The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17
Copyright by A. Conan Doyle)

copyright by A. Conan Doyle.D
TT was in the days when the Ger
man armies had broken their way
across France. and when the shat
tered forces of the young republic
had been swept away to the north Of
the Aisne and 70 the south of the Loire.
Black and bitter were the thoughts
OF Frenchmen when they saw this veal
OF dishOnor slashed across the fair face
OF their country. They had fought and
they had been overborne. That swarm
ing cavalry, those countless footmen.
the masterful guns-they had tried and
tried 70 make head against them. In
bsttalions their invaders were not 10 be
beaten, but man 10 man or ten to ten
they were their equals.
Colonel Won Gramm OF the Twenty
fourth Posen Infantry had suffered Sc
verely during this new development.
He commanded in the little Norman
town OF Les Andelys, and his outposts
stretched amid the hamlets and farm
houses Of the district round. No French
force was within fifty miles Of him, and
yet morning after morning he had to
listen TO a black report of sentries
ing parties which had never returned.
Then the colonel would go forth in
his wrath, and farm-steadings would
blaze and villages tremble; but next
morning there was still that same dis
NAL tale to be told. DO what he might,
he could not shake of his invisible enc
mics. And yet, it should not have been
20 hard, for from certain signs in COM
mon. in the plan and in the deed, it
was certain that all these outrages
came from a single source.
Colonel Won Gramm had tried vio-
lence and Il had failed. Gold might be
more successful. He published il
abroad over the countryside that 500
francs would be paid for information.
There was no response. Then 500. The
peasants were incorruptible. Then,
Eoaoed on by a murdered corporal, he
rose 20 q thousand, and so bought the
soul OF Francois Rejane, farm laborer,
whose Norman avarice was a stronger
passion than his French hatred
You say that you know who did
these crimes?" asked the Prussian COL
onel eying with loathing the blue
bloused, rat-faced creature before him.
Yes, colonel"
And II was"
Those thousand francs, colonel"
tested. Come! Who is it who has
murdered my men?"
1T is Count Eustace of Chateau
Noif."
You lie" cried the colonel, angrily
"A gentleman and nobleman could
not have done such crimes"
The peasant shrugged his shoulders.
1T is evident to me that you do not
know the Count. 1t is this way, col
oneL What ] tell you is the truth, and
/ am not afraid that you should test
IL. The Count of Chateau Noir is a
hard man: even at the best time he
was a hard man. But Of late he has
been terrible. 1t was his sons death,
you know His son was under Douay,
and he was taken, and then in escap-
ing from Germany he met his death.
II was the Counts only child, and, in
deed, we all think that il has driven
him mad. With his peasants he fol-
lows the German armies. / do not
know how many he has killed; but it
is he who cuts the cross upon the fore
heads. for it is the badge Of his house. 3"
1t was true. The murdered sentries
had each had a satire cross slashed
across their brDws, as by a hunting
knife. The colonel bent his stiff back
and ran his forefinger over the map
which lay upon the table.
THE Chateau Noir is not more than
four leagues he said.
Three and a kilometer, colonel"
You know the placer"
Il used to work there"
Colonel Won Gramm rang the bell
Give this man food and detain him, .
said he to the sergeant
why detain me, colonel: I can tell
you no more"
we shall need you as guide"
'As guide, But the Count? If were