The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-10-24
COPYRIGHT. 1901.
BY CHARLES u.
ETHERINGTON.
5 I: ssasas #@wxs#as#a# As


DOiuly-lo tel the STORY OF the ulSnt y
adventure precisely as 1t 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.
i 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
1 was, she evidently desired to conceal
It, She was not ready to come out into
the open.
such being t.ie case" said Darrell
to himself when he Ind reached this
! stage of his meditations, Il am in a
place that is well defined by the usages
1 Of polite society. am called upon to
lie and lie good and hard by all the
| principles OF honor. | don't like lying.
for Its own sake but | will do 1t for
her sake, and | will make workmhn-
(, like job of It."
! When he had purchased the costumes
! Of the two Americans, 1t had come into
Darrelrs mind that they might be of
more important service than merely to
permit of Yera's entering the hall in
stead Of waiting in, the, carriage. II
amounted to a 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 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
claim of alibi.
AS to their value in this regard, OAR
rell resolved upon a test. He had 2
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 Oar
rell suspected him of connection with
the central bureau de la surete (the
detective bureau of Paris. The second
was man from the precinct in which
Darrell aud the Gordons lived, and he
was there for purposes of identitica-
ton. 1t was he who had said that, the
ladies were 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 obe |
dience, combined with excellent organ
ization, sometimes give them the delu-
sive aspect of rapldity. 1t might take
them week or even a fortnight to dis
cover that Vera had replaced Mss 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 member
Of the force assigned for that evening
to- the Moulin Rouge to watch the Iner-
ry 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 friendy' cried Oar
rell suddenly, slapping the man on the
knee.
The officer sat up so suddenly that
his long backbone gave forth Il snap
ping sound as from whip.
"Henri Fontainew he cried. "Why
do you ask?
Merely from interest" replied Oar
rel. ~ happened to have seen you
several times this evening. You re
member when the beer was spilled on
my friends dominoy'
Fontaine did not reply In words. but
his face was well worth noticing. A
light shone favorsbly into the cab. re-
vcdllng a glance full of II told you so"
by Fontaine toward the chief
detective. Darrell knew that he had
made a center shot and that Fontaine
must have already expressed his belief
that Darrell and the lady had been In
the Moulin Rouge at the time of the
act of which Ladislov had complained.
whatever that act might be. OF course
there was no certainty that the black
visaged rascal had sworn to the truth.
The cab stopped. and its occupants
alighted. As they entered the station
Darrell was annoyed TO observe that
the detectives surrounded him with a
elaborate display of precau-
ton lest be- should escape, and the
passage OF the party through the outer
room excited an audible thrill of in
terest They entered a private Office.
where Darrell perceived gray and sol
dierly officer seated by a fat topped |
desk. Behind him sat a man who
leaned forward as II buried in thought.
his elbow on his knee. his chin In his
hand The attitude and the peculiar
of the lights made this
mans face blurred shadow except for
his left eye. which. being turned to-
ward Darrell. shOne like a jewel
The three men who had brought In