“Not quite as bad as that,” said Mr. Newton. “But tell me this: If nitric acid made those marks, and nitro-glycerine could do it, would a person handling the explosive be likely to mark a paper in that fashion?”
“Most decidedly so,” said Mr. Hosfer. “I can refer you to——”
“Never mind!” interrupted Mr. Newton. “That is all I want to know.”
“What are you going to do now?” asked the chemist.
“I am going to look for the man who made those marks on the paper,” replied the reporter.
“How can you find him?” asked Larry, in surprise.
“By looking for a man with a blue hand,” was Mr. Newton’s answer.
CHAPTER XI
A SEARCH FOR THE BLUE HAND
“What do you mean?” asked Mr. Hosfer, as he watched Mr. Newton place what was left of the blue paper in his pocket.
“I mean that I have a clew to the persons who blew open the safe,” said Mr. Newton. “As soon as I saw that paper which Larry found, with the blue marks on it, I thought it might have been used by the burglars. I was at a loss to know what could have caused the marks, but you, Mr. Hosfer, have solved that problem for me. I think I can manage the rest.”