The Roupell Mystery
15 y A u s t y n
CHAPTER IX. (Continued.)
The doctor was following this theory
with breathless interest, "(io on," he
Mid.
"lie was about to retire as he came,
when the thought occurred to him to
divert suspicion from himself by placing
the pistol he had picked up on his way
iirough the rooms, near his victim. Hut
there must be a report and a pistol
wound. He raised the window, and noted
the distance to the tree. He went over
and fired the pistol at Madame Houpell,
who was still insensible. Then he threw
the pistol down and jumped from the
window. We must search for the man
in two places; in the haunts of the poor
and in the palaces of the wealthy. We
have little to guide us but the scraps of
parchment and the gold locket I also
found."
"Let me look at the locket," said the
doctor. "Can you get It open? It may
contain a lock of hair or something."
"I have already done that. It contains
a picture," responded Cassagne. "I will
bow you."
The detective took a penknife and pried
op the little gold lid. A small photo
graph waa disclosed to view. It was the
portrait of a man of about twenty years
of age.
"What does this mean?" cried the doc
tor. "Henry Graham cannot have com
mitted this murder. This Is a portrait
of Henry Graham himself."
"Impossible !" ejaculated the detective.
"It is a fact," replied Dr. Mason. He
ran into the drawing room, and picking
up an album, turned the pages over rap
Idly. Finally be stopped at a certain
photograph.
"That was Henry Graham when he
was a decent member of society," he said.
The detective put the locket down close
to the photograph, and compared the two
pictures carefully.
"There Is no doubt whatever about it,"
be remarked. "You are right; they are
portraits of one and the same man."
"Then It couldn't be Henry Graham?"
Inquired the physician. "A man doesn't
carry a locket containing a picture of
himself."
"It may not be Henry Graham at all,"
replied the detective. "I hope it isn't
for the sake of the family; but he's the
man we've got to look for first, and the
sooner we find him the better your
friend's prospects are of regaining his
liberty."
CHAPTER X.
There are all kinds of men in Paris,
1 kinds of failures in life and all kinds
of successes the poor genius who dis
patches - himself In an attic, and the
financial magnate. The Vieomte de Va
lair was one of those gentlemen who
might be placed In the latter category.
At a bound he had risen from compara
tive obscurity to sudden wealth and such
social position as his title, having its
source In the king of the Belgians, could
Insure him in a society which cared rath
er more for good dinners than old blood.
The Vieomte de Valiar's great hit had
been the successful floating of the City
and Suburban Messenger Company. Lon
don had refused to accept this scheme,
preferring to send its servants out into
the rain and ruin its liveries, to having
a little instrument in the house by which
to summon at a trifling charge a messen
ger, a doctor or a cab. De Valiar, with
an eye keen as a hawk, had watched the
career of the enterprise in the English
metropolis. He saw that it was uusuit
ed to the phlegmatic and exclusive tem
perament of the Rriiou. In the Ameri
can colony at Paris alone was to be
found a successful field for its opera
tions. The projectors of the London com
pany, Americans, were glad enough to
sell the French patents. They even
laughed m their sleeves at the vieomte,
as they pocketed his cash, regarding him
already as a ruined man. At the same
time they could not help admiring his
audacity. The Vieomte de Valiar was
audacious, and he displayed consummate
tact in putting his scheme before the
public. He opened a large and showy
office. He subsidized the most venal of
the Paris newspapers ; he pulled a thou
sand strings. Then, when all was ready,
he opened his subscription books. Hun
dreds came to his office, rang up a mes
senger, and having subscribed, called up
a cab on the queer little buzzing instru
ment, and departed rejoicing in their
hearts that there were such enterprising
men In existence as the Vieomte de Va
liar. All that was five years ago. Once
floated, the vieomte bad promptly with
drawn himself from the messenger enter
prise, and invested the increased capital
which that speculation had brought him,
In the Mutual Credit and Trust Com
pany. A very limited number of shares
of this concern had been offered to the
public. Such was the prestige of the
Vicomte's name that they had been sub
scribed for over and over again in a very
few hours. '
But It was not alone In the field of
business that de Valiar had achieved
uch a remarkable success. The vlcom
tesse was a brilliant, dark-eyed, handsome
woman, whom de Valiar claimed to have
met abroad during his travels in the West
Indies Martinique, rumor bad It. Her
entertainments were much sought after,
and who shall say that she was not a
useful and excellent helpmeet? If a
wealthy subscriber wavered, an Invita
tion to the house where they could talk
the matter over almost Invariably result
ed In the closing of tht transaction. It
was not possible that a man. wlti such
Granville
an establishment above all such a wife
could go wrong. If the vicomte's Idea
of an of lice was rather a loud one, the
undoubted good taste of his wife cor
rected these things at home.
Those deep blue eyes of the vlcomtesse
were not the only attraction at the de
aliar mansion. There was always high
Play for those who relished that kind of
thing, and a sprinkling of those ladies
whom such-a woman as the de Valiar,
as she was familiarly called at the clubs,
would be sure to gather around her. They
were women of great personal attractions,
some of them divorcees, others on the
high road to that enviable state, the
quasl-separation, which leaves the wife-In
a position to enjoy herself without dan
ger of comment, and supplies her, under
the French law, moreover, with the means
of doing so.
Of the many frequenters of the vicom
tesse's establishment in the Avenue Wag
ram perhaps M. Jules Chabot was as wel
come a guest as any. His undoubted re
spectability made him an exceedingly de
sirable acquaintance. M. Chabot, on the
other hand, liked the free-and-easy at
mosphere of the de Valiar mansion. De
Valiar was a man who always had some
young, rich fool dangling after him, de
sirous of seeing life. A certain portion
of the money only of these innocents
could be diverted to the innumerable aud
mysterious uses of the Mutual Credit
and Trim Company. They were then af
forded an opportunity of losing the resi
due at the card tables in the Avenue
Wagram.
Many, doubtless, who frequented the
vicomte's establishment were totally un
aware of the risks they ran. These weT
rarely suffered to go behind the curtain.
M. Chabot was oue of those who had for
sme time not been admitted to the priv
ileged circle without great care. To do
him justice, it is highly probable that if
the veil had been removed all at once, he
would have ceased his visits altogether.
He lived in bachelor apartments. Pro
foundly impressed with a sense of bis
personal dignity, he endeavored on a very
small income to keep up appearances.
Lately, however, he had Joined de Valiar
in more than one investment by which
he had profited.
The wily de Valiar, who had allowed
his friend to pocket something handsome
as his share of these enterprises, of
course, had his object in view. What
other, indeed, could it be than to discover
all about Chabot's rich friend, Mme.
Roupell, concerning whom M. Chabot was
not at all loth to impart information,
for he would iu his turn be able to dis
cover what probable dot the old lady
would be able to give whichever of the
girls he should choose to marry.
Such inquiries, the vieomte, whose po
sition in the world of finance enabled him
to make better than Chaiiot, willingly
set on foot to oblige his friend. He as
sured M. Chabot that report had not ex
aggerated Mme. Roupell's wealth. That
a portion of a million and a half of
francs had been set apart for the Wel
don sisters. In the opinion of M. Cha
bot, it only remained for him to declare
himself to one or the other of the young
ladles, and he had been, as the reader
will have seen, on the very eve of mak
ing such a declaration to Emily Weldon
when the tragedy occurred.
The question which now arose in the
mind of M. Victor Lablanche, the astute
prefect of police, was this: Had M. Cha
bot sought to precipitate matters by the
removal of the proprietress of the Cha
teau Vllleneuve? He had discovered al
ready that inquiries regarding her fortune
and her intentions respecting it had been
set on foot by Jules Chabot. A little
further research revealed the fact that
the Frenchman's finnnces were in a des
perate condition. In his later enterprises
with the Vieomte de Valiar, fortune had
not been so kind. He had lost heavily.
CHAPTER XI.
Five years before the tragedy at the
Chateau Vllleneuve, Charles D'Auburon
had found himself the uutranuneled pos
sessor of a considerable patrimony, and
had Btaried in to enjoy life. He was then
twenty-one years of ago. Two years later
he had exhausted every means of pleasure.
He was at that age when a really good
wostnn would have proved his salvation.
She did not, however, make her appear
ance. He was destined to find relief in
a more novel and totally unexpected di
rection. The Rue Brodier Is not a particularly
attractive street either before or after
midnight. The police will assure you
that it is positively dangerous. Many a
sunrise has revealed the body of some
victim lying in its dark courts and noi
some alleys. It is altogether a strange
place for a young man of means, who by
rights should at such nn hour be snugly
In bed and asleep, to be wandering in at
three o'clock iu the morning. It is the
abode of robbers. Every house In it In a
den of thieves. The Seine, running by
at Its foot with dark and turbid flood,
is altogether too handy.
It was to this unattractive street that
at an unseemly hour Charles D'Auburon
strayed with unconscious feet. He had
arisen from a sleepless bed, and had
strolled far and near, intending to tire
himself out. Then his reward would
come; repose, sound and refreshing, and,
glorious thought, perhaps an appetite, to
which latter luxury he had been for some
days a stranger.
He walked on, totally unconscious of
danger, a thick stick his only weapon, in
all the confidence of a man who has never
felt the crack of a brass knuckls la the
hind of a garroter or made the acquaint
ance of a sandbag.
Dark figures were creeping from the
alleys behind him. Mysterious whistles
resounded and re-echoed from the courts.
Something told him of hi J danger. He
stopped and looked up at a name on the
corner house, just legible in the dingy
lamp light. To what part of Paris had
he wandered? He was in the Rue Brodier.
Involuntarily he turned to retrace his
steps, only to find himself confronted by
a half score of sturdy ruffians. He grasp
ed his stick the tighter and backed closer
to the wall. His face was very pale;
but he did not show any sign of fear.
"You will go on," he answered, defiant
ly, "or I will call the police."
"The police! But few of those cattle
make their beats in the Rue Rrodier, even
in the daytime," retorted the leader of
the ruffians. "Come, your money, young
master."
D'Auburon put his hand in his pocket
and flung into the air what silver and
gold he had about him. It fell upon the
pavement under the street lamp. They
rushed at it like beasts. Then D'Au
buron lost his nerve. He thought he saw
his opportunity. He sprung Into the
middle of the street and ran like a deer.
The mob rushed after him. He would
have distanced them all, perhaps, he was
so very fleet, when the leader put his
hand to his mouth and uttered a peculiar
cry. Immediately from the alley ahead
of him sprang two men. He was upon
them before he knew it He raised his
heavy stick and struck one down. The
other jumped at his throat and bore him
to the ground,
Even while he was thus fighting and
struggling for his life he became con-
scious that something was being done in T ,
his favor. He saw a medium sized, thick- fihe repllod' bl,t J"ou told ,ne 1,efore
set man standing over them and heard we were mnrried thnt you would give
him speaking in tones of authority. Im- me 0,1 1 wanted." Chicago Record
mediately the fellow with whom he was Tierald.
fighting relaxed his hand on his throat. "You seem to find that book very in-
On his dirty face alarm was plainly visi- tere8tlnir. said Mrs. Henneck. "Yes "
ble. With a muttered apology to the
thickset man he rushed to meet the mob
of his fellows, exclaiming:
"Back, you fools. It is Monsieur Cat
sagne."
Quietly they all sneaked away from the
man whom of all others they dreaded. He
had been known to go in among them,
and at the point of the pistol pick out
ArkTTIA HAartom ta nrlmlnal nnrl Inl Uam klm
over to justice. That's how Alfred Cas- thorltIei belleve 'n "te grentest good
sagne and Charles D'Auburon became ac to the greatest number." Philadelphia
quainted. I press.
Profoundly grateful to M. Oassagne,' Rural Citizen (to son engaged in
D'Auburon not only did not lose sight strange exercises) Jabez, what In tar
of him, but visited him often. The nation be yer tryln' t' do? His Son
friendship of the detective was the other's it'8 that thar correspondence school,
salvation Merely curious at first. D'Au- dad- j ot a letter from th ho.
it1 t r6 TpleteIy, f8" mores yestlddy telllu' me to haze
cinated in the character and career of his , ,
friend. I u self. Puck.
Thinking that he, D'Auburon, had seen ' "Who ls thls fel,ow m,8h .vo" BPoke
and exhausted everything, he was aston- of?" "Oh, he's a well-known ehnuf
ished to find these new fields of adven- feur." "A well-known chauffeur?"
ture and occupation which this man had "That's what I said!" "Why, I never
tilled to such perfection that they yield- heard of him." "Well, you would If
ed an abundant harvest. Imagining he you were a court clerk like I am!"
knew it all, he stood humbled in the pres- Yonkers' Statesman,
enee of that genius, whose unequaled pen- '
etration of the thoughts and methods, and "Gracious! my dear," said the first
whose extraordinary knowledge of the society belle, "I do hope you're not 111 ;
ways of men and women, astonished while you look so much older to-night." "I'm
it enthralled him. quite well, thank you, dear," replied the
With an ardor which he could not have
believed he possessed, he willingly placed
himself and his fortune at the disposal of
nrofession TVAnWnn P ct, 1
fore him, succumbed to the fascinations
of a pursuit which the ignorant despise,
simply because they do not comprehend
it D'Auburon became first the pupil,
and finally the assistant of the great de-
tective. And D'Auburon and "Cliquot"
were one and the Rnme ninn.
It was nearly ten o'clock one morning
when D'Auburon jumped out of bed. He
had worked late the evening previous on
a pet literary project Lives of Great
Detectives. Un the table of his sitting Henrietta whore there Is n whole lot
room the manuscript upon which he had 0f conversation going on in which she
been engaged st.ll lay. Scattered near it nn.t Ra a WOrd."-New York Tribune,
were half a dozen volumes, all relating to .
the same subject. D'Auburon stepped 1 "Tomklns has got more nerve than
lightly from his bedroom Into a small Rn.v mnn 1 evpr met." "What now?"
kitchen at the back of the flat. He struck "H came over to my place yesterday
a match, lit his gas stove and put on his to borrow my gun, saying that he wsnt
chocolnte. Going to his bathroom he ed to kill a dog that kept him awake
vurneu on une com water, men he went nights." "Well, what of it?" "It was
out and stood for a moment in his dress- Iny dog he klled."-Milwnukee Senti
mg gown and slippers looking out through oe
the lnce curtains into the street. He was
perceptibly bored. Active service was I "Does your honor wish to charge the
what he was longing for. Failing that, JDr7?" asked the legal light, when all
for things had been dull of late, he had the evidence was In. "No, I guess
taiien Hack upon his book.
He was aroused from his reverie by charge 'em anything. These fellows
the sound of the water boiling over in lon't know much, any way, an' I let 'era
the kitchen. Passing quickly through the hnre nil they can make." Harper's
other two apartments he busied himself Weekly.
in the preparation of his chocolate. This I ' t. . . , . ..
done, he took two rolls from a small cup- I Do you thlnk' a!,ko(1 the weel
board, put them on a plate and carried fr'r1'8 motller- "that Mr. Wllklns ls se
tliem into his sitting room, where he de- rlous?" "Serious? Ma, he's jvorse
posited them on the table. Then while than that He stayed here till nearly
his chocolate was cooling, he went to the 12 o'clock last night, and any one who
bathroom, where he threw aside his dress- had studied his face might has thought
ing gown and iindorpnrmeiit, kicked off he was sitting up with a corpse." Ch
his slippers and disported himself for a oagQ Record-Herald .
minute or two in the water. He was
plunging around, enjoying the icy con-1 Father I wish you'd invite that
tact as only a thoroughly robust man Foung mnn of yours up here to-morrow
does, when a loud knocking at the door night. Daughter (surprised at the re
of the sitting room was heard. Ho open- quest) Why, father, I thought you
ed the bathroom door without stepping said you had no use for him? Father
from the tub and shouted lustily: I So I did, last summer. But to-morrow
;Wait a minute; I am bathing." rm gong to put ,,p the BtoTe.Dctrolt
' mil, it , trillion
voice on the' outside of the door. "There's
a letter for you, monsieur."
(To be continued.)
Too Moeh to Bother With.
Sabbath School Teacher Whpra
have you been lately, Sadie? I haven't
seen you at Sunday school for soma
time. i
Sadie Smith Oh. please, miss. I'm
learning tTencn ana music now, so
mother don't wish me to take rellgloa
Just yet London SketclL
"He's engaged to a widow." "How
did he meet her?" "He did not meet
her. She overtook him." Philadelphia
Inquirer.
"When a bird can slug aud won't
"Ye?" ;it Isn't hulf the trouble us
a bird that en n't slug uud will." Bui
tlmore American.
"One woman," remarked the mere
mail, "Is just as good as another If
uot better." "Ami one man," rejoined
the fair widow, "is just us bad as an
other If not worse." Chicago News.
"Where have you been, Saiu?" "I'so
been up to ma two ears In work, sah."
"Up to your two ears In work?" "Yes,
sah." "What doing. Sam?" "F.atln
i watahmelllon, sah !" Yonkers States
nan. Tommy Ma, baby Is naughty. He
i cried because I wouldn't give him any
of my cake. Mamma Is his own cake
finished? Tommy Yes, ma ; and he
j cried while I was eating that, too!
Punch.
"Don't I give you nil the money you
naaAV Itnl hllaknnrl m.i.il nlnn.l ' ' " '
replied Henry, "It's delightful I've
glanced at the ending, and the hero and
heroine don't get married after all."
Washington Herald.
Miss Kreecb Some authorities he-
fleve that the practice of singing will
kpm , mBimn.
j, j - r
tlon. Mr. Knox. Yes, but most au-
other, "and you how wonderfully lm
proved you are! You look positively
young." Philadelphia Press
CflSUfl1 Cn,,er t0 0ne him) I
Wns lntroduccd that squint-eyed, red-
haIred woman over there as Mrs. Soine-
bofly or other. Don't you think the
nan was an Idiot that married her?
Next One (meekly) I can't Just say,
I'm the man. Baltimore American.
1
1 "ru oing to the theater?"
"Tea," answered Mr. Meekton. "But
.vo' don't care much for musical
plnys?" "No. What I enjoy Is to take
not," replied the Judge. "I never
Free Press.
"What does your father do to enrn
his living?" asked a New York princi
pal of a pupil who was being admitted.
I'lease, mu am, lie uoesu c live Wltn
UBi mnmma supports rue." "Well then,
bow does your mother enrn her "vlng?"
j "s,lc geta paId for stny,nK away from
iPnpa," replied the child, artlessly.
Harper's Weekly.
No person, man or woman, who can't
look on the bright side should ever b
permitted to enter the marriage state,
A STREET CAB STORY.
Bo of Cnndr Wan a Ilasr of Pepper
and It Dropped.
He boarded a Troost avenue car at
5:30 o'clock last night with a paper
package under his arm and sat down,
with an acquaintance, according to the
Kansas City Times.
"Same old story, eh?" said the ac
quaintance, glancing at the package.
"Four order clerks call at the door
every morning and two telephones In
the house, but your wife calls you up
Just as you're leaving the ofllce and
wants you to bring home "
"Oh, no, not at all," broke in the
bearer of the package, hastily. "I got
over that years ago. They can't ring
me In for a packhorse at my age. I'm
too old a bird. This er this llttln
package is a box of candy for my
daughter. I er I wrap It up this way
to fool her, that's all."
He tucked the package closer under
his arm and became absorbed In his
newspaper.
The vestibule was crowded when he
started to leave the car at 2(!th street.
As he squeezed his way through to the
steps the "candy" was Jostled from un
der his arm and fell to the floor.
"Ker-choo !" This from the conduct
or, as he grabbed his nose.
The crowd In the vestibule decided
the conductor's act was admirable and
worthy of emulation. "Ker-choo, ker
choo!" they said. Then everybody in
the car took It up. "Ker-choo, ker
choo!" was the watchword.
Two young women who had been dis
cussing llt-er-a-toor (In four syllables)
out it out and reached for their hand
kerchiefs. "Ker-choo!" they both Bald
(in two syllables), with the "ch" sound
retained.
"Ker-choo ! Pepper !" gasped the con
ductor, as he kicked the bag Into the
street and gave the motorman two bells
MOWING CAPITOL GROUNDS.
It has always been a problem how to
keep the capltol lawns at an even
height, and It was thought to be solved
in the purchase of a steam mower;
however, it took from n week to ten
AN ELECTK1C M0WU AT WOltK,
days to cut the lawns. The new mo
tor mower, which has a 20-h. p. gaso
line engine, Is quite rapid, being equal
to the efforts of fifteen to twenty inert
with lawn mowers. Its wheels roll as
well as cut the grass.
Queer l'oxllloim of Ileurta.
There Is one curious fact which not
everybody notices about the common,
finger-long, green caterpillars of our
larger moths. Their hearts, instead of
being in front, are at the back of the
body and exteud along the entire
length of the animal. One can see the
heart distinctly through the thlu skin
and can watch Its slow beat, which
starts at the tall and moves forward
to the head. Hearts of this sort reach
ing from head to tall are not at all un
common In the simpler creatures. The
earthworm has one. and so have most
worms, caterpillars and otlwr crawl
ing things. Hearts in the middle of the
back also are quite as frequent as
those In what neems to us to be the
natural place. Many animals, the lob
ster for example, and the crayfish and
the crab, which have short hearts like
those of the boasts and birds, never
theless have them placed just under
the shell In what, In ourselves, would
be the small of the back. St. Nicholas,
Vlllnlril.
The Foreman (back for Instructions)
Jedge, we're all tangled up concernln'
th' testymony of Jim Roggs.
The Court Don't you know what to
do with It? ,
The Foreman We knowed Jest what
t' do with It, tell we dlskivcred wher
he'd told th' truth in one place. Puck.
Ilia ( lfifrnfm.
."Don't be so lazy. There's plenty of
room at the top and you're clever
enough to get there."
"But," replied the lazy genius,
"think how clever it ls of me to find a
place at the bottom, where there isn't
V) much room."
A lot of charity is wasted on the
heathen abroad that might better be
expended on those living next door.
Sadness la often Jollity gone to seed.
m