Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-05-06
TRANSFORMATION.
Econvrirht. 1897. by the Author.1
by Robert Barr.

heart is filled with desire for venge-
Rnce stopping at nothing to accomplish
it.
In little narrow street off the broad
Rue de Rennos. near the great terminus
of Mont Parnasse, stood the clockmak-
ing shop of the brothers Delore. The
window was filled with cheap clocks,
and depending from a steel spring at
tachcd to the top of the door was bell
which rang when any one entered, for
the brothers were working ClOCknakers.
continually busy in the room at the
back Of the shop and trade i'll the
neighborhood was not brisk enough to
allow them to keep an assistant. The
brothers had worked amicably in this
small room for 20 years and were re
ported by the denlzens Of that quarter
of Paris TO be enormously rich. They
were certainly cOntented enough and
had plenty Of money for their frugal
wants. as well as for their occasional
exceedingly mild designations at the
neighboring cafe They had always a
little money for the church and a little
money for charity. and no one had ever
heard either of them speak a harsh
word to any living soul, and least of all
to each other.
One evening, just as they were about
to close the shop and adjourn together
to the cafe, the bell rang. and Adolph
went forward to learn what was want
ed He found waiting for him an un-
kempt individual Of appearance SO dis
reputable that he at once made up his
mind that here at last was the thief for
whom they had waited so long III vain
The man wild. rowing eye, that seemed
to search out every corner and Granny
in the place and rest nowhere for longer
than a second at time, added to De
lore S suspicious. The unsavOry visitor
was evidently spying out the land. and
Adolph felt certain ne would dono bust
ness with him at that particular hour,
whatever might happen later.
The customer took from under his
coat after a turtive glance at the door
of the back room, a small paper covered
parcel and untying the string some
what hurriedly, displayed crude piece
of cloclwOrk, made Of brass. Handing
it to Adolph he said How much
would it cost to make a dozen like that"
"What is 1t used for?'
The man hesitated for a moment. cit
is part of a clock, " he said at last.
81 don't understand it. never saw
a clock made like this.
- 90. !
the visitor, with some Impotence. 1T
is not necessary that you should under
stand it. All l ask is can you duplicate
it and at what price,"
"But why not make the alarm ma
chinery part of the clock? 1t would be
much cheaper than to make this and
then attach it TO "a clock. "
The man made a gesture of annoy
ance.
"Will you answer my question:" he
said gruff1y.
al don t believe you want this as part
of a clock. In fact, think can guess
why you came in here, - replied Adolph,
as innocent as a child of any correct
suspicion of what the man was, think
ing him merely a thief and hoping to
brighten him by this hint of his own
shrewdness.
His visitor looked loweringly at him
and then, with quick eye, seemed to
measure the distance from where he
stood to the pavement, evidently medi-
Eating flight.
81 will see what my brother says
about this, " said Adolph. But before
Adolph could call his brother the man
ing the mechanism in the hands of the
bewildered clockmaker.
Alphonse, when he heard the story of
their belated customer, was even more
convinced than his brother of the dan
ger of the situation. The man was un-
doubtedly a thief and the bit of clock
work merely an excuse for getting in
side the fortress, The brothers, with
much perturbation, locked up the estab-
lishment, and instead of going to their
usual cafe they betOok themselves as
speedily as possible TO the office of the
police, where they told their suspicious
and gave a description of the supposed
culprit. The officer seemed much i'm
pressed by their story.
Before morning the man, who gave
his name as jacques Picard, was arrest
ed, but the authorities made little by
their zeal, Adolph Delore swore posi-
lively that Picard and his visitor were
the same person, but the prisoner had nc
difficulty i'll proving that he was in q
cafe two miles away at the time the
visitor was in Dolores shop, while
Adolph had to admit that the shop was
rather dark when the conversation
about the clockwork took place. Picard
was ably defended, and his advocate
submitted that, even if he had been il
the shop as stated by IN!ore, and had
bargaincd as alleged for tho mechanism,
there was nothing criminal in that, I'M
less the prosecution could show that ht
intended to put what he bought to I'M
proper uses. As well arrest a man who
entered TO buy a key for his watch. 81
Picard was released, although the po
lice, certain he was one Of the men they
wanted, resolved to keep a close watcL
on his future movements. But the sus
pected man, as il TO save them unneces
sary trouble, left two days later fol-
London, and there remained.
For a week Adolph slept badly III tn,
shop, for, although he hoped the THE,
had been frightened away by the pro
ceedings taken against him, still, when
ever he fell asleep he dreamed of bur
glars and so awOke himself many time