. MAKTIN .. nrof <Tbe BnsH Emblem," "Tie Lust paw. ot Hate/ , etc>

IfcIQOTMNTBODTTCES THE LAST ffO ED IK SCIENTIFIC SAFEBREAKXNG. Steele stepped briskly down the ganged on to tie King-street wharf, an Serif pompons gentleman rushed fonvard ? meet him. Steele, glancing upwards, mheM Bight of him immediately. ugood morning, ilr Thurston!" he exjUjjjed effusively. • -Horning, be hanged!" "Qa&e k>, if you wish it," returned fteele. fleetly. j& Thurston was almost beside himself jffl rage. He endeavoured to articulate, vj iis rase, for some moments, had temsarily bereft Mm of speech. «1 aink jon had better calm yourself, j," advised Steele, in his most conciliat-<-f manner. "Calm myself! Calm! When that conjujjed scoundrel is robbing mc right and in some most mysterious and unmanner!" And Mr Thurston eounenced a volley of forcible expletives (jat caused sundry wharf labourers to jj ;a fflent admiration. "Well, Mr Thurstoh, I think it -would be ■idTlsaWe to let mc hear the rest in your private office." And Steele made his way jj tie gates. . iinrston followed after him. "Nice sort of detective, you are!" lie sneered. "What So I employ you for?" "For endeavouring to the best of my jjllitT to serve your interests—not to listen to jour unfair vituperation," returned Eteele, warmly. . "Judging by results, your ability doesn't conflt for much." "I have failed—that is* up .to the present time; iut if I DaTe failed, I am only one. He .whole police of Australia ihave failed jii company. • To this Mr Tlurston vouchsafed no reply, grumbling anent the idiocy of detectives and policemen in general. He puffed tiles Steele, who, almost beside himself with rage, was making his way rapidly up lie steep declivity of King-street. He" waited for Thurston to come up with -him. flat worthy, who was in no amiable rood, cursing the 'hills that, to his "way of akt"jig, made Sydney .travelling a torture. When yon have finished cursing all and simdry, I- will accompany you to jonr office," said Steele, with some warmth. "Come on, then. Ton seem to be in a toy all at once. Wish you'd capture that Konndrelly outlaw.as quickly." "Any further comment from you, Mr ffhuretoii, and you may find someone else fiat is, unless you feel yourself competent enough to undertake the task yourself." Thurston made no reply, but made his my into Pitt-street, and a few minutes later he was seated in his palatial office jrfia tie detective vis-a-vis. OEering Steele a cigar, he unfolded his We of the outlaw's latest exploit, interEpersing It now and then with a few caustic eiplelivesi The substance of his story was that all Us typewritten matter relating to stock quotations his variops secret deals tok immediately on the Stock ExcaanjW Straps that he had planned with masterly foresight were forestalled. In fact, irlere:ifi name had been long held In rasped as "being one of Australia's most Jonjieaded men of business; of late it had been made' synonymous with failure. . "I Jell jdiij Steele, I'd give half my fortune to discover the trick. It's not the loss of tfie money that I mind so much; it's tho loss'of prestige. Here am I, admfttedly one of the smartest mea on 'Change, made to appear lite a common or garden clerk." Anti the veins on his forehead seemed in danger df bursting wltfi. suppressed rage. Steele listened intently until he had Jnished, it the conclusion of the other's story, he seemed lost in contemplation. Mr. TBnrstoh looked at him with surprise. He iaS expected anything from the detective* other than silence. In his arrogance of power lie had expected Steele to be tisaiy moved; but this coolness on his part only served to .irritate him the more. : "Ton seem to take it pretty coolly," he burst out Steele puffed at his cigar, and looked Emrston straight in the eyes. After" what to Thurston' seemed an age, Steele ventured to remark, "■Seems the oest way to discover the mystery, don't yWtfilnlc? ,, " Bnt Thurston could onJy gasp, "lour typewriter; can she be trnsteSJ* , Steele inquired. "Xes; j-on must look elsewhere. Hex uaracter is unimpeachable. My wife has tamn hei? from childhood." • "3he may be in complicity with a lover," leottoea Steele. "Sot that I know of. Besides, she lives H lome with my wife; they are fast Wends." "Do you do niilcb. business over the teleplionei" , "Sot private business. All my coups are Ptonea In this office, and then typed. No Posoii has the handling of the papers other "an. myself, That's what makes it more "Vsteflons than ever." And Thurston m °jpeii his brow with, the air of a man utterly -nonplussed. "Can i see this typewriter?'* questioned Steele. ; "Certainly/; It's in She next room." 'And, ™ng, the two men made their way intd "te adjoining office. Steele examined the telephone, and then ue windows* finally bringing himself up in ™nt of tie machine. "rt, ltS * . e ' milar machine to (hundreds of 16 be seen in Sydney any day," retoted Steele. "Quite bo! I got it-very cheap, too," "Got it for live pounds, 1 S'. 1 ' »nst have cost .fifteen;" jufteen-ten," corrected Steele. "Here's only one fault to be found with l<. continued Thurston. . "The dashed ™"S reminds one of a cheap auto-harp; it ont a musical sound when it is being at hjgu pressure." ■-«<*! picked up a.book carelessly. "When 1 Ton te having confidential matter "«« again:' , ' he questioned, 10-morrow," was the reply, "'Wly, S4t i ask^ ,, ypn mate it convenient for mc to « Mdaen in the corner during the time **.<"*_ dictating it?" oa '> nndefstand,!' commenced Thnfsjj l We a theory," explained Steele! "It ~?> oe.correct; 6& the Other hand, it may l 6 Bnt *Ui I should like to be present. , tt c< mld easily place mc behind tHat .^?. Jo,J iive in the coriief." nen Tou suspect jj, y typewriter?" burst out angrily. suspect nothing," replied Steele, calmtE e t ala fiola =~ !ls I nave always done— Jon . J to sef^e FWi interests-. If .Mc wise, you will put nothing ia my own way, then. Btffc you. -. "P.ect met-tp doubt jour ability some-

times; you have not been, very successful," he added maliciously. Steele did not reply to his employer's cheap sarcasm, and, taking up his "hat, he moved toward the door. "I shall be here to-morrow for the preparation of my plan," he said. ''At what time will it be most convenient?" "We start business at nine o'clock," replied Thurston. "So you had better present yourself at about eight." "I shall be ihere; and, though it may seem superfluous, I would prefer our private talk 'to be kept a secret" And, bidding his employer "Good-day," he bowed himself out. "Keep it a secret!" growled -Thurston. "Does he think I am a boy, to be blurting my affairs around the town?" And, growling at everything ia particular, he locked the oflice, and made his way homewards, to vent his bad temper, like so many similar men, on his wife. Punctually at eight o'clock the next morning Steele made his appearance, whilst Thurston arrived a few minutes later, perspiring most profusely. "Hang the trams.!" he commenced, but, catching the detective's look of amusement, he promptly subsided. '■Had breakfast?" he Inquired. "An hour 6ince." "Well, we can have a chat inside, as the girl does not arrive until five, minutes to nine." He entered the office, and both men were soon discussing plans over a whisky and a prime cigar. ' "You positively refuse to inform ms of your theory?" began Thurston. "Yes; for, should it not materialise Into an explanation, you would be the first to rub it in." "You're pretty candid." "I usually am," replied Steele, quietly. Thurston took out his watch. "It'e aquarter to nine; you had better prepare," he remarked. They entered the Inner office, and Steele drew the screen across the corner opposite to the window. "This corner will be out of the light," he explained. "You will keep the information secret}" commenced Thurston. "Type a dummy message, for all I care; it's all the same to me.' By the way, I. suppose you have lost considerably over this business?" "A matter of ten. thousand pounds," returned Thurston. "H'm! I don't wonder at your annoyance. "Well, you had better leave mc now, and do not allow the girl time to go poking around the room." Thurston entered the small room that was kept sacred to his use. He was examining the morning's mail, when iis typist entered. "Good morning, Mr Thurston," she greeted, as that worthy emerged from his den. " 'Morning, Miss," he returned. "Oh! by the way, I shall require you to type some special stuff for mc at once. Your ordinary matter can Wait." "Very good, sir; I shall be ready immediately." A minute after, Thnrston was dictating an imaginary secret letter, addressed to a friend of his. This took up the greater portion of an hour, as Steele had previously required him to indite a lengthy epistle. At the end of that period Thurston sent the girl on an errand that would take a considerable time to complete. Soon after her departure Steele emerged from his hiding Jjliaße', ajnd comniencied to examine the machine minutely. He was deep in contemplation of the intricate mechanism when Thurston burst into fhe room. "Well, what have you discovered?" he yelled. "That you paid dearly for this machine," replied Steele. "Dearly! Nonsense, man! Didn't I tell you I paid five "pounds for it?" "XeverthelesS, this machinfe has cost you exactly ten thousand and five , pounds." And Steele glanced at Thurstdn With a twinkle in his eye. "Explain! Ten thousand!— Machine!" he gibbered. And he sank into a chair with the look of a man about to choke. "It requires little explanation," returned Steele, with veiled contempt. "In, your mad worship of cheapness, you have been hoist with your own petard." "This insult is unwarrantable, Mr Steele!" "It is none the less true," replied Steele. "From whom did you purchase this pafagon of a typewriter , ?' , "From a chap who took, the office upstairs," replied Thurston. "He didn't seem to have any luck in business, so sold mc his machine. He said he would harig on a bit longer to gee if tilings changed." "Has he left?" inquired Steele. "Not yet, I am his landlord, He has paid up till this week end." "We hnd better interview him now," Steele proposed. "But, tell mej How was it managed?" "Nothing simpler," replied Steele. "This machine, as you have already stated, is extremely musical; every key has its own peculiar sound." "And what of that?" gasped Thurston. "Simply that any man acquainted with the instrument could read what was being typed by the sound- of the keys." "But that Would be impossible; the keys ate worked too rapidly." "Not more rapid than the Morse code," returned Steele. "So you think——" "That your impecunious lodger has managed to defraud you by means of the type- 1 writer." And Steele chuckled. "I fion't see anything to smile at," sneered Thurston. "I suppose, as it's your first success, you consider yourself entitled to do so." But Steel was already half-way up the stairs. . Tliurston arrived few moments later. He . found Steele interrogating the solitary office boy. f; "My master has gone abroad for his health," the boy explained. "He paid mc my wages, and told ine to keep a. letter for either Mr. Steele of Mr Thurston. He said they were bound to be calling soon," he added. Steele took the letter, and handed it to Thurston. Some of the outlaw's sarcasm would enable Thurston to fully understand the difficulty of arresting euch a master of crime, he thought. Thurston's , face was kaleidoscopic in' its numerous changes as he continued reading. Suddenly he burst into a volley of for del ul expletives. "The scoundrel! The infernal blackguard! Steele!" he yelled, turning to the detective, "you'll follow that man,' even,if it costs mc my" iast jsenny!" And,' cursing volubly, he. rushed downstairs, where a. moment after the viciotis slamniing of it door announced his retreat. The letter had been thrown to the, floor by Thnrston in his rage. Steele picked it up, and the well known handwriting presented itself to : his startled gaze. "Dear Thurston <or Steele),— in "the ridiculous craze for cheapness, people often manage-to over-reach themselves; Anyone who, havliig a sufficiency of this world's goods enough, in fact, to place them above such petty meanness as taking, advantage of another's poverty to beat him deavours at the same time to add to .the vaet store of unearned increment by tricks that would shanie anyone wno retains , , the least atota of only blame himself if at times he is made to look cheap. In tliig particular Cafee a successful man of business H made to appear very cheap, Tet he cannot grumble, as Be Iβ only one remove from my calling, and it's all in the game. I said that 'he would pay. for niy holiday, afld I am looking" Well on it— so -well, in fact, that I intend to prolong it Thus more caah..:wJU-B« xejiuiiedi. ftnq.

I inform Thurston (or Steele, whoever reads this first) that the money will have to materialise; if I cannot obtain it elsewhere", I must call here again.—Yours truly, "ÜBIQUH." B "P.S.-r-The typewriter trick is so absurdly simple that I must leave you to find It but for yourselves." Steele gave vent to a muttered curse, and, folding the letter, placed it in, his pocketbook, and he descended to Thnrston's office ' with a set look upon his face. The aston- % ished office boy retreated into his den. • j_ "By Cripes!" he ejaculated, "I wouldn't a care'to work for that firm!" :■ ' c , (To be continued weekly.) . n