The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-06

by rendering my resignation at once.
"'The Chief smiled and shook his head
"'" Not yet" he said.
GO" But since it appears that l an
wrong?"
&c" Not yet, tell you. All! ca, you d'
not then understand me?"
GO At last did. The Chiefs idea wa
simple enough. "Falleix," he reasoned
has been perfectly aware of the watcf
we have kept upon him, and so has takeI
very good care to avoid betraying himself
When he finds he is no longer file, he viii
conclude he is no longer suspected: Ano
then-well, then, you see, he may be less
careful. So withdraw useless surveil
lance, and-I leave the rest to you"
"The next day it was reported at the
Prefecture that had been sent on specla
service across the Channel. But that day
and every day, in one disguise or another
| dogged my man about Paris, patiently
ruthlessly, as a hound follows trail. In
vain, however; in vain always.
"' Had he recognized me? felt sure
he had not. Was he really guilty after all:
Yes; thousand times yes My instinct
if not my judgment told me l had not de-
ceived myself | stuck dOggedly to the
trail. Admit, though Mcssieurs, that this
affair was assuming hopeless aspect
There appeared no limit to the time this
game of hide-and- seek between us might
last.
"' was thinking SO two mornings ago
when, once more, my man-chase recon-
menced. In his usual listlcss fashion Fal-
leix was strolling along the Quais just suf-
fciently ahead to be kept we'll In sight
1t seemed evcrybOdy's Dimanchc but his
in his threadbare garments he looked more
miscrably poverty stricken than ever
then. Surely, he must allow himself to
draw on the red portefeuille soon tried
to hope.
"All at once his listless mode of pro.
gression changed. My faneur began
walking like man with some object in
view | had to shorten the distance be-
tween us.
"'AcrOss the Place, across the BOule-
ward, where was he going so straight
To the station in the Rue d Amsterdam, it
appeared presently. Tempted by the
sunshine, the poor devil wanted to
breathe little country air. Where?
90 He waited his turn at the bureau of
the ST. Germain line. His destination, l
concluded, then, was Asnieres. The
vOred locality would hardly be beyond his
means. But no. He was going further
too far, it struck me. He must have been
dieicIe about the country air he breathcd,
for he asked for ticket for ChatOu.
DiaUe! Why ChatOu, when we were
so poor that positively our whole available
capital could not compass the fare; and
but for the compassionate official who con-
scnted to accept littln bon upon the Pre-
lecture in payment we could never have
gone at all ? Why Chatou?
az tried to solve this question on our
way down; for, need hardly tell you,
also had business at Chatou that day.
"Arrived there, FalleiX strolled away,
listless as ever, from the station, follow
ing. l suppose we had about equally en-
jOyed the country air for half an hour
when the delusive sunshine faded it be-
gan to rain-tO rain in torrents. ImpOs-
siblc to continue strolling about in this
deluge. We took shelter in certain re-
staurant.
positively ce malheureur had no chance
His little holiday was spoiled. Hour after
hour passed by; the delugc only increased
he had only to stare blankly at the down
pour. He manifested melancholy reSig-
nation-so touching that l caught myself
almost plying him at times.
"TOward dusk, when nothing remained
for him but to go home, the rain suddenly
ceased. He took immediate advantage OF
the opportunity of reaching the station
with dry skin. l felt half inclined to let
him 90 in peace. What could | learn by
simply dOgging him back again?
Nof m bu haI ho cn,na bnra of oil ,
Why here to Chat0u in particular: In a
moment had started after him as this
question required to me.
90 He must have walked fast; he was
out of sight. No; caught glimpse of
him as he turned swiftly oft the roadway
into the wood. Why, if he were so
pressed, that detour through the wood?
al reached the place where he had dis
appeared. Screened securely by the
bushes, | looked for him. There he was,
walking as though he had just discovered
he had plenty of time to reach the station
before the coming train.
"'Had he suspected me? Or had the
momentary chance had stupidity afforded
him enabled him to do what he had come
here to do? Had those two or three
minutes lost me the whole gameg
strained my eyes in the gathering dark
ness to see.
"'And, suddenly, saw him swing
round, and glance sharply about him
And then he seemed to lean against the
trunk of a tree beside him while one
might count slowly five. And then ht
loungcd on, this frneur, never looking
back. L let him go, now. 1 waited still
where was till | had heard the train
pass, and stop, and start
"Then in my turn walked down tina
pathway, and halted by that tree, and per
ccived its trunk was hollow. In that hol
low, my instinct told me, lay the proof o
my little theory. Yet | paused a few
seconds before put in my hand.
My hand pushed aside the deaC
leaves and the moss and touched it, ant
drew it forth-a small tin box. In thi
tin box was the red morocco portefeuill'
of Monsieur Langley, bearing his initials
In the red portefcuillc were fifty one thou
sand two hundred francs in bank notes o
the Bank of France.
For more than three months that til
box had lain where | found it; for NOR
than three months my Fallcix had battle,
US all. But the temptation to assure him
Sell Ol t1c safety vi HIS UuttH ldu III
end proved too strong even for prudenc
like his. He had come down that day L
touch it-only to touch it while one nigh
| have counted slowly five.
Unfortunately for him it was VIII
counted.
al put the notes back into the porte
feuille, the portfeuillc into the tin box, tn
| tin box into the hollow trunk again. Ths
night made my report to the Chief Ye'
terday Falleix was brought down
Chatou, and reproduced tin box, port,
feuille, bank notes, To evcrybody's sati
faction but his.
| "Poor devil! He tainted.
| "And that is the end of the Affair {
the Red Portefeuille. / trust MOnsieu
Langley will consider have made hil
the amende h0nOrdNe promised himy
"Well, you know" Dick concluded, "
wasn't for me to say he hadn'tT-LondO
Society.
A GREAT natural curiosity is situated
the Cascade Mountains, about seventy -fiS
miles northeast of Jacksonville, Oregon