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About The news=record. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1907-1910 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1909)
The By GASTON LEROUX CHAPTER XIII. (Continued.) ! Here Rouletabllle Interrupted himself and asked me if I had brought the re volvers. I showed him them. Having examined both, he pronounced them excellent and banded them back to me. "Shall we have any use for them?" I asked. "No doubt; this evening. We shall pass the night here if that won't tire you?" "On the contrary," I Bald, with an expression that made Rouletabllle laugh. "No, no," he said. "This Is no time lor laughing. You remember the phrase which was the 'open sesuine' of thl3 chateau full of mystery?" "Yes," I said, "perfectly, 'The pres bytery has lost nothing of its charm nor the garden Its brightness.' It was the phrase which you found on the half burned piece of paper among the ashes in the laboratory." "Yes. At the bottom of the paper, where the flame had not reached, was this date, 23d of October. Itemember this date; it is highly important. I am now going to tell you about that curi ous phrase. On the evening before the crime that is to say, on the 23d M. and Mile. Stangerson were at a recep tion at the Elysee. I know that, be cause I was there on duty, having to Interview one of the servants of the Academy of rhlladelphia who was be ing feted there. I had never before seen either M. or Mile. Stangerson. I was seated In the room which precedes the Salon des Ambassadeurs, and, tired of being Jostled by so many noble per sonages, I had fallen into a vague reverie, when I scented near me the perfume of the lady In black. "Do you ask me what is the 'perfume of the lady In black?' It must suffice you to know that It is a perfume of which I am very fond, because It was that of a lady who had been very kind to me in my childhood, a lady whom I dad always seen dressed In black. The lady who that evpnln? was scented With the perfume of the lady in black was dressed In white. She was won derfully beautiful. I could not help rising and following her. An old man gave her bis arm. and as they passed I heard voices say, Trofesssor Stanger son and his daughter.' It was in that way I learned who it was I was fol lowing, ''They met M. Robert Darzac, whom I knew by eight. Professor Stanger son, accosted by Mr. Arthur William Jtance, one of the American savants, seated himself in the great gallery, and M. Robert Darzac led Mile, Stan gerson Into the conservatory. I fol lowed. The weather was very mild that evening. The garden doors were open. Mile. Stangerson threw a fichu shawl over her shoulders, and I plain ly saw that It was she who was beg ging M, Darzac to go with her Into the ' garden. I continued to follow, Inter ested by the agitation plainly exhibited by the bearing of M. Darzac. They slowly passed along the wall abutting pn the Avenue Marlgny. I took the central alley, walking parallel with them, and then crossed over for the purpose of getting nearer to them. The night was dark, and the grass deadened the sound of my steps. They had stopped under the vacillating light at a gas Jet and appeared to be both pending over a paper held by "Mile. Btangerson, reading something which deeply interested them. I stopped In the darkness and silence. "Neither of them saw me, and I dis tinctly heard Mile, Btangerson repeat M she was refolding the paper, 'The presbytery has lost nothing of its charm nor the garden its brightness It was said In a tone at once mocking and despairing and was followed by a tmrst of such nervous laughter that I think her words will never cease to sound la my ears. But another phrase was uttered by M. Robert Darzac, 'Must I commit a crime, then, to win your He was in an extraordinarily agitated state. He took the hand of Mile. Stangerson and held It for o Ion time to his Hps, and I thought from the movement of his shoulders that he was crying. Then they went away. "When I returned to the great gal lery," continued Rouletabllle, "I saw no more of M. Robert Darzac, and I was not to see him again until after the tragedy at the Glandler. Made moiselle was near Mr. Ranee, who was talking with much animation, his eyes during the conversation glowing with a singular brightness. Mile. Stanger son, I thought, was not even listening to what he was saying, her face ex pressing perfect indifference. HU face was the red face of a drunkard. When M. and Mile. Stangerson left he went to the bar end remained there. I Joined him and rendered him some lit tie service in the midst of the press ing crowd. Ho thanked me and told me he was returning to America three days later that is to say, on the 20th, the day after the crime. I talked with him about Philadelphia. He told me be had lived there for Ave and twen ty years and that It was there he had met the Illustrious Professor Stanger son and his daughter. He drank a great deal of champaigne, and when I left him he was very nearly drunk. "Such were my experiences on that evening, and I leave xou to imagine e Fivsterv Yellow COPYRIGHT. 1008, BY BRENTANO'S Whnt effect the news ofthe attempted ( muruer 01 ante, stangerson produced on me with what force those words pronounced by M. Robert Darzac, 'Must I commit a crime, then, to win you?' recurred to me. It was not this phrase, however, that I repeated to him when we met here at Glandler. The sentence of the presbytery and the bright garden sufficed to open the gate of the chateau. If you ask me If I be lieve now that M. Darzac is the mur derer I must say I do not. I do not think I ever quite thought that. At the time I could not really think seriously of anything, I bad so little evidence to go on, but I needed to have at once the proof that he bad not been wounded in the hand. "When we were alone together I told him how I had chanced to overhear a part of his conversation with Mile. Stangerson In the garden of the Elysee, and when I repeated to him the words, 'Must I commit a crime, then, to win you?' he was greatly troubled, though much less so than he had been by hear ing me repeat the phrase about the presbytery. What threw him Into & state of real consternation was to learn from me that the day on which he had gone to meet Mile. Stangerson at the Elysee was the very day on which she had gone to the postoffice for the letter. It was that letter per haps which ended with the words, 'The presbytery has lost nothing of Its charm nor the garden Its brightness.' My surmise was confirmed by my find ing, if you remember, In the ashes of the laboratory the fragment of paper dated Oct. 23. The letter had been written and withdrawn from the post office on the same day. "There can be no doubt that on re turning from the Elysee that night Mile. Stangerson had tried to destroy that compromising paper. It was in vain that M. Darzac denied that that letter had anything whatever to do with the crime. I told him that In an affair so filled with mystery as this he bad no right to hide this letter; that I was persuaded It was of considerable Importance that (he desperate tone In which. Mile. Stangerson bad pronounc ed the phrase; that his own tears and the threat of a crime which he bad professed after the letter was read- all these facts tended to leave no room for me to doubt. M. Darzac became more and more agitated, and I deter mined to take advantage of the effect I had produced on him. 'You were on the point of being married, monsieur,' I said negligently and without looking at him, 'and suddenly your marriage becomes Impossible because of the writer of that letter because as soon as bis totter was read you spoke of the necessity for a crime to win Mile Stangerson. Therefore there is some one between you and her Borne one who is preventing your marriage with her; some one who has at tempted to kill her so that she should not be able to marry.' And I concluded with these words: 'Now, monsieur, you have only to tell me in confidence the name of the murderer.' The words I had uttered must have struck him ominously, for when I turned my eyes on him I saw that his face was haggard, the perspiration standing on bis forehead and terror showing in his eyes. " 'Monsieur,' be said to me, 'I am going to ask of you something which may appear insane, but In exchange for which I place my life in your hands, Ypu must not tell the magis trates of what you saw and heard In the garden of the Elysee; neither to them nor to anybody. I swear to you that I am innocent, and I know, I feel, that you believe me, but I would rath er be taken for the guilty man than see justice go astray on that phrase, "The presbytery has lost nothing of its charm nor the garden Its bright cess." The Judges must know noth ing about that phrase. All this mat ter Is In your bands. Monsieur, I leave It there,, but forget the evening at the Elysee. A hundred other roads are open to you In your search for the criminal. I will open them for you myself. I will help you. Will you take up your quarters here? You may remain here to do as you please. Eat, sleep here, watch my actions, the actions of all here. You shall be mas ter of the Glandler, monsieur, but for get the evening at the Elysee.' " Rouletabllle here paused to take breath. I now understood what had appeared so unexplalnable In the de meanor of M. Robert Darsac toward my friend And the facility with which the young reporter had been able to Install himself on the scene of the crime. "Everything seems to be pointing against him," continued my friend, "and the situation Is becoming ex ceedingly grave. M. Darzac appears not to mind it much, but in that he is wrong. I was Interested only In the health of Mile. Stangerson, which was dally improving, wbed something oc curred that is even more mysterious than than the mystery of the yellow room." "Impossible!" I cried. "What could be more mysterious than that?" "Let ns first go back to M. Robert Darzac." said Rouletabllle. calming me. "I have said that everything seems to be pointing against him. The o Room marks of the neat' Boots found by Frederic Larsan appear to be really the footprints of Mile. Stangersou's fiance. The marks made by the bicycle may have been made by bis bicycle. He had usually left it at the chateau. Why did he take It to Paris on that particular occasion? Was it because he was not going to return again to the chateau? Was it because, owing to the breaking off of bis marriage, bis rela tions with the Stangersons were to cease? All who are interested In the matter affirm that those relations were to continue unchanged. "Frederic I.arsnn, however, believes that all intercourse was at an end. From the day when M. Darzac accom panied Mile. Stangerson to the depart ment store until the day after the crime he bad not been at the Glandler. Remember that Mile. Stangerson lost her reticule containing the key with the brass head while she was in his company. From that day to the even ing at the Elysee the Sarbonne pro fessor and Mile. Stangerson did not see one another, but they may have written to each other. Mile. Stanger son went to the postoffice to get a let ter which Larsan says was written by Robert Darzac, for, knowing nothing o what bad passed at the Elysee, Lar san believes that It was M. Darzac himself who stole the reticule and the key with the design of forcing her con Bent by getting possession of the pre cious papers of her father papers which he would have restored to him on condition that the marriage engage- I ment was to be fulfilled. "All that would have been a very doubtful and almost absurd hypothe sis, as Larsan admitted to me, but for another and much graver circum stance. In the first place, here is something which I have not been able to explain M. Darzac bad himself on ! the 24th gone to the postoffice to ask ! for the letter which mademoiselle had ' called for and received on the prevl-1 ous evening. The description of the man who made application tallies in every respect with the appearance of i M. Darzac, who in answer to the questions put to him by the examining ' magistrate denies that be went to the tlli t A fTl i n Vnnr nirnn nilntlHIni, V . I the letter was written by him, which I do not believe, he knew that Mile, Stangerson had received it since he had seen it In her hands in the garden at the Elysee. It could not have been he, then, who had gone to the post office the day after the 24th to ask for a letter which be knew was no longer there. "To me it appears clear that some body strongly resembling him stole Mile. Stangersou's reticule and In that letter had demanded of her something which she bad not sent him. He must have been surprised at the failure of his demand; hence his application at the postoffice, to learn whether bis let ter had been delivered to the person to whom It had been addressed. Find ing that It had been claimed, be had become furious. What had he de manded? Nobody but Mile. Stanger son knows. Then on the day follow ing It Is reported that she has been attacked during the night, and the uext day I discovered that the pro fessor had at the same time been rob bed by means of the key referred to In the poste restante letter. It would seem, then, that tp? man who went to the postoffice to Inquire for the let ter must have been the murderer. All these arguments Larsan applies as against M. Darzac. You may be sure that the examining magistrate, Lar san and myself have done our best to et from the postoffice precise details relative to the singular personage who applied there on the 24th of October, But nothing has been learned. We don't know where he came from or where he went. Beyond the descrip tion which makes htm resemble M. Darzac we know nothing. "I have announced In the leading Journals that a handsome reward will be given to a driver of any public con veyance who drove a fare to 40. Post office, about 10 o'clock on the morning of the 24th of October. Information to be addressed to 'M. VL.' at the office of the Epoque, but no answer has result ed. The man may have walked, but as be was most likely in a hurry there was a chance that he might have gone in a cab. Who, I keep asking myself night and day, is the man who so strongly resembles M. Robert Darzac and who is also known to have bought the cane which has fallen Into Lar san's hands? "The most serious fact Is that M. Darzac was at the very same time that bis double presented himself at the postoffice down for a lecture at the Sorbonne. He bad not delivered that lecture, and one of bis friends took his place.- When I questioned him as to how he bad employed the time he told me that he had gone for a stroll In the Bols de Boulogne. What do you think of a professor who Instead of giving his lecture obtains a substitute to go for a stroll In the Bols de Boulogne? When Frederic Larsan asked him for information on this point be quietly replied that It was no business of his how he spent his time In Paris, on which Fred swore aloud that be would find out without anybody's help. "All this seems to fit in .with Fred's hypothesis namely, that M. Stanger- Professional Directory of Wallowa County THOS. M. DILL ATTORNEY'AT'UW j 4 i Office first door south of New f I Fraternal BldgH Enterprise, Ore. $ ! Mh.mS..js.MkSkSk ' . i ....... ....... " I ?rtw,wwWWi BURLEIGH & BOYD ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW Practice In all State Courts and ? Tnlartnn T.,-.n e- ... ... r j teniion to all business. I D. W. SHEAHAN I LAWYER ENTERPRISE I g Practice in State and Federal f, Courts and Interior Department. t C. T. HOCKETT, M. D. f I PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON $ Office upstairs in Bank Build- J A ing. Ind. Home phone in office ,f! j and residence. hypothesis namely, that M. Stanger son allowed the murderer to escape In order to avoid a scandal. The hypothe sis Is further substantiated by the fact that Darzac was in the yellow room and was permitted to get away. That hypothesis I believe to be a false one. Larson is being misled by it, though that would not displease me did it not affect an innocent person. Now, does that hypothesis really mislead Frederic Larsan? Thnt is the question that Is the question." "Perhap3 he Is right," I cried. Inter rupting Rouletnbllle. "Are you sure that M. Darzac Is Innocent? It seems to me that these are extraordinary coin cidences" "Coincidences," replied my friend, "are the worst enemies to truth." "What does the examining magis trate think now of the matter?" "M. de Marquet hesitates to accuse M. Darzap In the absence of absolute proofs. Not only would be have public opinion wholly against him. to say nothing of the Sorbonne, but M. and Mile. Staugersoq. She adores M. Rob ert Darzac. Indistinctly as she saw the murderer. It would be hard to make the public believe that she could not have recognized hlra if Darzac hud been the criminal. No doubt the yel low room was very dimly lit, but a night light, however small, gives some light. HeTe, my boy, is bow things stood when three days, or, rather, three nights, ago an extraordinarily strange Incident occurred." CHAPTER XIV. "I Expect the Ausssin This Evening." 1 MUST take you," sold Roule tabllle, "so as to enable you to understand, to the various scenes. I myself believe that I have discovered what everybody else Is searching for namely, how the mur derer escaped from the yellow room without any accomplice and without Mile. Stangerson having bad anything to do with it. But so long as I am not sure of the real murderer I cannot ! state the theory on which I am work-' Imr f pnn nnlv snv Hint 1 Io1Iiia It- in ' be correct and In any case a quite nut urn 1 and simple one. As to what hap pened In this place throe nights ago, I must say It kept me wondering for a whole day and night. It passes all be lief. The theory I have formed from the Incident is so absurd that 1 would rather matters remained as yet unex plained." Saying which, the young reporter In vited me to go and make the tour of the chateau with him. The ouly sound to be heard was the crunching of the dead leaves beueutb our feet. The si lence was so Intense that one might have thought the chateau hud been abandoned. The old stones, the stag nant water of the ditch surrounding the donjon, the bleak ground strewn with the dead leaves, the durk. skele-tou-Uke outlines of the trees all con tributed to give to the desolate place, now filled with lis awful mystery, au aspect tho most fuuereuL As we pass ed round the donjou we met the Green Man. the forest keeper, who did not greet us, but walked by as If we had not existed. He was looking Just as I had formerly seen him through the window of the Donjon Inn. He hud still his fowling piece slung ut his back, his pipe was lu Ills mouth and bis eyeglasses on his uof.c. "An odd kind of fish." Rouletabllle said to me lu a low tore. "Have you spoken to bltn?" I asked. "Yes. but 1 could get nothing out of him. Ills only answers are grunts and shrugs of the. shoulders. He gen erally lives on the first floor of the donjon a big room that once served for an oratory, ne lives like a bear, never goes out without his gun and Is only pleasant with the girls. Tho women for twelve miles round are all setting their caps for him. For the present he Is paying nttentlon to Mine. Muthlcu, whoso husband Is keeping a lynx eye upon her In consequence." After paining the donjon, which U situated at the extreme end of the left wing, we went to the back of the chateau. Rouletabllle, pointing to a wlndo- which I recognized as the An Eccentric Russian Doctor. The famous Russian, the late Dr. Zahurlu, was noted for his eccentric methods. When summoned to attend Czar Alexander III. in his lust illness, Dr- Zahurln required the same prep- nratlou for his visit to the palace as t0 u,ly of uis Il!ltlt,"ts, houses. That is to say, all dogs hud to be kept out of the way, all clocks stopped and every door thrown wide open. He left his furs in the hull, his overcoat In the next room, his galoches iu the third, and, continuing, arrived at the bedside in ordinary Indoor costume. He sat down after walking every few yards and every eight steps lu going up stairs. From the patient's relatives and every one else In the bouse he re quired absolute silence until he spoke to them, when his questions had to be answered by "Yes" or "No" and noth ing more. Reason Enthroned, Because meats are so tasty they are consumed in great excess. This leads to stomach troubles, bilious ness and constipation. Revise your diet, let reason and not a pampered appetite control, then take a few do-ies of Chamberlain's Stomach and Liver Tablets and you will soon be veil again. Try It. For sale at Burnaugh & Mayfleld's drug store. Samples free. son's apartment, said to me: ' If you had been here two nights servant at the top of a ladder about ago you would have seen your humble only one belonging to Mile. Stanger to enter tile chateau by that window." As I expressed some surprise at this pJace of nocturnal gymnastics, he beg- d me to notice carefully the exterior disposition of the i -bateau. We then went back Into the building. "I must now show you the first floor of the chateau, where 1 am living," said my friend. He motioned me to follow him up a magnificent flight of stairs ending In n landing on the first floor. From this landing one could pnss to the right or left wing of the chateau by a gallery opening from it. This gallery, high and wide, extended along the whole length of the building and was lit from the front of the cha teau facing the north. The rooms, the windows of which looked to the south, opened out of the gallery. Professor Stangerson Inhabited the left wing of the building. Mile. Stangerson had her apartment In the right wing. I We entered the gallery to the right, j A narrow carpet laid on the waxed oaken Boor, which shone .like glass, dendened the sound of our footsteps. I Rouletabllle nsked me lu a low tone to I walk carefully as we were passing the I door of Mile. Stangcrson's apartment. I This consisted of a bedroom, an ante room, a small bathroom, a boudoir and a drawing room. One could pass from one to another of these rooms without having to go by way of the gallery. The gallery continued straight to the western end of the building, where It was lit by n high window. At about two-thirds of Its length this gallery at a right angle Joined another gallery following the course of the right wing. The better to follow this narrative we shall call the gallery leading from the stairs to the eastern window the "right" gallery und the gallery quit ting It at a right angle the "off turn ing" gallery. It was at the meeting point of the two galleries that Rouleta bllle bad his chamber, adjoining thut of Frederic Larsan, the door of each opening on to the "off turning" gal lery, while the doors of Mile. Stuu gcrson's apartment opened Into the "right" gallery. Rouletabllle opened the door of his room nnd after we had passed In care- ! fully drew the bolt. I had not had time to glunce around tho place lu which be hnd been Installed when he uttered a cry of surprise and pointed to a pair of eyeglasses on a side table. "What are these doing here?" be asked. I should have been puzzled to an swer bitn. "I wonder," he said "I wonder If this Is what I have been searching for. I wonder If these are the eyeglasses from the presbytery." He seized them eagerly, his Augers caressing the glasses. Then looking at me, with an expression of terror on bis face, he murmured, "Oh, oh!" He repeuted the exclamation again and aguln. as If his thoughts had sud denly turned his brain. He rose and, putting his hand on my shoulder, laughed like one demented us bo suld: "Those glasses will drive me Billy. Mathematically speaking, the thing Is possible, but humanly speaking it is Impossible, or ufterwurd, or after ward" Two light knocks struck the door. Rouletabllle opened It. A figure en tered. 1 recognized the concierge whom I hud seen when she wns beltig taken to the pavilion for examination. I wns surprised, thinking she was still under lock nnd key. This woman said In u very low tone: "In the grove of the parquet." Rouletabllle replied. "Thanks." The woman then left. He aguln turned to me. his look haggard, after having carefully refastened the door, tnutter lpg some Incomprehensible phrases. "If the thing Is rnutliematlcully pos sible why should It not be humanly? And If It Is humanly posslblo the mut ter Is simply awful." I Interrupted him In bis soliloquy. "Have they set the concierges ut lib erty, then?" I asked. "Yes," he replied, "1 had them liber ated. I needed people I could trust Tho woman Is thoroughly devoted to ; me, and. her husbaud would luy down t H. E. MERRYMAN I SURVEYOR AND ENGINEER ? v U. S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor, Wining and Metallurgical Engl- f neer Enterprise, Oregon. S f W. C. KETCHUM I DENTIST - ENTERPRISE x .e Berland Building. Home & Independent Phone. COLON R. EBERHARD g I ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR f f Practices In all Courts and In- I terlor Dept. Notary Public. $ Ind. Home plio.io. Josjph. . I E. T. ANDERSON, M. D. I PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON 1 Calls attended to day or night. j homo pnone. Enterprise, Ore. his life for me." "Oho!" I sr. id. "Wbeu will he have occasion to do U?" "This evening, fcr this evening I ex pect the murderer." "You expect the murderer this even ing? Theu you know him?" "I shall l;now him, but I rhould be mad to affirm tutegorlcully at this mo ment thnt I C ) know him. The mathe matical Idea 1 have of the murderer gives results so frightful, so mon strous, that I hope It Is F'.lll possible that I am mistaken. I hope so with all my heart." "Five minutes ago you did not know the murderer. How cau you say that you expect him this evening?" "Becnuse I know that ho must come." Rouletnbllle very slowly tilled his pipe and lit it. Thnt meant nn Interest ing story. At that moment we heard some one wnlklng In the gallery ond passing before our door. Roulctablllo listened. The sound of the footstep died away In the dlstauce. "Is Frederic Lnrsnn In his room?" I asked, pointing to the pnrtltlon. "No," my friend answered. "Tie went to Tnrls this mornlnr. still on the s ent of Darzac who nlso lvft for Tarls. That matt'-r will turn out bud!y. I ex pect that M. Darzac will be arrested In the course of the next week. The worst of It Is that everything reenis to be in league against him circumstances, things, people. Not an hour pimses Without bringing some new evidence (Continued next week.) Watch the label on your paper. Before buying a piano o. see Ashley. He has the for almost any make and wi -nil them on easy terms. Nature Provk but one Californs It is the natural winu homo of many thousand of the world'sbeFt n-. ,i Under the gentle in:lu. n. . of its mild winterclinmu-. every amusement recreation uboumt.-i. i-m-l. bathinff, boating, fiuhin driving; such picnics, , . ties und "jollifications.' GO TO Los Angeles, Paso Robles Hot Springs, Hotel e'e Monte, Santa Iiibuiii, Venice, Long Betich Sunt Cruz, orascoreofsimilur resorts and you will find health, congenial sur roundings, hospitiil-1 associates, fuullless ;tc commodutions und num berless attractions and conveniences. The O. R. & N. Co. Connecting with The Southern Pacific Co. Make inexpensive round trip excursion rates to California A six months stopover ticket Wallowa to Los Angeles and return is $76 80 Corresponding rates tire ii. el' ''ect to other points. Wo have some very distinctive literature covering California's winter resorts, and will take pleasure in giving yon all of the information and assistance at our command. For tickets, sleeping car reservations, etc., call on, telegraph or write E. T. Campion, Agent, Wallowa. Or WM. McMURRY, cen pas r-vT. Portland, Oregon.