6
THE BEDFORD SIAJL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1910.
J
THE PERFUME OF
1 THE LADY IN BLACK
.5
iy GASTON LEH0VX,
Author of "The Mystery of
the Yollow Room,"
Copyright, 1000, by llrclnno's
CHAPTER VII
A Keen Rofuc and a Quaint
Crnnk.
.a 1 N hour later wo wen nil at our
I A I l018- pacing tilunr iiio imin-
Jiots In the uiooullglit. keeping
1 ' close wntcli. Miue. Edith, who
SHU that she eoulil uot sleep, came
out and talked to Kouletabille at his
iwsturu. lie called tue. placed uie In
charge of his posteru and of Mrs.
Itauce and made his rounds. The fair
Edith was In the most charming hu
mor. "It's the funniest thing I ever heard
of," she exclaimed. "How 1 wish 1
knew your Larsan! I'm suro I should
adore him."
1 shuddered at the words she utter
ed so lightly. Ah. It the unhappy girl
bad only realized what tras to come!
1 spent two delightful hours with
Mme. Edith, durlag tho greater part
of which I related to her some facta
regarding the history of Larsan-Ball-moyer.
some of which had been suffi
cient to make it doubtful whether a
till lived at the time that he appeared
to play so unexpected a part in "The
Mystery of the Yellow Room." As
this man'a powers will now be seen
to extend to heights which some may
believe Inaccessible, i Judge it to be
my duty to prepare the mind of the
reader to admit iu the end that 1 am
ouly the transcriber of an affair the
like of which never has been known
before and that I hare invented noth
ing. I will refer those who believe In
'actual records to the stenographic re
ports of the trial at Versailles. And
it must not be forgotten that before
destiny had brought Lursau-Uallmeyer
and Joseph Rouleubllle into contact
the elegantly mannered bandit bad
given considerable trouble to the au
thorities. We have only to open the
tiles of the Gazette lea Trlbuncaux and
to read the account of the day when
Larsan was condemned by the court
of assizes to ten years at bard labor
to be assured on this score. Then one
Vlll refrain from smiling because Jo
seph Rouletabllle placed a drawbridge
between Larsan-Batlmeyer and Ma
thildc Oarzac.
Ballmeyer did not become a crimi
nal because driven to evil doing tij
poverty and misery. The son of n rtfh
broker in the Rue Mo lay. he might
have chosen any vocation, but bis pre
ferred calling was to lay bunds upon
the money of other people. Be decid
ed to become a swindler, just as an-
jotber lad might baye decided to be
come au engineer. His debut was a
stroke of genius. Ballmeyer stole a
letter addressed to bis father contain-
-IfiS aJ'SJ BUCU L P?oncy. Ho took
the train for Lyons and wrote his
parent as. follows:
Monsieur I am an old soldier, retired
and with a medal of honor. Mr son. a
pootofllce clerk, has stolen In the malls
a letter addressed to you and containing
money to pay a cambllnc debt. 1 have
called the members of tbs family togeth
er In a few days vra shall be able to
rulte the aum necessary to repay you.
You are a father. Have ptty upon a fa
ther. Do not tiring me down In sorrow
and shame to my grave.
M. Ballmeyer willingly granted the
petition. He Is still waiting for his
Hful remittance, or, rather, bo has
ceased to expect it. for the law ap
prised him tep years ago of the idea--Uly
of the culprit
While be was doing military duty
Ballmeyer stolo bis companion's box
and accused the captain. Ho commit
ted a theft of 40,000 francs from the
liaison Furet and immediately after
ward denounced,. M. Iftaret as baring,
stolen it himself.
Jiallmeycr appropriated a draft for
0,000 Uvres sterling from tho messen
ger of Messrs. Furet .Bros., who were
notehrokers In the Rue I'olssonlere and
who allowed him desk room In their
otUccs.
ne went to the Rue Polssonlere,
into the bouse of M. Furet and, imitat
ing tho voice of M. Edouard Furet,
nuked over the telephone of M. Coben,
u banker, whether be would be will-
lug to discount the draft. M. Coben
repnea in me umrmauve, ana leu min
utes later Rollraoyer, after baring
cut the telepboao wire to prevent fur
ther communication and possible ex
planation, sent for the money by a
companion named Rlgaud.
Ballmeyer kept the lion's share for
himself. Then be rushed to the court
to denounce Rlgaud and, as 1 havo
said. M. Furet himself.
A dramatic scene took placo when
accuser aud accused were confronted
with cuch other lu the cabinet of M.
Esplerre, the Judge.
'"You know, my dear Furet," said
Ballmeyer to the amazed broker, "you
must tell the justice the truth. You
uoed nut fear serious consequences.
Why uot confoss? Xou needed -10.000
francs to pay u little debt incurred at
the ruce truck, aud you Intended to
pay buck the sum. it was you who
telephoned V"
i'J! I!" utummered M. Edouard Fu
ret. almost breathless with rage and
astonishment.
'You may as well confess," said
linlluieyer. ".No oho could mlstuko
ygTur volco "
The bold thief was detected wltlilu
olght duys nnd was caught, and the
police furnished such u report upon
him that M. Oruppl, then attorney
gi-uerul, ihhv minister of coiiiniei-fi.
piv.culcKl to M, Knret 'he mum hum
ble excuses of hc department of Jus
tice. Rlgaud was also tried and cou
doiuDtd to twenty years nt hard labor.
I One illicit go on relntlng this kind
of stories about Ballmeyer ludellnltely.
Known nt various times us the Count
do Mottcvllle, Comte de Bonneville,
etc., he frequented the summer re
sorts nud waterlug places Hlarrlts.
I Ati-lcs-Buitis, Luchou, losing In play
at the club as much as 10,000 francs
in one evening. In his regiment he
had made n conquest happily platontc
of the colonel's daughter. Do you
know the type now?
Well, it wps with this man that Jo
seph RouletanUle was going to tight.
I thought that morning 'hat 1 haft
sufficiently informed Mme Edith lu
regard to the personality of the bandit.
The night passed without any event.
When the day dawned I saluted It
with a deep sigh of relief. Roulctn
bllle was already In the midst of the
workmen, laboring actively in repair
ing tho broaches of the tower B. The
work was done so expeditiously and
so promptly that the strong Chntenu
of Hercules was .soon scaled ns her
metically close as It waa possible for a
building to be. Seated on a big bowl
dor In the bright sunlight. Roulctn-!
bllle began to draw upon his notebook
the plan which 1 have submitted to
the reader, and he said: i
"You see. these people believe that I
am fortifying the place to defend my
self. Well, that Is merely a small part
of the truth, for 1 am fortifying tho
place because reason bids me do so in
order that Larsan cannot get in."
When I heard a knock at my door
about 11 o'clock in the morning and
the voice of Mere Bernler told me
their work, which woa yielding great
results. Discovert lu the prlrate
grounds of M, Abbo. owuer of tho res
taurant of the Grotto of Burma
Grande, proved that primeval man
bad lived there before the glacial
epoch, 200,000 years ngo.
The Ranees eagerly entered luto
these antiquarian researches. Mrs.
Ruucc, being of a romantic turn, took
a violent faucy to tho rulnod castle
nud persuaded her husband to buy It.
While it was being made habitable
Ruuce telegraphed and wrotu to her
uncle. Old Bob, ,vho was then bono
digging tu I'ntngoula. The messages
uever reached hm, for Old Bob, who
had previously promised to Join his
ncphrw and niece ufter they had been
married for awhile, had ulrcady takon
tho steamer for Europe. Evidently re
port had already brought to him the
story of the treasures of the Rochers ,
Rouges. A Tew days after the cable
had beeu dispatched he landed at Mar
seilles aud arrived at Mentone, where
in. iiiH'iutip tho cumiutnlon of Arthur ,
Ruuce and his wife In the Chateau of ;
Hercules, which . his very presence
seemed to till with life aud gnyety.
Thi ctivetr of Old Bob appeared to i
us u little theatrical, but that feeling ,
arose without doubt from the effects I
of our upprvueustuua of the eveulng
before. The Old Bob hnd the soul of
a child. He was as much of a co
quette aa au old woman.
Mrs. Banco presented him to us, and
he uttered a few polite phrases, after
which be opened his wide mouth in a
great hearty laugh. Ho was jubilant,
and wo were soon to learn tho reason
why. He had brought back from his
visit to tho Museum of Parts tho ccr-
tatnty that the skeleton of the Barm a
Instantaneous Gas Lights
I!
211 W. Main J. W. Whitney Phone 1082
i
THE ROGUE RIVER LAND COMPANY
NO. 11 NORTH CENTRAL AVENUE
Offers an especially irood foothill orchard for u low
nrieo and on good tonus. In theso days oi! advancing
prices, ic win ny 10 ioorc 11110 muh,
It pays to deal with tho "Man Who Knows." Whou
tho ltoguo .River Land Company sold tho TroiiBon &
Guthrie orchard at Eaglo Point to tho prize winning
owners, four years ago, the salesman, v. M. Holmes,
assured tho purchasers thoso Spitzonhorgtrees would
produeo tho world's best apples, and subsequent ovonts
prove tho soundness of his judgment. TJy tho way:
Did it over occur to you that most of tho mon who havo
won out in tho Roguo River Valloy, bought their win
ning orchards through tho Roguo Rivor Land Com
pany? W. M. Holmes, Manager, is always at your sorvico
for a, good buy.
I
"HEBE IT IS, IT IS OLD BOB'S SKULL. LOOK AT ITl"
that Rouletablllc wanted me to get up
1 threw my window wide open and
looked out In delight.
Never had nature appeared to me
more sweet. The serene air. the beau
tlful shore, the balmy sea. the purple
mountains, all this picture to which
my northern senses were bo little ac
customed, evoked In my mind the
thought of some tender, caressing bu
man being. As these thoughts passed
through my mind I noticed a man who
was lashing the sea. I could, not un
derstand what bad excited bis wrath
in this tranquil spot, but be evidently
felt that he had some serious cause for
Yezatlon, for he never ceased his blows.
At this point 1 was Interrupted by
the voice of Rouletabllle. who told me
that breakfast was nearly ready itoule
tabllle appeared In the garb of n
plasterer, bis clothing showing fresh
mortar. 1 asked him whether be bad
seen the man who was beating the wa
ter, and be told me that It was Tulllo
who was frightening the fishes to drive
them Into his nets. It was for this
reason, 1 realized, that Tulllo bad ob
tained the nickname of the "hangman
of the sea."
Rouletabllle went on to tell me that
be bad asked Tulllo that morning
about the stranger whom be bad rowed
about in his bout the night before.
Tulllo bad replied that be had no
knowledge whatever of whom the man
might be; that be was a crazy sort of
fellow whom be bad taken in as a pas
senger at Mentone.
I dressed myself quickly and Joined
Rouletabllle, who told me that we
wero to have a new guest at luncheon
In the person of OKI Bob.
Old Bob made his uppeorauco. And
let me suy It; let me say It hare It
was not this apporltion which could
have turned our thoughts toward any
thing dark or gloomy. I have rareJy
seen uuytbiug more droll than Old Bob
wulklug lu the bllndlug' suu of the
springtime lu the Midi, with a tallshut
of black beaver, his bluck trouvers, his
black spectacles, bU whltu hair and bis
rosy cheek. Ves, yes, we sat there
and laughed In tbo Tower of Charles
the Bold. And Old Boh laughed with
us, for Old Bob was as gay as u child.
Whut was this old uavaut dolug at
the Castle of Hercules? Why did he
quit his work uud precious collection
lu I'hlludelphluV
'At the time of his lufutuatlon-for
the daughter of M. Stungersou. Arthur
Runco was rcgurded by American u
enlists us the rising uutbrupuloglKt.
Ills hubtseqtn-nt uiurrl.e lu Ik.
I'reseott revived his enthusiasm for re
search, which she shared. When thoj
visited the region of Rochers Rouges
the leading scientists of France were
moving the government to promote
Grande wus uo more ancient than the (
one which be had discovered in bis ,
last expedition to Tlerra del Puego. :
Mme. Edltb bad the unklnducsa to 1
interrupt the Jubilations of her uncle
by announcing to him that Prince '
Galltcb,, wbo bad purchased the Urotto
of Romeo nnd Juliet at Rochers
Rouges, must have made so mo sensa
tional discovery, for Bbe bad seen him
tbe very morning of Old Bob's dopar- j
turo for Paris passing by tbe Fort of
J3eccul.esl carrying unijer his arm a Jit-
tie box, which he "had touched n he
went by, calling out to her. "Seo, Mrs.
Rancc. I have found a treasurer' Ho
walked on. laughing, with tho remark
that be would have a surprise for Old
Bob on bis return. And later sbo bad
boatd that Prince Galltcb had do
ctored that ho bad discovered "tbo
oldest skull In tbe history of tho bu- ,
man race." i
Every vestige of gayety fled from
Old Bob's face aud manner.' Ula voice
was husky with passion as' ho ex- ;
claimed: i
"That is an Infernal lie! Tbo oldest i
skull In all history Is Old Bob's skull. I
Do you understand me? It is Old j
Bob's skull."
"Mattonl. Mnttont: Bring my trunk '
at once!" he cried. I
Almost as soon as the words were
spoken we saw Mattonl crossing the
Court of Cburle tbe Bold with Old
Bob's trunk on his shoulder. Old Bob
took his bunch of keys, got down on
his knees and opemtd tbe box. ITrom
this receptacle ht took a harbor, and
from tbe bntbor he drew out a skull,
which be placed in the mldOla of tbe
tablet
"The oldest skull In tbe history of
immunity!" he echoad. "Hero It is! It
is Old Bob's skull! -Ixxik at It! Ob, 1
can tell you. Old Dob never goes any.
where without bis skull 1"
(To bo continued.)
QC all automobiles used Jn the Roguo Rivor Valley for
the past four years, the
BUICR
has given best service and proved most satisfactory to
owners. oJid for livery service.
It is the car for this uoMitry, liifht wcght. high pow
er, low price. There may be as good cars, but i.over
will any one, anywhere, any time produce a better one.
The Buick holds more world's records than any car on
earth. Consider BUICK quality, theu look nt a Huick
price.
Buick 20 (White Streak) $1100
Bujck 30 $1550
Buick 40 ..$1900
Buick 50 (seven-passenger) $2900
All prices f. o. b. Portland. Get immediate deliv
eries while you can.
Medford Buick Co.
Txm Velle, Manager
SOUTH RIVERSIDE AVE., NEXT MERRIMAN'S
BLACKSMITH SHOP.
Resolved
. That with the beginning
of the New Year, I will
trade where I receive
the greatest value for my
money In other words
sRex Mai k et
Huth & Pech Props. Phone 3271
l
CAW) OF THANKS.
On behalf of tho Medford Comnior
clal club tho secretary wishes to ex
pross thanks to tho firms and busi
ness mon who havo so kindly doiatcd
copies of tho Mall Trlbuno'u special
Now Yonr's edition to tho office. Thoy
nro being profitably employed as ad
vertising mattor. About 300 havo
alroudy boon distributed ovor tho
United States, and each dny another
list goes out. It Ib probably snfo to
say that by this tlmo oyory stato In
tho Union Is harboring sotnowhoro
within Its boundary lino nt least ono
copy of tho Medfc-d Mall Trlhuno.
TIIH MEDFOItD COMMERCIAL
CLUB.
HAL 0. CONRAD, Secretary.
Baker's
vs.
Home Made Bread
Wo have home-made bread. "Which would
you rather eat, home-made or bakers? A
foolish question to ask, for most people
would bo willing to pay twice the price for
home-made bread tjiey pay for baker's, but
you can buy tho good old-fashioned home
made bread at the Rex Grocery for the same
price as baker's. Large, well browned
loaves, both nourishing and palatable, and
baked .from the best flour in the city.
"Yakima Best,"
Take a loaf homo with you and be con- -vinced.
Rex Grocery Co.
Best Groceries
At Prices Strictly in
Keeping with the
Quality of Our
Stock which is
Unexcelled
A Trial will Convince You
Allen Reagan
The Square Deal Grocers
Savoy Theatre
TONIGHT
A CORNER IN WHEAT (A PICTF FUN)
',, lv.THE COUNT'S WOOING (A C0M0RIAL EDITORIAL)
;i(JiMR. AND MRS. DUFF (FULL 0EDY)
ONE DIME.
REAL ESTATE
Farm Land Timber Land
Orchard Land
Residences City Lots
Orchards and Mining Claims
Medford Realty Co
Room 10, Jackson County Bank Building