Believe Me, Xantippe

In a delightful subversion of conventional morality, George MacFarland, a man of considerable means and an insatiable appetite for audacious exploits, wagers a princely sum of $20,000 against his skeptical associates, Thornton Brown and Arthur Sole. His audacious claim? That he can deliberately commit a felony—specifically, forging a check—and subsequently elude the long arm of the law for precisely one calendar year. With the ink barely dry on his fabricated instrument, MacFarland embarks on a westward odyssey, a journey marked by cunning evasions and narrow escapes. Despite the relentless dissemination of police circulars, each prominently featuring his likeness and the peculiar, memorable utterance, “Believe me, Xantippe,” he deftly navigates the treacherous landscape of pursuit. As the year's arduous span dwindles to its final moments, MacFarland finds refuge in a secluded Colorado hunting lodge. Here, fate intervenes in the form of Dolly, the sharp-witted daughter of Sheriff Kamman. Possessing a keen eye and an unwavering sense of civic duty, Dolly immediately recognizes the notorious fugitive and attempts to apprehend him. Yet, the intricate terms of MacFarland's wager stipulate that capture must be effected by a *bona fide* officer of the law, a designation Dolly, despite her admirable intent, does not hold. With a dramatic flourish, the clock strikes midnight, signaling the expiration of the stipulated year, thereby securing MacFarland's victory in his audacious bet and, quite charmingly, winning him the hand of the very woman who sought to bring him to justice.