Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-04-02
Vera Shevalolf.

Mrs. Gordon also overheard these
words, and she said instantly:
Robert will take Miss Lorrimer and
myself home, and then he will go to
you, If these men will give us the nec-
essary information"
To this the leader of the detectives
replied that his orders were to ask
Mr. Darrell TO accompany him to the
station on the Rue Gluck, beside the
opera house. If he should not be there
VIXEN Mr.. Gordon should arrive, there
would be no difficulty in learning
where he lad gore.
Darrell did not wait for further
words lie gave his hand to Vera and
the Gordcas and then hurried away,
attended by the officers who were kind
enough to avoid giving the affair the
appearance OF an arrest.
There was four seated cab outside,
and 1t conveyed the party to the sta
ton on the Rue Gluck. He could ex-
tort no information from his compan-
ions upon the way. and, indeed, he
made no great effort to do so, being sat
isfied in advance that it would be fu-
tile. In fact. he was of the opinion
that the time could be better passed in
thinking than in talking.
Undoubtedly Ladislov had made
some sort of complaint, probably for
assault. The purpose of the action
must be the recapture of Vera, for La
dislov was not the man to ask the law
to right any personal wrong so long as
swords and pistols or even bludgeons
continued to be procurable for money.
Darrell had no fear either of the public
or the private vengeance of 1.-The pi-
rate" He was prepared to justify his
own conduct If necessary, but his first
concern must be to shield Vera. 1t
would have pleased him to do this
boldly-to tell the story Of the nights
adventure precisely as it had occurred
and then to defy the cars agents and
all other persons to do their level
worst. He did not believe that there
was any law in France by which she
could be taken from the Gordons'
house, but he was forced to admit, with
the utmost delicacy, that that might
depend upon the lady herself.
Obviously her business in Paris was
secret, for otherwise she would have
mentioned it. There was too much rea-
son to believe that 1t might be nihilism
under another name. But whatever it
was, she evidently desired to conceal
it. She was not ready to come out into
the open.
"Such being the case" said Darrell
to himself when he had reached this
stage Of his meditations, 81 am in n
place that is well defined by the usages
of polite society. 1 am called upon to
lie and lie good and hard by all the
principles of honor. l don't like lying
for its own sake. but will do it for
her sake, and will make workman
like job of It."
When he had purchased the costumes
of the two Americans, 1t had come into
Darrell's mind that they might be of
more Important service than merely to
permit of Nera's entering the hall in
stead of waiting in the carriage, 1t
amounted to personation, since the
costumes must have been noticed by
many persons. including the secret po-
lice scattered about through the as
sembly. Yet there was little chance
that the faces of the wearers would
be remembered. The monks hood was
nearly as good as a mask, and the stain
of beer on the fawn colored domino
was more distinctive than ANYTHING
that could be noted of the lady's actual
personality. AS u means for confusing
any possible pursuers, the gown and
the domino might have served well,
though Darrell had not foreseen that
they would be needed as the matter of
a claim of aliDi.
AS to their value in this regard, OAR
rell resolved upon a test He had
theory about the three men in the cab
with him. The one who had conducted
the arrest" might be an agent of the
district commissary of police, but Dar-
rell suspected him Of connection with
the central bureau de Ia surete (the
detective bureau of Paris. The second
was man from the precinct in which
Darrell and the Gordons lived, and he
was there for purposes Of Identified
ton. 1t was he who had said that the
ladies We're Mrs. Gordon and Miss Lor-
rimer, the latter Of whom Darrell now
blessed for her hasty and almost secret
flight from the house. The Paris police
are sure, but slow, though their mill
tary discipline and unquestioning ODE
dience, combined with excellent organ
ization, sometimes give them the delu-
sive aspect Of rapidity. 1t might take
them week or even fortnight to dis
cover that Vera had replaced Miss Lor-
rimer, despite the rigid supervision to
which strangers are subjected.
So much for policeman No. . and his
fortunate error. Passing to No. 3,
Darrell made him out to be u member
of the force assigned for that evening
to the Moulin Rouge to watch the mer-
~ students and their guests. He had
been brought along to testify concern
ing the Gordon party. and Darrell was
pleased to observe that he was gnaw-
ing his upper lip and cracking the
joints of his long and bony fingers.
Your name, my friend?" cried OAR
rell suddenly, slapping the man on the
knee.
The officer sat up SO suddenly that
his long backbone gave forth snap.
ping sound as from whip.
Henri Fontaine" he cried. "why
do you ask"
Merely from interest" replied Oar
rell. II happened to have seen you
several times this evening. You re
member when the beer was spilled on
my friends domino?''
(coST1suED.l
::.Aasas