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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1909)
The Mystery The Yellow By GASTON LEROUX CHAPTER V. (Continued.) Larson might be about fifty years of age. He bad a fine bead, bis balr turning grny. a colorless complexion and a firm profile. His forehead was prominent bis chin and cheeks clean shaven. His upper Hp. 'without mus tache, was finely chiseled. His eyes were rather small and round, with a look In them that was at once search ing and disquieting. lie wrs of mid dle height and well built, with a gen eral bearing elegant and gentlemanly. Larsan turned his head at the sound of a vehicle which had come from the chateau and reached the gate behind him. We recognized the cab which bad conveyed the examining magis trate and his registrar from the sta tion at Epinny. . "Ah!" said Frederic Larsan. "If you want to speak with M. Robert Darzac. he Is here." The cab was already at the park gate, and Robert Durzac was begging Frederic Larsan to open It for him. explaining that he was pressed for time to catch the next train leaving Eplnay for Paris. Then he recognized me. While Larsan was unlocking the gate M. Darzac Inquired what had brought me to the Glandier at such a tragic moment. I noticed that be was frightfully pale and that bis face was lined as If from the effects of some ter rible suffering. "Is mademoiselle getting better?"' I immediately asked. "Yes," he said. "She will be saved perhaps. She must be saved!" He did not add "or It will be my death," but I felt that the phrase trem bled on his pale lips. Rouletabllle Intervened: "You are In a hurry, monsieur, but I muBt speak with you. - I have some thing of the greatest Importance to tell you." Frederic Larsan Interrupted: "May I leave you?" be asked of Rob ert Darzac. "Have you a key or do you wish me to give you this one?" "Thank you. I have a key and will lock the gate." Larsan hurried off In the direction of the chateau, the Imposing pile of ..which could be perceived a few hun dred yards away. Robert Darzac, with knit brow, was beginning to show Impatience. I pre sented Kouletabtlle as a good friend of mine, but as soon as he learned that the young man was a journalist he looked at me very reproachfully, excused himself under the necessity of having to reach Eplnay In twenty minutes, b,owed and whipped up bis horse. But Rouletabllle bad seized the bridle aud, to my utter astonish ment stopped the carriage wltb a rigorous band. Then be gave utter ance to a sentence which was utterly meaningless to me. "The presbytery has lost nothing of Its churin. nor the garden Its bright ness." The words had hardly left the Hps of Rouletabllle than I saw Robert Durzac quail. Pale as he was, be be came paler. His eyes were fixed on the young man In terror, and he Im mediately descended from the vehicle Jn an inexpressible state of agitation. "Come come in!" he stammered. Then suddenly and with a sort of fury be repeated: "Let ns go, monsieur." Be turned up by the road be bad come from the chateau, Rouletabllle still retaining bis bold on the horse's iridic. 1 addressed a few words to M. Darzac, but be made no answer. My looks questioned JEtouletabllle, but bis gaze was elsewhere. CHAPTER VI. In the Heart of the Oak Grove. reached the chateau and, as' we approached it, saw- four gendarmes pacing in front of a little door in the ground floor of tue donjon. We soon learned that In this ground floor, which bad former ly served as a prison, M. and Mme. Bernler, tha concierges, were confined. M. Robert Darzac led us into the modern part of the chateau by a large door, protected by a projecting awning -a "marquise" as it Is called. Roule tabllle, who bad resigned the horse and the cab to the care of a servant never took bis eyes off M. Darzac. I fol lowed bis look and perceived that it was directed solely toward the gloved hands of the Sorbonne professor. When we were in a tiny sitting room fitted with old furniture. M. Darzac turned to Rouletabllle and said sharp ly: "What do you want?" . The reporter answered in an equally sharp tone: "To shake you by the hand." Darzac shrank back. "What does that mean?" Evidently he understood, what I also understood,' that my friend suspected him of the abominable attempt on the life of Mile. Stangerson. The linpres slon of the blood stained hand on the walls of the yellow room was In his mind. I looked at the man closely. His haughty face, with its expression ordinarily so straightforward, was at this moment strangely troubled. He I held out "his right hand and," referring to me, said: "As you are a friend of M. Salnclair, who has rendered me Invaluable serv ices in a Just cause, monsieur. I see no reason for refusing you my hand" Rouletabllle did not take the extend ed band. Lying with the utmost au dacity, be said: "Monsieur. I have lived several years in Russia, where I have acquired the bablt of never talcing any but an un gloved band." I thought that thr Sorbonne profess or would express his anger openly, but. on the contrary, by a "visibly vio lent effort be calmed himself, took off his gloves and showed his hands. They were unmarked by any cicatrice. "Are you satisfied?" "No!" replied Rouletabllle. "My dear friend." be said, turning to me. "I am obliged to ask you to leave us alone for a moment." I bowed and retired, stupefied by what I had seen and beard. I could not understand why M. Robert Dar zac had not already shown the door to my Impertinent, Insulting and stupid friend. I was angry myself with Roule tabllle at that moment for his sus picions which had led to this scene of the gloves. For some twenty minutes I walked about In front of the chateau, trying vainly to link together the different events of the day. When Rouletabllle came out of the chateau In the company of M. Robert Darzac, extraordinary to relate, I saw at a glance that they were the best of friends. "We are going to the yellow room. Come with us," Rouletabllle said to me. "You know, my dear boy, I am going to keep you wltb me all day. We'll breakfast together somewhere about here" "You'll breakfast with me here, gen tlemen" "No, thanks," replied the young man. "We shall breakfast at the Donjon inn." "You'll fare very badly there. You'll not find anything" "Do you think so? Well, I hope to flud something there," replied Roule tabllle. "After breakfast we'll set to work again. I'll write my article, and if you'll be so good as to take it to the office for me" "Won't you come back wltb me to Paris?" "No; I shall remain here." I turned toward Rouletabllle, He spoke quite seriously, and M. Robert Darzac did not appear to be In the least degree surprised. We were passing by the donjon and heard walling voices. Rouletabllle asked: "Why have these people been ar rested?" "It is a little my fault," said M. Dar zac. "I happened to remark to the examining magistrate yesterday that it was inexplicable that the' conciergas bad bad time to bear the revolver shots, to dress themselves and to cover so great a distance as that which lies between their lodge and the pavilion In the space of two minutes, for not more than that Interval of time bad elapsed after the firing of the shots when they , were met by Daddy Jacques." "That was suspicious evidently," ac quiesced Rouletabllle. "And were they dressed?" "That Is what Is so incredible. They were dressed completely not one part of their costumes wanting. The wo man wore wooden shoes, but the man bad on laced bouts. Now they assert that they went to bed as half past 9. On arriving this morning the examin ing magistrate brought with him from Paris a revolver of the same caliber as that found lu the room, for he couldn't use the one held for evidence, and made his registrar fire two shots in the yellow room while the doors and windows were closed. ' We were wltb hi in in the lodge of the coucierges, and yet we heard nothing not a sound. The concierges have lied, of that there can be no doubt. They must have been already waiting not far from the pa vilion waiting for something! Cer tainly they are not. to be accused of being the authors of the crime, but their complicity Is not improbable. That was why M. de Marquet had tbein arrested at once." "If they bad been accomplices," said Rouletabllle. "they would not have been there at all. When people throw themselves Into the arms of Justice with the proofs of complicity ou them, you can be sure they are not accom plices. I don't believe there are any accomplices In this affair." "Then why were they abroad at mid night? Why don't they say?" "They have certainly some reason for tbelr silence. What that reason is bus to be found out. for, even if they are not accomplices, it may be of im portance. Everything that took place on such a night is Important." We bad crossed an old bridge thrown over the Douve and were entering the part of the park called the Oak grove. The oaks here were centuries old. Au tumn had already shriveled their tawny leaves. This place, which made moiselle found cheerful and in which she lived . in the summer season, ap peared to us as sad and funereal now. of Room COPYRIGHT, 1908. BY BRENTANO'S The soil was black and muddy frwn ttwt recent rains and the rotting of the fallen leaves. The trunks of the trees were black, and the sky above us was now, as If In mourning, charged wltb great heavy clouds. And it was in this somber and deso late retreat that we eaw the white walls of the pavilion as we approach ed. It was a queer looking building, without a window visible ou the 6lde by which we neared it A little door alono marked the entrance to it It might have passed for a tomb, a vast mausoleum in the midst of a thick for est As we came nearer we were able to make out its disposition. The build ing obtained all the light it needed from the south that Is to say. fron; tbe open country. The little dooi closed on the park. M. and Mile. Stan gerson must have found it an ideal se elusion for their work and theii dreams. Tbe pavilion had a ground flooi which was reached by a few stops, and above It was an attic, with which we need not concern ourselves. The rooms of tbe pavilion were as follows. Tbe yellow room, with its one win dow and Its one door opening into the laboratory. The laboratory, with Its two large barred windows and its doors, -one serving for the vestibule, the othei for the yellow room. Tbe vestibule, with its unbarred win dow and door opening into the park. The lavatory, between the vestibule and the yellow room. Besides these chambers there was a flight of stairs leading to the attic, j Tbe only chimney was tbe large one In tbe laboratory. Before mounting the three steps lend ing up to the door of the pavilion Rouletabllle stopped and asked M. Darzac point blank: "What was tbe motive for the crime?" "Speaking for myself, monsieur, there can be no doubt on the matter." said Mile. Stangerson's fiance, greatly dis tressed. "The marks of tbe fingers, tbe deep scratches on tbe chest and throat of Mile. Stangerson, show that the wretch who attacked her attempt ed to commit a frightful crime. The medical experts who examined these traces yesterday affirm that they were made by the same hand as that which left Its red imprint on the wall an enormous hand, monsieur, much too large to go Into my gloves," be added, with an Indefinable smile. "Could not that blood stained band," I Interrupted, "have been the hand ol Mile. Stangerson, who, In the moment of falling, had pressed It against the wall and. lu slipping, enlarged the im pression?" "There was not a drop of blood on either of her hands when she was lifted up." replied M. Darzac. "We are now sure," said I, "that it was Mile. Stangerson who was armed with Daddy Jacques' revolver, since she wounded the hand of the murder er. She was In fear, then, of some body or something." "Probably." "Do you suspect anybody?" "No." replied M. Darzac, looking at Rouletabllle. Rouletabllle then said to me: "Ynll milMf L-llrtW llltr fptanil l.n inquiry is a little more advanced than M. de Marquet has chosen to tell us. He not only knows that Mile. Stanger son defended herself with the re volver, but he knows what the weapon was that was used to attack her. M. Darsac tells me it was a mutton bone. Why Is M. de Marquet surrounding this mutton bone wltb so much mys tery? No doubt for the purpose ol facilitating the inquiries of tbe agents of the police. He imagines perhaps that the owner of this instrument of crime, the most terrible invented, is ) going to be found among those who, are well known in tbe slums of Paris j who use It" "Has a mutton bone been found lu the yellow room?" I asked blm. j , "Yes, monsieur." said Robert Darzac, ! "at the foot of the bed, but I beg of you not to say anything about it." (I made a gesture of assent.) "It was an enormous mutton bone, the top of which, or, rather, the Joint was still red with the blood of the frightful wound. It was an old bone, which may, ac cording to appearances, have served in ! other crimes. That 8 what M. de Mar quet thinks, who has had it sent to tbe municipal laboratory at Paris to be analysed. In fact, be thinks he has detected on it not only tbe blood of tbe last victim, but other stains of dried blood, evidences of previous crimes." "A mutton bone in tbe band of a skilled assassin is a frightful weapon," said Rouletabllle, "a more certain weapon than a heavy hammer." "Tbe scoundrel has proved it to be so," said M. Robert Darzac sadly. "The Joint of the bone found exactly fits the wound Inflicted. My belief is that the wound would nave been mortal if tbe murderer's blow had not been arrested In the act by Mile. Stan gerson's revolver. Wounded in tho hand, be dropped the mutton bone and fled. Unfortunately tbe blow bad been already given, and mademoiselle was stunned after having been nearly strangled. If she had succeeded in Professional Directory of Wallowa County it ,AA ,4J,J.J-J.J.J. . j . . . . . . . THOS. M. DILL J I ATTORNEY-AT-LAW J ', Office first door south of New t Fraternal Bldg, Enterprise, Ore. BURLEIGH & BOYD ; ' ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW J ; Practice in all State Courts and , Interior Department. Careful at- tentlon to all business. 3 t D. W. SHEAHAN f I LAWYER - ENTERPRISE f t Practice in State and Federal J Courts and Interior Department. A C. T. HOCKETT. M. D. ;; PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON Office upstairs In Bank Bulld- big. Ind. Home phone In office and reatitannn wounding the man with the first shot of the revolver, she would doubtless have escaped the blow with tho bone. But Bhe had certainly employed her "re volver too late. The first shot devi ated and lodged in the celling. It was the second only that took effect." navlng said this. M. Darzac knocked at the door of the pavtllou. I must confess to feellng a strong impatience to reach the spot where the crime had been committed. It was some time be fore the door was opened by a man whom I at once recognized as Daddy Jacques. He appeared to be well over sixty years of age. He had a long white beard and white hair, on which he wore a flat Basque cap. He was dress ed in a complete suit of chestnut col ored velveteen, worn at the sides: sa- bots were on his feet. He had rather a waspish looking face, the expression of which lightened, however, as soon as he saw M. Darzac. "Friends," said our guide. "Nobody in the pavilion. Daddy Jacques?" "I ought not to allow anybody to en ter, M. Robert, but of course the order does not apply to you. These gentle men of Justice have seen everything there Is to be seen and made enough drawings and drawn up enough re ports" "Excuse me, M. Jacques, one ques tion before anything else," said Roule tabllle. "What Is it young man? If I can answer it" "Did your mistress wear her hair in bands that evening? You know what I mean over her forehead?" "No, young man. My mistress never wore her hair iu the way you suggest, neither on that day nor on any other. She had her hair drawn up, as usual, so that her beautiful forehead could be seen, pure as that of an unborn child!" Rouletabllle grunted and set to work examlulng the door, finding that it fas tened itself automatically. He satis fied himself that it could never remain open aud needed a key to open It. Then we entered the vestibule, a small, well lit room paved with square red tiles. "Ah, this is the window by which the murderer escaped!" said Roule tabllle. "So they keep on saying, monsieur; so they keep on saying. But If be bad gone off that way we should have been sure to have seen him. We are not blind, neither M. Stangerson nor I nor the concierges who are In prison. Wby have they not put me in prison, too, on account of my revolver?" Rouletabllle had already opened tbe window and was examining the shut ters, "Were these closed at the time of tbe crime?" "And fastened with the iron catch inside," Bald Daddy Jacques, "and I am quite sure that the murderer did not get out that way." "Are there any blood stains?" "Yes on the stones outside but blood of what?" "Ah," said Rouletabllle, "there are footmarks visible on the path! Tbe ground was very moist. I will look into that presently." "Nonsense!" said Daddy Jacques. "The murderer did not go that way." "Which way did be go, then?" "How do I know?" Rouletabllle looked at everything, smelled everything. He went down on bis knees and rapidly examined every one of the paving tiles. Daddy Jacques went on: "Ah, you can't find anything, mon sieur. Nothing has beea found. Aud now It is all dirty. Too many persons have tramped over it . They wouldn't let me wash It. but on the day of the crime I had washed the floor thor oughly, and if the murderer had cross ed it wltb his hobnailed boots I should not have failed to see where be ' bad been. He has left marks enough in mademoiselle's chamber." Rouletabllle rose. "When was the last time you washed thesetiles?" be asked, and he fixed on Daddy Jacques a most searching look. "Why as I told you on the day of the crime, toward half past 6 while mademoiselle and her father were tnk. lug a little walk before dinner here in 1 this room. They dined in the labora tory. The next day the examining magistrate camg and saw all the murks 1 R. L LONQ COUNTY SURVEYOR I Civil, Hydraulic and Irrigation i rdisinejrmg. Enterprise, Ore. Girls' FeetT "Yes, miss," the shoemaker admit ted, "you have rather large feet now, but they'll get smaller. How old are you? About sixteen, aren't you?" "Yes; Just And will my feet really aud truly get smaller? Oh, I'm so glad!" "Young girls or your age." sold the shoemaker, "have feet one or even two sizes bigger than they have when they are quite grown up are twenty or twenty-one, say. The feet at sixteen are fat and puffy. You might say they aren't shaped yet They're like the waist. But they soon get trim aud firm. They keep so till the age of for ty. Then they swell again. , Bigger and bigger, fatter sod softer they get till the owner dies." CHAS. A. AULT f PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON $ RV4llpnpa 1 hlnrlr annt rf Proa, Z hyteitan Church Office in Ber- 2 laud umkllng. Enterprles. g there wore on the floor as plainly as It they bad been made with Ink.on white paper. Well, neither lu the laboratory nor In the vestibule, which were both as clean as a new pin, were there any traces of a man's footmarks. Since they have been found near this win dow outside, he must have made his way through the celling of tho yellow room Into the attic, then cut his way throush the roof and dropped to the ground outside the vestibule wludow. But there's no hole, neither In the cell ing of the yellow room nor In the roof of my attic; that's absolutely certain. So, you see, we know nothing noth ing. And nothing will ever be known! It's a mystery of $he devil's own mak ing." Rouletabllle went down upon his knees again almost In front of a small lavatory at tho back of the vestibule. In that position he remained for about a minute. "Well?" I asked him when be got ui- "Oh, nothing very Important A drop of blood," he replied, turning toward Daddy Jacques as he spoke. "While you were washing the laboratory and this vestibule was tho vestibule win dow opeu?" be asked. "No, monsieur. It was closed. But after 1 had done washing tho floor I lit some charcoal for monsieur In the laboratory furnace, and as I lit It with old newspapers It smoked, so I opened both, the windows In tho labo ratory and this one to make a current of air. Then I shut those In the labo ratory and left this one open when I went out. When I returned to the pavilion this window bad been closed and monsieur and mademoiselle were already at work in the laboratory." "M. or Mile. Stangerson had no doubt shut It?" "No doubt." "You did not ask them?" "No." After a close scrutiny of the little lavatory and of the stnlrcaso leading up to tho attic Rouletabllle to whom we seemed no longer to exist entered the laboratory. I followed him. I wag, I confess, In a state of great ex citement. Robert Darzac lost none of my friend's movements. As for me, ray eyes were drawn at once to the door of the yellow room. It was closed and, as I immediately saw, pjrtlally shattered and out of commission. My frleud, who went about bis work methodically, silently studied the room in which we were, it was large aud well lighted. Two big windows -almost bays were protected by strong Iron burs aud looked out upon a wide extent of country. The whole of one side of the labora tory was taken up with a largo chin- ney, crucibles, ovens and such Imple ments as are needed for chemical .:; perlmeuts; tables loaded with vials, papers, reports, un electrical machine au apparatus, as II. Darzac informed me, employed by Professor Stangerson to demonstrate the dissociation of mat ter under the action of solar light ar.d other scientific Implements. Along the wuils were cabinets, plain or glass fronted, through which were visible microscopes, special photo graphic apparatus and a large quanti ty of crystals. Rouletabllle, who was ferreting In tho chimney, put his fingers Into one of the crucibles. Suddenly he drew himself up and held up a piece of half consumed paper lu his hand. He stop ped up to where we were talking by 0110 of the windows. "Keep that for us, M. Durzac," he said. I bent over the piece of scorched paper which M. Darzac took from the hand of Rouletabillo nnd read dis tinctly the only words that remained legible: "Presbytery lost nothing charm, nor tho gar-its brightness." Twice since the morning these same meaningless words had struck mo. and for the second time I saw that they produced on the Sorbonne professor the same paralyzing effect M. Dar sac's first anxiety showed Itself when he turned bis eyes In the direction of Daddy Jacques. But, occupied as he was at another window, he had seen nothing. Then, tremblingly opening his pocketbook, be put the piece of pa per bito It, sighing, "Mv God!" H. E. MERRY MAN . SURVEYOR AND ENGINEER U. S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor, Mining and Metallurgical Engi neer. Enterprise. Oregon. W. C. KETCHUM DENTIST - ENTERPRISE . iThe DerlanJ Building. Independent Phone. Home ' COLON R. EBERHARD f ; ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR J Practices In all Courts and In- J Vt lerior Dept. notary Public. Ind. Homo u.io.io. Josjph. i v. T Avnifinenv r rw Z t PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON X Calls attended to day or night. T uome pnone. Enterprise, Ore. 4 During thU tlr.ie R.uletaMlto had mounted into fie openln: of the fire gratethat 1 1 t any, he h: d got upon the bricks of a f . rnnce and v.t.s at tentively examining the chlmv.ey, which grew narrower toward t'ju top. the outlot from it being clo.ed vrlth . sheets cf iron fastened Into the brick work, through which passed three . small chlniners. "Impossible to get out that wo-." ho I said, Jumping back Into tho laboratory. j "Besides, even If he had tried to !.) It. he would have brought all fiat iron work down to the ground. No, no; It is not ou that side we have to search." Rouletabllle next examined thu fur niture and opened the doors of the cabinets. Then he came to the win dows, through which, he decl-red. no one could possibly have passed. At the second window he found Duddy Jacques In contemplation. "Well, Daddy Jacques," be said, "what are you looking at?" "That policeman who la nlwnys r" lng round and round the lake. Arxtbcr of those fellows who think they tan see better than anybody else!" "You don't know Freddie Lnr-nn. Daddy Jacques, or yc.:i wouldn't Kpenlc of blm In that way,", sn'd Rouletabllle In a melancholy tone. "If fier" H nny one who will find the rurdorrr It will bo he." And Roulctal llle heaved a deep sigh. TO OB CONTINUED. 8YNOP3I3. CHAPTER I A mysterious at Uropt U made at midnight to mur der Mile. Stangerson, daughter and assistant of Prof. Stangerson, who Is at work on his theory of the dlssocl a' Ion of matter In a pavilion near his chateau. Pistol shots and the young woman's cries for help are hoard behind the lockei and bolted djorof her chamber, the yellow room. The cries are answered by Professor Stan .vrsoii and Daddy Jacques, an aged servant. Aided by the concierges, Bernler and his wife, they break open the door and find Mile. Stangerson i voonlng and half strangled, with a wound lu ber temple, but find no trace of her assailant. The only possible outlet from the yellow room U the dor. Tbe walrd cry of the "tele du bon Dleu," a cat belonging to -Mother Angenoux, a recluse, is beard Just before Mile. Stangerson's cries. II Joseph Rouletabllle, a reporter-detective, is introduced to tbe reader by M. Salnclair, the narrator of the story, Rouletabllle declares I He revolver was fired by Mile. Stan t TH0.1, wounding her assailant in the hand, Salnclair is to use his trten-lshlp with M. Darzac, Mile. Stan gerson's lover, to introduce Rouleta Lllle Into the chateau. Ill Rouleta bll'.j Induces M. de Marquet, the ex amining magistrate, and M. de Ma. lelne, h's regh'rar, to talk about the case. The only poslsble point of egress lrom the pavilion for tbe murderer has been the window of the pavilion's vestibule, near which blood stains have been found. The win dow, however, was found latched af ter the assassin's escape. A bullet hole Is found in the celling of the yellow room. Stomach Trouble Cured. . . If you have any trouble with your stomach you should take Chamber lain's Stomach and Liver Tablets. Mr. J. P. Klote of Edlna, Mo., says: "I have used a great many differ ent medicines for stomach trouble, but find Chamberlain's Stomach and Liver Tablets more beneficial than any other remedy I ever used." For sale- by'Burnaugh & Mayfleld. GAME LAW 8. Any person knowing of any viola tlon of the game or fish laws of th state, or of persons not DroDerb keeping screens over irrtgatior ditches, are requested to notify JOB CLEMON9, Deputy State Game and For" Warden, Zumwalt, Oregon. Hit ,' i 1 r i 1 i ! I : J t