The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-10-29

'NhJ y N'SSS tpSN'
Every poorly disguised. 1t is only
Just to you that 1 should tell you SO.
Do you think that n heavy beard and q
blouse are unrecognizable? The eye,
the eye! The art lies In being able to
change the eye. That is the secret"
This explained why the lynx eyed
Lecoq never appeared at the police Of
flee without his gold spectacles.
But" said. Fanferlot, following up
his idea, "you have made the little girl
confess, which Nine. Alexandra could
not do? You know why she leaves the
Archangel, why she does not walt for
M. de Clameran and why she bought
calico dressesT"
"She is following my advice"
an that case" said the detective de-
jectedly, "there is nothing left for me
to do but to acknowledge myself an
ass"
mo, Squirrel" said NJ. Lecoq kindly,
"you are not an ass. You merely did
wrong In undertaking a task beyond
your capacity. Have you progressed
one step since you started In this af-
fair? No. That shows that, although
you are Incompatible as n lieutenant,
yOu Wv " DObpCDo Nv 3uulltiSo VI "
general. I am going to present you
with an aphorlsm. Remember 1t and
let 1t be your guide In the future-'One
may shine In the second rank who
would be totally eclipsed In the first"
Never had Fanferlot seen his patron
SO talkative and good natured. Find
Ing his deceit discovered, he had ex-
pected to be overwhelmed with q
storm, whereas he had escaped with a
little shower that had cooled his brain.
Lecoq's anger disappeared like one
Of those heavy clouds which threaten
in the horizon for n moment and then
are suddenly swept away by q gust of
wind.
But the husband Of Nine. Alexandra
felt uneasy. He was afraid that some
thing might be concealed beneath this
affability.
"Do you know who the thief Isl" he
asked.
II know no more than you do, INC
you seem to have made up your mind,
whereas I am still undecided. You de-
clare thai the cashier Is innocent and
the banker guilty. / don't know wheth-
er you are right or wrong. I started
after you and have only reached my
preliminaEes. 1 am certain of but one
thing, and that Is that a scratch was ON
the safe door. That scratch Is my
starting point"
AS he spoke M. Lecoq took from his
desk and unrolled an immense sheet Of
drawing paper. On this paper was
photographed the door Of M. Fauvel's
safe. Every detail was given infinitely.
One could see the five movable but
tons with the engraved letters and the
narrow, projecting brass lock. The
scratch was indicated with admirable
eXactness.
"Now," said M. Lecoq, there is our
scratch. 1t runs from top to bottom,
starting from the hole in the lock, dag
onally and, you see, from left to right
that is to say, 1t terminates on the side
next to the private staircase leading to
the bankers apartments. Very deep
at the lock, It ends of in O scarcely per-
ceptible mark" Observation-Disclosures
III see." ,t, I!..if}Ni 81 8hitaMashE,.-'
Naturally you thought that tits
scratch was made by the person who
took the money. Let us see If you
were right. 1 have here n little iron
box, painted green like NJ. Fauvel's
safe. Take a key and try to scratch
it,"
Without seeing through his chiefs
motive, the detective did as he was
bid, scratching vigorously with the
key.
"The deuce!" he said after several
attempts. "This paint is awfully hard
to move"
every hard, my friend, and yet thai
on the safe is still harder. So, you see,
the scratch you discovered could not
have been made by the trembling hand
Of n thief letting the key slip"
Il never should have thought of
that. 1t certainly required great force
to make SO deep a scratch"
eyes, but how was 1t done? I have
been racking my brain for three days,
and only yesterday 1 came to n con-
cluslon. Let us examine together and
see If Our conjectures present enough
chances of probability to establish n
starting point"
M. Lecoq abandoned the photograph
and, walking to the door communicate
ing with his bedroom, took the key
from the lock.
Come here, Fanferlot, and stand by
my side. There, very well. Suppose
that ]. want to open this door and you
don't want me to open it. When you
sec me about to put the key in the
lock, what would be your first i'm
pulse?"
Il put my hands on your arm and
draw 1t toward me quickly, 80 rs to
prevent your introducing the key"
precisely SO. Now let us try 1t.
Proceed"
Fanferlot obeyed, and the key held
by M. Lecoq, pulled aside from the
lock, slipped along the door, making IN
exact reproduction of the scratch in
the photograph.
ooh, oh, oh!' exclaimed Fanferlot in
three different tones rs he stood star
ing Mt the door.
"Do you begin to understand now"
asked NJ. Lecoq.
Understand! Why, n child could
understand 1t now. All, what a man
you are! / see the scene rs if I had
been present. Two persons were Mt the
safe. One wished to take the money;
the other wished to prevent its being
taken. That is certain"
Accustomed to- rlumphs of this sort,
M. Lecoq was much amused at Fan
ferlot's enthusiasm.
"There you go off half cooked again."