Mohave County miner., 1889-03-02

II lave seen tie piece a. least nalI
dozen times. and be was In the theatrs
every time Men have told mo the same
thing IL Is kind Of maniar-a diseased
yanIty--I suppose. He likes 10 sec him
self On tho stage--the central Ggure, ths
cynosurc OF every eye"
Tho man they spoke OF approached and
passed toward the theatre. Tall, slim,
well dressed. with light coat over
his evening suit. pale. with fixed look
about the eyes. curious mobility about
the mouth.
''iie looks harassed and H." said the.
young man.
''Overwork, brain pressure" said the
elder II should not be surprised IL
wero 10 hear within the next few months
that Marc Avalon had gone of bis head.
Caliler rose and followed the great
chemist into the theatre. followed him 10
the door Of his nvant-sccne, and then went
round the other side OF the house, and got
stall from which he could observe the
face In tho shadow Of the curtain as well
as the lowered lights would allow.
That Idea Of this prince Of science being
on the verge Of lunacy had started o Gu
rionf train Of thought In the brain OF the
skilled detective He had some time since
mad, up bis mind that tho murders OF the
Rue Ste. Marguerite, tho Rue de Ia vseille
Lanterno and the Rue des Feyes were ths
work Of the same hand, and that the hand
Of homicidal maniac: but II had never
occurred 20 him that these ghastly, mo
tiyeicss. insane murders might bc the re-
production 81 something shown upon the
stage Of Parisian theatre. Tonight, for
tho irst time, he. the busy worhngman,
whose hours were gold. saw the grisly
play which all the idlers OF Paris had been
gioating upon for the last four or five
mouths, and he also saw, or believed that
he saw, the germ and suggestion Of those
strange and bloody assassinations which
had conynlsed .he city.
Such play, acting upon the prepared
mind Of en- unrevealed lunatic, might In
spire sudden sanguinary impulse, an
itching cagcrness To taste those sensations
and emotions depicted In all their hideous
nesgi by the actor. That which was ap-
palling and reyolting to sane minds might
exercise morbid fascination upon the
insane. The higher the education and
the greater the refinement, the deeper
might lie the descent into crime.
The detective hung about the vestibule
till he saw Marc Avalon leave the theatre,
appearing to follow him. An elderly man,
who looked like doctor, accosted the
sayant as lac went out, and the two men
walked along the boulevard together In
the clear, mild night as far as Tortonis,
where they weRt in. Cauler had followed
close enough to be able to oyerhear their
conversation. which was upon indifferent
subjects. The chemists friend remarked
upon his looking III and wearied. and
demonstrated with him for overcagerness
In bis scientific experiments.
You are trying TO get quart Of water
into pint bottle" be said; nobody ever
succeeded in doing that yet. Take care
You don't burst the bottle. There are
very fcw men Of your age who have made
as great a mark upon the century as you
have. Can't you be content to rest upon
your laurels"
Il am not oyerworking my brain,
Avalon answered, doggedly. "You talk
TO me as IL were an incipient lunatic.
Do you sec any signs Of overwork about
mef'
Yes. several--hurry. pallor. dry lips
and tendency 10 laugh at things that
make other men serious. ! am talking TO
you as your old friend, and with perfect
frankness."
my dear pignon, this Is the common
cry when q man devotes himself to bis
profession and succeeds q little better
than his fellow workers. Overstrain,
brain work, incipient madnessi That Is
what his friends say about him. Kindly
meant, no doubt, but arrant twaddle"
They went into the cafe, came out again
In quarter OF an hour, when Avalon
hailed a cab.
The detective followed him In another
The fly deposited him at his own house In
the Rue st. Guillaume. Cauler drove to
the end OF the street, dismissed his cab
and went back to Marc Ayalon's doorway
OH foot. The house in which the chemist
lived was fine old mansion in quad
rsngular court, duh, dignifed. respect
able. II was moonless night, and the
court yard was black as Erebus at this
hour, save for crne lamp which burned
dsmly over the porte cochcre. There was
plenty Of cover for the detective.
He saw the light Of lamp travel
slowly through two rooms upon the
second floor and finally settled In third
room. .... d w..
The external Venetian shutters were
closed, but there were no curtains drawn
within, and the lamplight shons betwixt
the wooden bars. ...
NJ. Cauler took up bis position In the
embrasure OF doorway leading to the
offices, al obscure doorway In corner Of
the great, grave house, as IL be meant to
stay there half the night. A curious
waste Of power, one might suppose, this
night watch in tho Rue st. Guillaume,
but Of late Cauler had been wasting much
-
the moyass of Paris, and one ignus-
is as good as another. Tonight II was
(,auler's whim to watch the windows Of
Marc Avalon.
The lamplight continued undisturbed
for an hour and q half. The third quar-.
ter after tolled heavily from the tower
Of Notrc Dame yonder, and other church
chimes repeated tho solemn measure.
floor grew dark. This time the light did
not travel from room TO room; 1t was cx'
tinguished ON the spot
':The man Of science has gone TO bed, I"
said Carilcr. with touch Of disappoint.
ment. II may go home and get my
He waited some minutes notwithstand.
ing, and, looking up presently, he gave o
cry of triumphant surprise.
"Dieu do Dieui have hit 1t this time"
he muttered.
There was light shining through the
shutters Of those three upper windows--a
light more vivid than the shine CT the
| domestic lamp, fiery crimson glow, such
as he had seen In tho theatre three hours
ago, In the famous laboratory scene. It
lasted three or four minutes, and then
camo darkness again.
This time Caulcr had no idea Of going