The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-02-18

up her mind TO leave the house till
she had obtained it.
At last she seemed to have uttered
some thing decisive; for Raoul quickly
rose and opened a desk near the fire.
place, from which he took n bundle
Of papers, and handed them to her.
"Well," thought NJ Verduret, this
looks bad. Can IL be a compromising
correspondence which the fair one
wants TO seeure?"
Madeleine took the papers, but was
apparently still dissatisfied. She again
entreated him TO give her something
else. Raou refused; and then she
threw the papers on the table.
The papers seemed to puzzle NJ
Nerduret very much, as he gazed at
them through the window
81 am not blind he said, "and ]
certainly am not mistaken; those pa.
pcrs, red, green and yellow, are pawn.
brokers tickets
Madeleine turned over the papers
as if looking for some particular ones
She selected three, which she put in
her pocket, disdainfully pushing the
others aside
She was evidently preparing to take
her departure, for she said few
words to Raoul, who took up the lamp
as if to escort her down stairs.
There was nothing more for NJ. Yer.
duret to see. He carefully descended
the ladder, muttering TO himself:
"Pawnbrokers' tickets! What infa-
nous mystery lies at the bottom Of
all this2"
The first thing he did was 10 re-
move the ladder.
Raoul might take it into his head
to look around the garden when he
came TO the door with Madeleine, and
if he did so the ladder could scarcely
fail to attract his attention.
NJ. Verduret and Prosper hastily laid
it on the ground, regardless of the
shrubs and vines they destroyed in
doing so, and then concealed them
selves among the trees, whence they
could watch at once the front door
and the outer gate.
Madeleine and Raoul appeared in
the door way. Raoul set the lamp
on the bottom step, and offered his
hand TO the girl; but she refused it
with naughty contempt, which some
what soothed Prosper's lacerated
/ heart.
This scornful behavior did not,
| however. seem 10 surprise or hurt
Raoul He simply answered by an
| ironical gesture watch lmplied: "As
/ you please!'
He followed her TO the gate, which
/ he opened and closed after her; then
he hurried bacl to the house, while
Madeleine's carriage drove rapidly
away.
"Now. monsieur" said Prosper,
''you must tell me what you saw,
You promised me the truth no mat
ter how bftter IL might be. Speak,
! can bear it, be it what IL may"
you win only have joy TO bear
my friend. Within a month you will
bitterly regret your suspicious Of to-
night. You will blush TO think that
YOU ever imagined MademoisellC
Madeleine to be intimate with mas
like Lagors."
"But. monsieur, appearance
"lt is precisely against appearances
that we must be on our guard. Al
ways distrust them. a suspicion
false or just. is always based On some
thing. But we must not stay here
forever; and, as Raoul has fastened
the gate, we shall have 10 cii.ab bael
again
"But there is the ladder
Let it stay where it is; as We chr
not efTace our foot prints, he vii
think thieves have been trying tc
get into the house
They scaled the wall, and had no
walked fifty steps when they hear'
The noise OF gate being unlocked
They stood aside and waited; a maI
soon passed by on his way no the sta
ton.
"Thpt is Booul." said NJ. Nerduret
and Joseph viii report to us tina; IL
has gone TO tell Clameran what ha
lust taken place. If they are onl!
kind enough TO speak French!'
lie walked along cu.cay for SOM
ime, trying 20 connect thc bro!sc'
,hain of his deductions.
"EIow in The deuce" he abrupt,
lsked, did this Lagoss, who Is de
,oted TO gay society come TO chooa
lonely country house 10 live in|'
"l suppose 10 was because Monsieu
fauyel's villa is ouly 10 minutes r.d
from here. on the Seine"
"Thut accounts for his staying her
, n the summer; but i'm winter?'
"Oh. ina winter DE has "a room a
he Hotel de Louvre, and an the yea
'ound keeps an apartment in Paris.
This did not enl'ghten M Nerdure
much; hc hurried his pace.
81 hope our driver has not gon,
, Ye can NOT take the train which
u ,bout TO start. because liaom woul
zee ms al the station
Although il was more than an h0u