ht be termed one of the
unreconstructed. He was something more than that, he was an
irreconcilable, who would have been glad of an opportunity to take up
arms again. This official took an eager interest in the scheme which Mr.
Sanders had in view; in fact, as he said himself, it was a personal
interest. He invited Mr. Sanders to the head-quarters of the Fire
Department.

"I'll tell you why I want you to come," he said. "There's a man in my
office, or he will be there when we arrive, who is likely to take as
much interest in this thing as I do--he couldn't take more--and I want
him to hear your plan. Have you ever heard of Captain Buck Sanford?"

Mr. Sanders paused in the street, and stared at the Fire Chief. "Heard
of him? Well, I should say! He's the feller that fights a duel before
breakfast to git up an appetite. Well, well! How many men has Buck
Sanford winged?"

"Oh, quite a number, but not as many as he gets credit for. He comes in
my private office every morning, and he's a great help to me. He was
rather down at the heels right after the war, and then I happened to
find out that he had a great talent in getting the truth out of
criminals. We sometimes arrest a man against whom there is no direct
evidence of guilt, and if we didn't have some one skilful enough to make
him own up, we could do nothing. Buck always knows whether a fellow is
guilty or not, and we turn over the suspects to him, and whatever he
says goes. He sits in my office like a piece of furniture, and you'd
think he was a wooden man. Now you go down with me, and go over your
scheme so that Buck can hear you, and whatever he says do, will be the
thing to do."

When Mr. Sanders and the Chief arrived at the head-quarters of the
department, and entered the private office, they found a pale and
somewhat emaciated young man sitting in a chair, which was leaned
against the wall at a somewhat dangerous angle. He was apparently
asleep; his eyes were closed, and he held between his teeth a short but
handsome pipe. He made no movement whatever when the two entered the
room. His hat was on the floor at the side of his chair, and had
evidently fallen from his head. If Mr. Sanders had been called on to
describe the young man, he would have said that he was a weasly looking
creature, half gristle and half ghost. His hands were small and thin,
and the skin of his face had the appearance of parchment.

At the request of the Chief, Mr. Sanders went over the d