Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-12-25
THEL0NEI INN.
By FERGUS HUME.
lcopynsh,. is.. By IN. As,Ao.i
looNTlSuEp.l

iufts pu-hthk df' pSs'o ''W"'' NV ~
began his strange narrative without fur
thcr preamble
"wheu I went to bed that night, he
said slowly. II could not sleep for ever
~ long. kept wondering IL your the
ory could possibly bc true about the
trachery of Felix. II IL were. consid.
erd how I should punish my brother
While thus thinking fell asleep AMI
didn't wake up till close on o o'clock
In the morning. All my troubles came
VA me with full forcc. and you know
how much worse things look at that
hour than In broad daylight There was
no chauc, of further sleep 80 ! put on
my clothes and went down stairs The
hIst thing saw was my brother Felix
lying dead on the floor.
Had you any idea who killed himi"
Not the slightest thought IL was
either strvnt or the girl. - | went In
search of them. They hal fcd. for l
found my horse gone. - this flight cun'
Grmcd me in my suspicion. At hrst L
determined to wake you mp and explain
all. hut rcInemi-ring my foolish talk ~
the previous night thought you might
think ine guilty Of my brothers death. y"
That was foolish idea "
well, pu, yourself In my place. AMI
,uu would have thought n !. "
Not u biz u II. should have hal
nlorc moral oouragc."
- sH.s ,..atn.nf II shnHvhf
you would denounoe me and would
- hanged, 80 took s,cIs to secure my
own safety. went outside and found
ny hrp;her's horse at the sid. u the
house strcnt AMI hi daughter had tax.
cn mine and overlooked my brothers In
the hurry of their guilty flight ] Jaw
q means ~ escape aud took IT, "
"But what about the substitution ~
yourself for Felix
II did that 90 throw on the scent. j
guessed that pDur idea was right, and
slat Felix was masIucrading ~ 80
thought I might 20 hack with safety ns
myself. Felix was far cleycr-r than ].
and II was CERTAIN that he hal provided
some reasons for the absence ~ his real
elf white hc passed himself Uif ~ me.
The whole plot unrollci itself In mo.
mcnt l-for- Tue. and saw In carrying u
through lay my only chance of safety"
'It would have bcCn far easier 90
have trusted 20 my friendship"
ii $50 tina, now. said Francis pcni.
tently. "bu, I did not then. wanted
a. leave the hou-. wirhou, your wax.
ing. 80 took thu boly - Felix softly up
stairs. undr,ss.-d IL aud laid 10 In my
hol Then ! folded up my clothes on
the chair bosidc the bcd aud dressed
uys.lf In his suit. "
And the Isarl ringl"
IL hal to part with that 50 n 20 car.
~ out the deception; therefore slippci
u on The finger of the dead man Then
I l0ckc,l the door ~ my b.droom and
came down stairs again In few min
u,cs I was on my way 90 Manhmin'
s,cr."
"llow did you get the horse back To
fundy'. stables. and what mado you
think of going a. Bellin Halli"
As 10 the frst, I found fundy's
name on the saddle. 80 knew Felix hal
hird the horse. I took IL hack to the
stables. and. owing 90 my resemblance
10 Felix. easily managed to deceive the
h0-tlor. Then. n Felix In his letter had
told me hc was staying at Dellin Hall.
I went there"
IT,. ...x .,..Rtataneff
"Nune nc all. ! told q footman i had
bscn out for u morning ride and asked
him o. bring me- brandy and Ida to
my room. needed the drink after all
had gone through. but my principal
reason for asking him was TO find out
my room.
How soi''
well. made him carry the tray MP
stairs In frunt u me- OF course he took
IL to the room of Felix. and thus ] gain
ed my point without exciting suspicion
All the baggage, clothes. etc. 81 Felix
were I'm the room. I knew all about
them. ~ I hal seen them plenty of
times. Then I dressed In morning suit
AMI wen, down stairs To tnd Olivia" }"
"Did she guess the truthf'
mot at first, but she saw there was
something wrong ~ she kept referring
to events u the previous week about
which I knew nothing. Luckily Mr.
Bellin did not come down To breakfast,
80 I was able 20 tell her all when the
..ryants left the room.
Had shc recognized that Felix was
maslucrading ~ your
"she hai more or less, but was not
quite certain. When told her all that
hal occurred. she believed me nc once.
In some instructive way she knew that
was really her lover. Then we set 10
work 10 concert measures for my safety.
Olivia told me Felix was supposed to be
In Paris at the Hotel des Etrangers and
showed me his letters. 80 Il was decided
as wisest 20 keep mp that fiction. She
told me all that had taken place during
my absence and by the time you came
was thoroughly fitted into the skin Of
Felix"
Then came and insisted you were
Felix"
"Yes. You see. I told th. truth, and
90 did Olivia. when said Twas Francis.
hut IL course. as had changed clothes
with the dead man. we saw where you
were making your mistake never
thought you'd take my death 10 much
to heart.
''sceing that, Briar6eld. you ought to
have told mo all. "
"Oliyia suggested n much, but was
afraid. When you asked me to ride out
and see the inn. I asked for nights
grace In order TO get rid 81 the body. ]
rode out during the night and threw 10
into pool near the inn"
II know that pool, said j grimly.
"and traced your trail thereto"
81 am afraid ! did it badly" said
FranciA with n shudder. 1T was q hor-
rible task. yet necessary. NJ l thought
when you saw no body tho next day you
would think IL was u dream or hal.
lucination."
81 did very nearly" ! answered
grayoly. "And what about Parisf
"oh. that was very easy' When you
said you were going there to look mp
Felix. I followed you to London by the
same train and crossed over TO Paris at
once. At the Hotel dcs Etrangers
found Felix had bribed the manager to
send ON those letters to Olivia He. of
course, thought was Felix and talked
quite openly before me- Felix had In.