The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-09-06
CHAPTER TX.

| CHAPTER TX.
! III.-THE CHASE IN THE SNOW.
I have endeavored to give the facts o
my strange story without omission or ex
aggeration. If / have failed, it is no
/ from forgetfulness; for l do not thinl
there is a single detail that is not per
manently fixed in my memory. Even no =
have but to shut my eyes to see III
| face of Marnac peer into my old rooms
at Heidelberg, to stand once more trem
bling with terror in the desolate cour
yard of Castle Oster, to drive through thu
binding snow to where the body
But enough. l do not forget.
] 1 have already told you of the murde
3a Prof. Won Stockmar by his rival. Prof
Hsrnac of Heidelberg and of the dis
covery of the crime by my cousin. ST
Henry Graden, the well-known scientis
and explorer, who was then my guest a
| that university 1 have described thu
steps that led to our following the muir
derer to Lemsdorf, in German Poland
and the means by which he comprised
The death of the unfortunate Mechersky
have. moreover, laid before you the evi
dence that led my cousin TO believe tina
1 Marnac was suffering from decisions
and that his extraordinary crimes were
4 in revsnge for certain harsh criticisms
l ). book on which he had spent man!
Years of labor In my last statement
traced the pursuit down to the station
of Lemsdort. VI here the murderer. fyin;
! from the scen4 &c his revenge upon thu
4 Russian professor, had been turned bacl
from the railway by Mossel, the lieuten
ant of the Heidelberg police, who hat
| followed US to render assistance. Mossel
indeed had waited by Marnac's luggage
for six hours, but the man himself hat
failed to appear.
The winters sun, chilled to dusk
ball, was dipping behind the snow-clat
ridges TO the eastward when we scram
bled back into the sleigh. As our tiret
horses stumbled through the outskirts o.
the struggling wooden town, the shadow
rushed across the sky as II flying the pur
suit of the gale that shrieked amongs
the houses Night had fallen
Surely we had him in our hands.
He had not fed by rail. Somewhere
in the town he must re lurking, tii.
grey-haired figure with the heart of ;
hunted wolf The thought of 1t drove
away the aches ard cramps of exhau<
ton, and l sat bolt upright in my seat
staring into the gloom ahead, half ex
pecting TO see him move across the snow
before us like Sinking beast Of prey
I'VE had decided to drive straight to ou
own inn, the "Goldner Adler" where
as we had discovered, Marnac, under tn,
name Of Wakefield. an English traveller
had also passed the previous evening
Little had we thought that the being WI
pursued. fresh from the murder of tn,
man We had come to save, was sharin:
the same roof-tree. Perhaps there Nigh
be news of him at the 'Goldner Adler.
ResKI, the tall, handsome Pole, who ha,
about him more Of the feudal knight thar
country inn-keeper, met US in thu
porch, bowling a stately welcome.
you have had a bad drive, gentle
men," said he. The wind has beer
fierce, and the snow, fear, was heavy
Supper will be ready in half an hour"
IL believe a Mr.. George Wakefield
slept here last night" said Graden. dus.
| ing the clinging flakes from his QUITE
wra.s. 1T is always pleasant TO NEE
a compatriot. If he is still in the house
perhaps he will join us at our meal"
Herr Wakefield No, mein Herr, b.
has not yet returned"
$50, he has gone out?"
The innkeeper hesitated. glancing un
easily at his questioner. He was evi
IDENTIFY in some uncertainty of mind.
He is a strange man, the Herr Wake
/ field; though, perhaps, for an English
man"
He is not more mad than usual, eh
Mr.. Landlord laughed Graden.
s.hein Herr, it was not my intention
to speak thus of your great people" apol
ogized the man. IF he has surprised US
it is doubtless because we. being ignoran
cour ryfolk, do not understand his Gus
TOMS"
why, what has he been aboutr"
well, mein Herr, it is this way. Afte
you had started for your drive to tn
house of the Prof. Mechersky, Her
Wakefield came running down from hi
room with many questions concerning
you He seemed sorry that you had gon
without seeing him. He then paid hi
bill with the liberality of the English
who are indeed a great and generous ma
ton. and commanded that his luggag
should be carried to the station for tn
midday train. At IL he himself set on
for the station upon foot. We wer
sorry to lose so good guest. What
then. mein Herr, was our surprise whel
little after IL he reappeared. havin
ridden back upon the sleigh that ha
taken his baggage to the station. TIL
man who drove it told me that Her
! Wakefield had left his baggage upon tn
platform unregistered, and that he ha'
seen a stranger standing by it as if il
charge"
Graden glanced at Mossel, who grin
ned LUMINOSITY.
Proceed. Mr.. Landlord" he said.
HE had only peeped into the statio
and left at once, the man said. IL
demanded of ne a sleigh anu svo
horses, but the hest l ha6 were wit
you, and it was necessary to send fo
others from a neighbor. He was yer
impatient of delay, using angry words
At last he drove away, and he has no
returned"
"Who went with him?'
"Ivan, my eldest son."
did he say where he was goingY
NC, mein Herr; only l heard him CT
| to Ivan 20 follow the eastern road whic
| is towards the Russian frontier"
"And while he waited for the horses
what did he do.
"As l have said, at first he abused m
roundly for the delay. Indeed, mel
Herr, / was surprised at his knowledg
Of German, for before he had spoke
it very badly. For the rest, he sat b
himself, reading, IN the best ROOM"
please to show us there"
We t<amped in single file after tn
landlord through the ill-lit passages t