The Roupell Mystery
By Austyn Granvi'lle
CHAPTER V. (Continued.)
The magistrate paused, and bit his
Hps. An ominous hum of voices filled
the room and the clerk laid down his
pen, seized his gavel and rapped (or si
lence, gazing indignantly around him in
the universal manner of court function
aries, as if a sacrilege had been com
mitted. "Dave you any statement which you
wish to make?" resumed the magistrate.
"Tea, I have. I was not in the room
at the time of the commission of the
murder. I was not even the first to
enter the room. I entered the room al
most simultaneously with another person.
Monsieur Jules Chabot"
"Take this diagram In your hands.
There is Madame Roupell's chamber.
This to her sitting room. Where were
yon at the time the shot was fired?"
"I was just about to enter the sitting
room from the room beyond, which had
been my own apartment during my for
mer visits to the chateau. It still con
tained some things of mine which I bad
not sent for. I recollect a case of pis
tols, particularly, which was lying on
the toilette table."
"Look at the pistol shown you, and say
If It is your pistol?"
"It Is. It Is one I brought from Amer
ica. I used this pistol for gallery prac
tice, of which I am fond."
"Whn did yon last see it?"
"About six weeks ago. It was then in
the pistol case already referred to.
"Monsieur Jules Chabot, you say, was
already In Madame Roupell's apartment
when 70a entered. Where was he standing?"
"We entered simultaneously. He was
over by the other door."
"Would It have been possible for Mon
aleur Chabot to have taken that pistol
from your case without your knowledge?'
"I cannot tell. It depends. He may
bare done so, but he would have had to
enter the apartment by way of Madame
Roupell's sitting room, because the other
door was locked."
"Who locked It?"
Van Lith hesitated for a barely per
ceptible InRtant of time ere he replied :
"I locked it myself, so as to be secure
from Interruption."
"Why did you wish to be secure from
interruption?"
"Because I did not wish It known that
I was in the chateau."
"Why did you not wish It known?"
"That is one of the questions I must
decline to answer."
The prefect and the judge exchanged
significant glances. The latter had no
ticed the prisoner's hesitation when stat
ing that It was he himself who had locked
the door. "That Is the first lie he has
told," thought M. Bertrand, "and it is
told to shield someone. He has an ac
complice, evidently." Then he said out
loud :
"I have no more questions to ask. The
examination of the prisoner is concluded.
You will retain him in the closest cus
tody, and allow no one but his counsel or
physician to see him under any pretext
whatsoever."
Jules Chabot was the next witness to
tie examined. His testimony was substan
tially the same as contained in the pre
fect's report. He swore positively enough
to finding Van Lith in Mme. Roupell's
chamber immediately after hearing the re
port of the pistol. He also swore that
Mme. Roupell and Van Lith were on bad
terms, and gave, though with a well
assumed show of reluctance, a pretty full
recapitulation of the facts which had
brought about the final quarrel between
them.
At this stage of the examination, the
prefect was seen to whisper something to
the judge, and the latter then asked :
"You testify that nearly an hour
elapsed between the time when you were
shown to your room and the firing of the
pistol. The condition of your bed proves
that you had not slept in it, and when
you reached Madame Roupell's chamber
you were fullf dressed. Why did you
not retire to rest?"
"Simply because I was not sleepy," re
plied M. Chabot, coloring somewhat, and
fingering his long mustache nervously. "I
was busy writing."
"What were you writing?"
M. Chabot hesitated and stammered.
"If you do not immediately answer
my question, I shall have no alternative
but to commit you, monsieur," said the
judge, in a stern voice. ,
Jules Chabot hesitated no longer. Draw.
Ing a letter from his pocket, he handed it
up to the bench.
"It is a confidential communication ad
dressed to a lady," he said, "and I trust
you will respect it."
M. Bertrand could but with difficulty
repress a smile as he ran his eyes rap
Idly over the letter, which was nothing
less than the draft of a written proposi
tion of marriage to Miss Harriet Weldon.
It had evidently been the subject of much
are, as the frequent erasures and inter
lineations showed. It was couched in
flowery and high-flown language, and full
of the most extravagant expressions of
edoratlon. The most peculiar thing about
it was the writer had evidently been un
certain as to which of the two young
ladles he should ask for, 'as the words
"Mile. Harriet Weldon" had been first
written and then scratched out, as If he
thought there was no hope for him in
that direction, and "Mile. Emily Weldon"
)ut in their stead. Victor Lablanche
Jiere again whispered In the ear of the
judge of instruction and the latter said:
"I would ask yon If you were occu
pied during all the Interval which elapsed
between the Urn of our retiring and
hearing the report of the pistol, in writ
ing this letter?"
"I was not so engaged during the en
tire time; the point of my pencil broke,
and I had no penknife with which to re
sharpen it"
"You were right, monsieur le prefect,"
exclaimed the judge, with a meaning
glance at the official. "How long a time
elapsed between the breaking of your
pencil and the report of the pistol?"
"About five minutes, I should say.
Probably longer. It might have been
more and it may have been less. I could
not say for certain."
"The letter you have shown me," said
the judge, "I think sufficiently explains
why you did not retire to sleep. You
were the invited guest of Madame Rou
pell, and occupied the room shown you.
By the by, at which door did you go into
Madame Roupell's room? The one which
led to it from your chamber?"
"Oh, no, monsieur, that was locked. I
had first to go Into the corridor."
"That will do, Monsieur Chabot, you
can go," said the judge, and the French
man, considerably relieved, bowed and
retired.
The servants were then called, and they
swore positively that none of them had
admitted Van Lith into the chateau, and
had no knowledge of his being there until
they saw him in Mme. Roupell's cham
ber. The prefect here stated bis discov
ery of the bruised vine leaves, and the
open window, and gave It as his opinion
that the entry had been there effected.
The examination of the local physi
cian and Dr. Paul Mason then followed.
They both testified that Mme. Roupell
had died from the effects of a pistol bul
let entering the base of the brain. This
concluding the proceedings, the judge of
Instruction then committed Van Lith to
the prison of La Mazas.
"Shall I keep Monsieur Jules Chabot
under surveillance?" asked the prefect.
when all had retired.
"I see no occasion for It," replied M,
Bertrand. "He may be a fool ; but he
doesn t look like a murderer."
But Victor Lablanche still adhered ob
stinately to the opinion that M. Chabot
would bear watching. Slipping from the
room he instructed one of his most relia
ble secret agents to keep him In sight un
til further orders. He had said nothing
about his discovery of the open door. He
would keep that to himself. It might
lead perhaps to one of those grand coups
for which be was so famous.
Another thing the prefect was dissatis
fied with. Upon the certificate of the phy
sicians that the Miles. Weldon were pros
trated by the death of their aunt, they
bad not been summoned before the tri
bunal though later they would probably
be called upon to testify. The prefect
considered this as ill-timed leniency, but
there was no help for it. The certificate
of so famous a physician as Dr. Paul
Mason had its weight with the judge of
instruction.
PTIiPTPD I'l
Dr. Paul Aason found opportunity to
whisper in Charles Van Lith's ea, as he
ns iea away :
"Do not despair. I will leave no stone
unturned to establish your innocence."
Then, as he wrung his hand, he added,
"Oh, if you would but speak."
an Lith said nothing in reply. He
was so overcome with the horror of. his
situation that he could barely stammer
out his thanks for the' doctor's kindness.
Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the
misfortune which had overtaken him, he
suffered himself to be conducted unresist
ingly to that sombre vehicle, in which,
closely barred and huddled together like
sheej), prisoners are carried to the dark
and gloomy cells of La Mazas. Paul Ma
son immediately took a cab to the Rue de
Reverdy, where he ate, though sparingly,
of the breakfast which his housekeeper,
Louise, had long ago prepared against his
coming.
"Well, Madame Roupell was murdered
this morning at the Chateau Villeneuve,"
he said at last.
The old servant started violently. She
set down the pot from which she was
about to pour a fresh cup of coffee for the
doctor, and trembled from head to foot.
"Is it possible?" she, ejaculated.
"It is not only possible, but, alas, it Is
a fact," repeated the doctor: "and a
if tliat was not trouble enough in one
day, my friend Monsieur Charles Van
Lith has been arrested, charred with th
commission of the crime."
At this additional intelligence the old
woman's eyes nearly started out of her
bead.
"Monsieur Charles! How can ha V.
guilty of such a thine? He. so rav. an
cheerful, so polite to everybody I I will
never believe it."
"He was in the chateau last nipht nnrl
positively refuses to tell even me how he
came to be there. But there is a report
of the whole affair in the morning paper.
You can read it for yourself."
The old lady nut on her claaaea nn1
simply devoured the paper which the doc
tor nanaea ner. suddenly she exclaimed:
"Monsieur Van Lith's silence haa
thing to do with one of the young ladies,
you may depend upon it."
Louise pointed to a certain paragraph
In the report of the tragedy, which had
already, In the shape of an "extra," found
its way thus early into print :
"It has transDlred that ' lfoht
burning In the chamber of Mile. Harriet
Weldon. a niece of the murdered woman
at a late hour. It would not surprise us
to learn that this young lady ultimately
proved to be the "woman in the case."
"You gtve me credit for too much
sharpness, you see," said Louise. "It is
the idea of the reporter, not mine."
"Ah," replied the doctor, "those report
ers are very sharp fellows. Some of them
are as good as trained detectives."
"They are good enough in their way,"
remarked the old housekeeper, as she be
gan to clear away the breakfast dishes,
"but could they begin to compete with
such men as Marmaud, Bassaud or Alfred
Cassagne especially Cassagne? Oh, he
is as sharp aa a needle; nothing escapes
him."
"Tell us something more about thlB Al
fred Cassagne. Why do you mention
him, particularly?"
"First, because he has a good reputa
tion, and secondly, because 1 happen to
know something about him, monsieur," re
plied the housekeeper, highly gratified at
being thus interrogated. "lie is one of
the most famous detectives in Paris, and
he baa no need to be a detective at all,
or anything else, for that matter, as he
has plenty of money to live upon. Ah, he
Is grand. It is a passion with him. When
anyone else fails to get to the bottom of
a mystery, they call In Monsieur Cas
sagne, and he always succeeds."
"Always?"
"If he does not it Is because the case
is hopeless, has no bottom. lie is very
shrewd. He adopts a hundred disguises.
An Englishman stops you on the street at
nine o'clock and asks you the way. It
is Monsieur Cassagne. At ten, a Ger
man shoemaker, leathern apron and all,
inquires what time it is. It is Monsieur
Cassagne. A little further on a crossing
sweeper begs for a few sous. It is Cas
sagne again Finally, you see him out
side one of the cafes, sipping his choco
late, only you don't recognize him, for
be is a merchant or perhaps a swell of
the boulevards. Ah, but he is a wonder
ful man, is this Alfred Catumgue."
"Do you know where he lives?"
"Certainly, a cousin of mine once work
ed for him. I hare been in his house.
It is the Rue de Petits Champs. Thirty
six Is the number."
"I intend to employ a detective on this
matter." said the doctor, presently, "and
as I don't know one from another, I am
inclined to say, 'Why not your friend,
Alfred Cassagne?' Slip on your bonnet
and shawl, Louise. I want you to take a
message to the telegraph office."
The doctor took a blank from a drawer
and wrote bis dispatch.
"Take that," be said, handing it to the
housekeeper. "It Is a message to your
wonderful Cassagne, asking him to meet
me to-morrow morning at the Chateau
Villeneuve. We shall be on the ground
there, and he will have a chance to show
what he is made of."
The old lady's face wore a beaming ex
pression. She put the telegram in her
pocket as if It were some precious jewel.
"You will not regret it, monsieur, for,
as I have assured you, you will find Mon
sieur Cassagne a very clever person."
Alerady in her simple mind, the gloomy
gates of La Mazas had swung back upon
thslr massive binges, and the young
friend of her kind master stepped forth,
a free and happy man.
It was a beautiful morning; the birds
sang melodiously in the trees which sur
rounded the Chateau Villeneuve. Dr.
Mason had arrived from Paris on an early
train, and was now pacing impatiently
to and fro on the broad terrace in front
of the house. , In his band he held a
telegram which he had received from M.
Cassagne, the detective. He was glancing
at it for perhaps the twentieth time,
when one of the windows of the morning
room, which was on a level with the
ground, suddenly opened, and Emily
Weldon stepped out upon the terrace.
She was pale even to ghastliness. Not
withstanding the fatigues of the previous
day, she .had passed a sleepless night.
The upper chambers of the chateau
had all been placed nuder seal. Under
the Inexorable criminal laws of France,
she had ben denied even the consolation
of watching by the body of her bene
factress ; and her excited condition of
mind precluded her from taking that re
pose of which she was no much In need.
Harriet, on the contrary, to whose
softer nature the relief of tears had not
been denied, had, toward daybreak, fallen
aslee,i on a sofa. Utterly worn out by
the events of the last twenty-four hours,
she now slumbered as peacefully as an
infant, which, excited by some childish
tribulation, sinks at last to rest in its
mother's arms.
Emily advanced a few steps along the
terrace toward Dr. Mason, who hastened
to meet her. Her first question was as
to whether M. Cassagne, the detective,
had yet arrived, for the doctor had tele
graphed her that they would both be
there in the morning.
"I am expecting him every minute," re- .
plied Mason. "This telegram reached me
late last night at my house In Paris. I
should gather from it that he Is a very
peculiar personage indeed. Just look at
that, and tell me what you make of it.
She took the telegram and read It, a
faint smile upon her lips.
"It certainly is a curious production.
He seems to put more stress on how he
shall be fed than anything else."
"Will be at villeneuve at nine morning
please have omelette au rhum and truffles
breakfast will bring my own coffee.
"ALFRED CASSAGNE."
"I am told be la an odd creature," ob
served the doctor, "but also that be is
one of the most remarkable men' In his
line that has been known since the days
of Fouche. It is very strange that he
does not come. It is now nearly half
post nine."
(To be continued.)
How to Avoid Dyapepala.
All who suffer from poor digestion
should wear a ten-Inch width of flannel
i bandage next the skin, pinned fairly
tight around the body over the stomach.
No Hver or digestive pills or pepsin
j preparations help the stomach a twen
, tleth part as much as this flannel pre--scriptlon.
A poor circulation in the
stomach, causing that chilly, "nllser
able" feeling, Is at the root of hnlf the
Indigestion that mortals are heir to.
That Is why hot water drinking gives
relief. It helps the circulation. A
flannel bandage worn day and night
all the year round cures the faulty
blood circulation of the stomach ; con
sequently It cures dyspepsia.
Five hours Interval between meals,
avoiding fried foods, ninde dishes nnd
mixtures and observing three or four
"Lenten meals" In every week, are
golden rules for good digestion.
A good dinner nt night Is necessary
for those whose pleasure or work
keeps them up very late. But for or
dinary folks who dine nt seven o'clock
and go lo bed uUut 10 .SO only a light,
wholesome repast should be taken at
the end of the day, when the muscles
and nerves are more or less exhausted.
A "tired stomach Is a weak stomach"
Is a golden rule to remember. Yet one
often hears people say: "I've been
rushing about all day and am tired to
death. I must have a big meal to make
up for It." You may put the big meal
Into the stomach, but you cannot make
the stomach digest It.
A belief lives strong In the hearts
and minds of the majority of mankind,
Including persons of weak digestions,
that a quick, brisk walk taken before
I a meal gets up an appetite and helps
the stomach to digest the food. Now,
this is exactly what It doesn't do. Exer
cise spreads the blood throughout the
body. For the proper digestion of food
the blood Is needed In the stomach.
Few realize this Important fact.
After a long, exhausting walk, bicy
cle spin, or any severe physical or men
tal strain, take a good half-hour's rest
In a comfortable arm-chair, or He on a
sofa before you eat a substantial meal
Attachment for Pitchers.
A peculiar and unique Invention just
patented Is shown In the Illustration
below. This drip rup was designed to
provide a simple
means of prevent
ing the contents of
pitchers and sim
ilar vessels having
a ' discharge spout
trickling on the ta
ble or on whatever
object they happen
to be placed. The
drip cup Is secured
to the receptacle
beneath the spout
Its use will be apparent, the drippings
from the spout of the receptacle drop
ping Into the drip cup. It Is Impossi
ble for the contents of the drip cup
to drop out when the pitcher Is tilted.
For this purpose a guard is placet?
partly across the top.
lAK.Hi.tJ 1BU.
A NEW IMPLEMENT 01" WAR.
An Odd Arm Invented for Cavalry
Use Has Many Good Feat area.
A Kansas City mnn has Invented a
new rifle Intended for cavalry use. It
differs from the ordlnnry arm In four
distinct points. One
half of the barrel Is
back of the trigger,
thus plnelng more
weight on the shoul
der. It can be op
erated with one
hand and can be
more firmly braced
against the shoul
der tlinn the nrmy
rifle now In use. A
small rod connects the hammer and
trigger. Otherwise the mechanism g
similar to other rifles.
"I got the Idea," said MoIIenry, the
Inventor, "while hunting buffaloes on
the plains of Nebraska In the sixties,
when I was a hunter and scout for a
Union Pacific survey pnrty. I was then
a 15-year-old boy, but I've been think
ing nbout my Idea ever since. I had a
wooden model of the gun finished Just
before the flood four years ago. It
was lost In the high water, but I have
since made another.
"I talked with Buffalo Bill about
my gun," continued the Inventor. "He
was delighted with it He said that
ten cavalry would be equiil to 100 If
armed with It. Army ollleers nt Leav
enworth were also favorubly Impressed
with It."
Mr. McIIenry's rifle will shoot twenty-four
times. The ordlnnry "repeat
er" shoots sixteen times. lie has been
advised that three patents may be se
cured on the rifle. Kansas City Star.
- Peach Encho.
Measure out seven pounds of peaches
peeled, then slice or cut In halves;
three pounds and a half of sugar and
a jjiijt of vinegar. Tut Into a por!Mn
or granite kettle with two tablespoon
fuls whole cinnamon or cassia buda
and" a tablespoonful whole cloves tied
In a lace bag. Cook with the fruit
until It is spiced to taste, then remove
the bag. Cook the peaches until as
thick as marmalade, stirring frequent
ly and taking care not to let it scorch;
then put Into cans and seal.
Oatmeal Crtapa.
Cream one teaspoonful of butter and
rub it Into one cup of sugar. Add one
half teaspoonful of salt, two level tea
spoonfuls of baking powder and two
and one-half cups of dry rolled oats.
Mix thoroughly, then add two well
beaten eggs and one teaspoonful of va
nlla. Place by teaspoonfuls, 2 or 8
Inches apart, on tins lined with waxed
paper, and bake in a slow oven till
golden brown. They will flatten out
to a sort of flagree texture. Do no
remove from the paper till cold. ,
Elevated.
Foote Llghte What's become of
that company your brother formed for
the purpose of elevating the stage?
Miss Sue Brette Gone up I Yon-
ken Statesman,
For Summer Vacation Ue.
"That Idea Is novel," said Thomas
A. Edison of a new aeroplane. "It is
a striking Iden. I have seen nothing
to bent It since last summer.
"Then a young man showed me an
engagement ring that he was going to
patent. 'But,' said I, examining the
very ordinary-looking circlet, 'what Is
there patentable about this?'
"'It Is adjustable, sir,' said the
voung mnn proudly."
Potatoes and Ehi.
Boll potatoes size of a small egg
without peeling, and when cool peel
and cut In halves. Put one tablespoon
ful of butter In frying pan and brown
the potatoes In It, seasoning to taste.
Just before taking up add three or
four eggs, making little places among
the hot potatoes for them. When
nearly set, gently stir potatoes and eggs
together and remove the Instant the
eggs are cooked.
Piccalilli.
; One peck green tomatoes, chopped
fine: nut In layers In a Inr with lavera
of suit; let stand over night; drain,
and add eight onions, eight peppers,
two large (or three small) heads of
cabbage, all chopped fine ; whole spices
to suit taste, one cup of sugar If you
wish, vinegar to make molBt enough ;
heat it all up together. Can be canned
or put lu a Jar ; keeps fine.
In Ironing;.
When Ironing, the best thing with
which to nib the Irons Is a' fairly largo
pad of folded brown paper. This will
also serve to tost their heat Besides
this a cloth should be kept on hand on
which to wipe off any flakes of soot or
dirt. A small piece of wax Is excellent
for producing a gloss when rubbed on
the Iron and paraffin has the same ef
fect also.
Corn Chowder.
Put six or eight paper-thin slices of
bncon In a kettle with two finely
chopped onions and brown. Add a lit
tle water, lump of butter tho size of
an egg and one quart of green corn
scraped from cob. When tender, add
one cupful thin cream nnd serve. Many
like It better without the onion. Sea
son with salt and pepper.
Too Plain.
"You see," he explained apologetical
ly, "I didn't know Just whnt to do."
"But," protested his friend, accusing
ly, "surely you saw your plain duty in
the matter."
"No doubt I did see It and I guess
becnuse It was so very plain It dldn'f
attract me." Philadelphia Press.
Use for Dread Crumba.
Breadcrumbs are always better than
tracker crumbs for covering anything
that has to be dipped In egg. The
cracker crumbs do not brown well.
Brown your stale pieces of bread In
the oven and crush them with a roll
ing pin. Keep In glass Jar, covered,
until needed. ,
Qnlnce Honey.
Pare and grate six large quinces.
Boll a quart of water with five pounds
of granulated sugar for five minutes,
then add the grated quinces and boll
for thirty minutes. Pour Into pint Jars
and seal. This makes from five to six
pints.
Apple Gelatine.
Make an ordinary apple sauce, hav
ing It rather thin. To every pint of'
this add a tablespoonful of soaked gel
atine, beat hard and set aside to cool.
Serve with rich cream or heap upon If
uncooked meringue, sweetened.