ad he failed to find Klutchem; had he been thrown out of the office
or had he refrained from again visiting Fitz until he had accomplished
something definite for his relief?

With the passing of the hours I became uneasy. The Colonel, I felt
sure, especially in his present frame of mind, would not desert Fitz
unless something out of the common had happened. I would go to
Klutchem's office first, and not finding him there, I would keep on to
Bedford Place and interview Chad.

"Been here?" growled Klutchem's clerk in answer to my question. "Well,
I should think so. Tried to murder Mr. Klutchem. They're all up at the
police station. Nice day for a muss like this when everything's
kitin'! You don't know whether you're a-foot or a-horseback! These
fire-eaters ought to be locked up!"

"Arrested!"

"Well, you'd a-thought so if you'd been here half an hour ago. He
kept comin' in callin' for Mr. Klutchem, and then he sat down and
said he'd wait. Looked like a nice, quiet old fellow, and nobody took
any notice of him. When Mr. Klutchem came in--he'd been to the
Clearing-house--they both went into his private office and shut the
door. First thing we heard was some loud talk and then the thump of a
cane, and when I got inside the old fellow was beatin' Mr. Klutchem
over the head with a stick thick as your wrist. We tried to put him
out, or keep him quiet, but he wanted to fight the whole office. Then
a cop heard the row and came in and took the bunch to the station. Do
you know him?"

This last inquiry coming at the end of the explosion showed me how
vivid the scene still was in the clerk's mind and how it had
obliterated every other thought.

"Know him! I should think I did," I answered, my mind in a whirl.
"Where have they taken him?"

"Where have they taken 'em, Billy?" asked the clerk, repeating my
question to an assistant.

"Old Slip. You can't miss it. It's got a lamp over the door."

* * * * *

The Sergeant smiled when I stepped up to the desk and made the
inquiry.

Yes; a man named Klutchem had made a charge of assault against one
George Carter. Carter was then locked up in one of the cells and could
not be interviewed without the consent of the Captain of the Precinct
who would be back in a few minutes.

"Guess it ain't serious," the Sergeant added. "Couple of old sports
got hot, that's all, and this old feller--" and he hunched his
shoulder towards the cells--"pasted the oth