The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-12-27

trace Nine. du Barry. She was well
known in that quarter.
1t was soon learned by persistent
questioning on the part of Vandal that
Nine. du Barry, in company with an
other woman, beautifully dressed"
had been seen ON the street. No one
knew the other woman.
Bit by bit they traced madame, and
finally the clew led to the bank.
'It is surely an elopement," said
Vandal. "She has drawn her money"
'Then they are on the way to Ameri-
ca" said Reber.
The trail ended at the e~bank 1t was
in quarter where no one knew Nine.
du Barry. They returned to the house
much discouraged. 1t was imperative
that the American be found before he
had time to warn the Prince of Denes-
liza of the plot against him.
At the house they found a telegram
from Nine. du Barry at Strassburg. 1t
was addressed to Vandal:
81 am in Strassburg without money.
Have been the victim of a police
agent"
"WIat mystery is thisr' demanded
Casparin. "Have the police regained
possession of the American? He may
be dead, after ALL Come, things may
not be so bad. We must go to Strass-
burg"
ITO Strassburg? Why not send mon
ey to madame to return?"
Such would be the thing If we were
certain the man was dead But we are
in doubt. If he is alive as indeed
seems probable, he is either in the
hands of the police or in Strassburg
with madame. In the first instance,
we must take ourselves out of Paris
at once. and in the second, we must
get to Strassburg as soon as possible.
You see we kill two birds with one
stone. We must 60 to Strassburg."
The four were soon in q train bound
for Strassburg. Vandal had the tele-
gram from madame. 1t bore the name
II no hotel. 1t had been sent from the
railway station.
Having reached Strassburg they went
no farther than the station to begin
their search.
They found madame asleep on one of
the benches with two infuriated en-
ployees angrily ordering her to sit up
or they would call the police.
She opened her eyes, saw Vandal
and leaped to her feet with cry like
that of tigress.
"Oh! All! You have come, thenw
she said. Have you brought knives
and pistols to kill beast? Well that
is what you must do. l have sat here
since last evening. 1 am nearly dead
with loss of sleep and my awful hun
ger. For the love of the good God. get
me something to eat"
Vandal obediently took her to the
cafe, and she attacked her meal with
the eagerness of the famishing
"And now" said Casparin, while
you are eating, madame, please tell US
what happened to you, and why an
agent OF police brought you here"
Bah! Those police! | was asleep
in my room. l woke to find a young
man there. He ordered me to be quiet.
He said he was an agent OF police in
search of prisoner. He declared he
had searched my house and was as.
sured the prisoner was gone. l knew
he had not found that little room up
stairs where the-the prisoner was.
Well, he then had other fish to fry.
He was after some spies against the
government. You We're one, Vandal;
you, your highness, were another. He
commanded me to obey and threatened
to take me to the Palais de Justice.
You all know whether that would be
agreeable. l obeyed. He made me
dress him as woman. Oh, laughed
when l disguised him! l gave him
that fine silk gown you gave me, Van
dal-that one with the flowers on it.
Well, you will know that madame
when you meet her. She has on that
gown. Then we went to the bank.
drew thousand francs, and he took
1t ALL We came to Strassburg, and
here | am. Where the agent of police
Is do not know. When we arrived
here, he told me to remain here while
he went to engage carriage. That
was the last l saw of him or my thou.
sand francs"
Reber and Robello gaZed wondering
ly. Vandal looked at Casparin for the
solution of this great mystery.
my friend, you have been badly
sold," said the prince. THE supposed
agent of police was no other than our
prisoner. He climbed from his room to
yours. He assumed the role of police
to frighten you into obedience. He
had no money, of course, just coming
from the Palais de Justice. You kind
ly accommodated him with thousand
francs.
"He brought you here and left you
without money in order to prevent
your telling us until he had had time
to escape.
"This matter is more serious than it
seems. It proves that this American,
instead of being, as we supposed, a
youth who was easy to dupe, is shrewd
and farseeing. He will be an enemy
worthy of our steel"
'But undoubtedly he is now on tue
way to America" said Reber.
"Nonsepse. One scarcely goes from
Paris to America by way of Strassburg.
He had but a thousand francs. 1t
would not carry him there after his
expense of bringing himself and
madame here. He has gone to Depes-
liza. That. my friends, is where we
shall find him-in Deneslia. And we
must find him soon or our game will
be knocked into rubbish"
''But what, then, Of me2" asked
Mnan d1rr Do 7 m cto