Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-25

tragedy of December, 1879, when the Count
Nicolai Brodsky, having unwittingiy STUN
Died into a nest of nihilists in .he lower
quarters Of Moscow while on midnight
FOSTERING bout, had fallen with twenty
knife wounds in as many parts of his body.
1t is natural deduction, therefore, that
the Countess Claire had no particular love
Tor nihilists or the principles they repre-
scented. and it was surprising to her friends
that after her husbands death she should
voluntarily have shifted her residence hrSt
to Paris ard afterward to New York-the
two cities above all others which TEEN with
the varied elements of republicanlsm and
democracy.
New York society could find no fault
with her. Her establishment was magnifi-
cent, her entertainments were convention
ally superb and she was received every
where. She was q society queen so far
as any woman can be in country where
Society is but relative term and IS
applied indifferently to every stratum OF
the community.
But behind all this worldliness was the
woman's heart and soul. the depths OF
which no one had thus far sounded. she
had no intimate friends; she had no lovers
She had been passionately devoted to her
husband. and the shadow OF his death hung
over her still.
What had brought her to America:
If any one were impertinent enough to
ask her she would unhesitatingly reply
that it was to escape the memories OF her
happy married life which tormentsd her
among the familiar scenes OF 81. refers
burg and Moscow, Cracow and Vienna, ana
other cities where her husbands dlplo-
matte duties had called him. Besides, she
averred intense admiration LOT the
Americans and the American character
But there are nihilists in America, ven
tured. an acquaintance one day.
Il know it," she replied, in low voice.
with depressed shudder.
1t really did not appear as though stacey
had made much progress on the case after
a weeks work. From the point of view of
the average mortal this was what he had
dCne:
Made a casual inspection of the maroon
papered rom, and found-nothing.
Questioned the club servants one by one,
and. of course, Misunderstanding.
Not exactly. either. for there was one
Point which Stacey seized and made use of
es a possible foundation for some of his
characteristic keen official guessing. This
as the fact that both men had been in
New York but comparatively short time
before their death, and that both had pre-
viously lived in Paris.
Relative to this point a cablegram was
forwarded upon Supt. Byrnes' authority to
the project of police of the department of
the Seine asking for information as to the
lives and connections of Roger Laroue and
Hughes Na-bon in the French capital.
Men posse sse1 of the true detective in
stinct-the instinct of burrowing beneath
the surface of things and Interpreting APP
pearanceS in an entirely different sense
from that they seem to warrant-haVe
highly useful faculty of picking out from
amid a crowd certain individuals who, to
the ordinary observer, appear in no way
distinguished from the average run of NOR
tails, but who. to the acute official mind.
give promise of rich results If properly de-
veioped.
Through the exercise of this faculty
Stacey, upon his second visit to 1.-The Myr-
tle." had picked out Alfonso, the Polish
waiter, as the one man among the score or
so of employees Of the club upon whom he
wanted to keep an eye. Not that there was
the slightest evidence connecting Alfonso
in any way with the death of the two
suspicious in the mans appearance or ac-
tons. He was the same trnperturbable,
obsequious Individual as ever.
CHAPTER II.
The sunken. cat-lke eyes of Alfonso, the
suavity of mis- movements, and the close
ness with which he stuck to the detectives
elbow while the latter was making his sec
ond and more complete examination of the
room. had naturally drawn
attention to him.
You waited upon the parties in this
room at the time when these men were
killed. l believe said the detective sud-
denly. turning upon him after long look
out of one of the windows.
Yes, SIR" replied the waiter. He had
been gazing fixedly at the calm face Of
Beatrice Cenci above the mantei, but when
Stacey turI.ed upon him he dropped his
eyes humbly to the floor.
You are always assigned to wait upon
this room, l understand
Yes, SIR"
"Show me how the table and chairs were
arranged upon the two nights when these
men were killed"
Alfonso started ever SO slightly. and his
green eyes again sought the face of Bea-
trice. as though drawn by an irresistible
f. scnation.
IL don't think remember. SIR
''Try. The table is a square one and
there were four in the party on each oc-
casion, therefore one must have sat upon