The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-22


His Hands.
young fellow, with shifting gaze and
uncommonly good luck at cards. He
was dressed faultlessiy, appeared suf-
fic!ently wealthy for all mundane rur-
poses lived in a state of careless boche-
lorhood, had no known relatives living,
and had dropped into Gotham society
a year or SO before from Paris or Der
lin or some other place where IL would
be equally impossible to hunt up Lis
antecedent'.
In London such a man would be
promptly black-balled at any respccta-
BILE club. But in New York things are
done differently, and Rogers appli-
cation for membership in The Myrtlcs"
had been backed by two of the fore
most leaders of the ulra-gilded set.
The room in which the quartette sat
was in nowlse different from dozens of
such senj-private rooms in fashionable
clubs the world over. 1t was papered
in deep maroon. The furniture and
wainscotting We're of heavy oak. Upon
one side of the room was the door,
hung with a rich Oriental portiere.
Upon another were two road windows
overlooking the electric-lighted square
Upon another there simply hung an
etching or two in broad white and gilt
frames.
Upon the fourth>was an antique man.
tel with oak paneling. Over this man
tel hung beautiful copy in oils of the
Breatrice Cenci, with those calm, lucid
inmates of the room.
Through the disposition of the whist
players Roger Laroue sat with his back
to the mahtel, and the Beatrice Cenci
gazed down upon the top of Ills head.
The game had been in progress since
midnight.
One of the players, at the end of
certain hand, touched an electric bell,
and a moment later a club waiter ap-
peared.
"Alfonse, some more brandy, and
some cigars
"a dash of absinthe with NINE" NUT
tered Roger Laroue, absorbed in the
hand which had fallen to his lot in the
new deal.
Alfonso was not the typical club
waiter HIS 'dress ubt was irreproach-
able, his face was clean-shaven, his at
titude was respectful But his cadav-
erous face was disquieting, and he had
big green eyes that made him an un-
comfortable man to look full in the
face. He claimed to be a Pole, and
spoke English with barbarous accent.
He was not favorite with the mem
bers. but as he had been with 1.-THE
Myrtle" for six months, and no spe-
cific fault could be found with him, he
was tolerated.
1t the four young men had been less
interested In the painted bits of paste
board tonight they might have noticed
that Alfonse's green eyes were fastened
upon Roger Laroua's face during the
entire time he was in the room.
And there was an ominous light flick
ering in the depths of those catlike
orbs.
The brandy and cigars were brought,
and the game proceeded. For some
minutes the silence was only broken
by the shuttle and flip of the cards
upon the table.
Three was chimed by the silvery bell
of dainty ormula clock beneath the
Beatrice Cenoi.
Suddenly there was sharp, swift
swish in the air like the flight of, a
heavy whip.
With a scream of agony, Roger La
roue threw up his hands, raining the
cards about him, and, with single
moan, dropped heavily to the floor.
When his friends went to his assist
ance he was dead.
When one of the most skillful sur
geons in New York came to make the
post mortem this was what he found.
A Jagged wound about quarter of
an inch in diameter, situated In the
back of the dead mans head almost di-
rectly over the suture between the oc-
ciptal and parietal bones.
Imbedded deeply in the brain small,
hard bullet, Of evidently some compost
tion of lead with antimony or copper,
and nearly square in shape.
Beyond this, nothing.
At the inquest the only relevant testi-
mony was that given by the three other
card players, and this was mainly neg
ative in character so far as the ques-
ton as ito what killed Roger Laroue
was concerned.
They had seen their friend sitting be-
fore them one moment; had heard him
scream and seen him fall the next.
There had been no report. as Of gun
or revolver no smoke, no smell, no
sound, saving that mysterious swishing
of the air which had preceded the ca
taEtrophe. There had been nobody else
In the room but the four whist play
ers, nor, SO far as was known, had