Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-11-10
CHAPTER X. =

demand for an explanation.
Wait till Herr Graden returns" he
grunted sulkily.
l have the strongest objection to those
silly tricks of secrecy with which the
professional police endeavor to magnify
their most simple discoveries. | was
speaking my mind strongly on the subject
when my cousin reappeared ~
Halo! what's the matter p he asked.
i explained the position, while the fat
German chuckled in an oily, irritating
manner.
as not the official always the same?'
said Graden, with a grim smile. Come
to the light, Robert, and I'll explain" 4
1t was certainly an ingenious discovery
they had made. Upon the page upon
which the map should have rested were
several slight indentations, evidently the
result of marks made upon the lost paper
by pencil with fine point. With great
care my cousin tore out the correspond
ing map from his guide book and fitted
it into the vacant place. Then, turning
it slowly back, he drove a pin through
the thin paper at the spots Immediately
above the indentations on the page be-
low.
"The devil take him" he cried. Look
Mossel. This doesn't help us, after all
1t was true enough The pin-pricks
showed, first. Lemsdorf; then cross
road some ten miles to the east; and
then Bromberg, to the north, on the
BerlinThorn, and Gnesen, to the south,
on the Posen-F Frankfurt railways. He
had evidently been measuring and calcu-
lating indecsively.
do not trouble yourself, Herr Ora
den," said Mossel, with wave of the
hand that had more than a suggestion
of patronage. "There are still telegraphs.
/ will have him detained at whichever
place he reaches. | shall return in half
an hour-to a good supper, | trust MIR.
Landlord" fr
We followed him to the outer door,
which opened to a writing wilderness
of snowhakes, for the fall had recon-
menced. The policeman turned up his
collar with a grunt of disgust and melted
into the darkness. We turned to meet
the face of the landlord, white and drawn
with a terrible anxiety.
my sonr' he gasped. "What of my
SOM"
Heaven pardon mer' cried Graden,
81 had forgotten him.'
'"This man he drove, that is about to
be arrested-is he a criminal? Do not
spare me- mein Herr
'Your servant-our driver to-day-will
be telling the tale in your kitchen, of
the death of the Prof Mechersky, of
Castle Oster This man, whose name is
Marnac, killed him. That is why We
pursue. Yet, my friend, l see no dan
ger for your son, unless"
"Unless what, mein Herr?"
"Unless he refused to assist in the
escape of a murderer
''He is an honest boy, a good boy, but
very stubborn. His horses were borrow
ed he had promised to return them to-
night He would never consent to drive
this man to Bromberg or Gnesen, which
is at least an eighteen hours journey.
Oh, mein Herr, mein Herr! what is hap
pening-out there in the SNOWY"
"We are in the hands of Providence,
my FRIEND" said my cousin gravely, lay
ing his hand on the landlords arm. you
can do nothing but pray that it may be
we'll with the boy"
l was very sorry for Reski. AS
made my toilet in my room upstairs, the
danger Of his son grew upon me. Fate.
accident, Observation-Disclosures you
choose to call it's a strange thing, for
indeed it chooses its victim with a fine
impartiality. When l entered our supper
room, found my cousin equally disturb
ed
"This is bad business about the
landlords son." he said, 1--WE a good
mind to follow the sleigh, though it's
little good that would do"
'It's an awful night" grumbled, for
indeed the wind was shrieking in the roof
like lost soul.
you're queer chap, Robert, with
your COMPOUNDED mannerisms," he said
''Yet I'll wager you'd be the first to be
off into the storm in a matter of life
and DEATH"
1t was not exactly complimentary, but
l let it pass.
Mossel was delayed. 1t was close upon
twenty minutes more before he arrived
a snow-swathed, stamping bear of O
man, whose curses preceded him as he
rolled down the passage to our room.
"What's up, MosselT Graden demand
ed sharply.
1.-THE wires, mein Herr Graden, the
wires! PotztausendI but this storm has
brought them down like clothes lines"
"a special train, then"
''They have not an engine in the shed
have been to see; it was that which
delayed me-"
Graden drew a sheet of paper from
his pocket and glanced at it swiftly.
ssThere is not a train till ten in tn,
morning" be said. HE will be at Brom
berg, which is the nearer town, by clever
at latest. This is branch line, and W,
could not get there under three hours
II IL now seven. An old man as he il
could hardly travel through such nigh
without stops for food. Again, this lat