Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-02-23

y
case much thought I believe that yol
also have a fondness for crimes of
mystery" and he smiled at me. is II
not so, Mistair Lester?''
"I had never suspected il" laughed.
until this case came up. but the mi
crobe seems to have bitten me-"
"Ah, yes" he said doubtfully. not
quite understanding.
"And I've rather fancied at times" l
admitted, that I should like to take a
hand at solving it-though, Of course.
never shall. Our connection with the
case is ended"
He shot me quick glance, then
lighted another cigarette.
Suppose it were assigned to you to
solve it," he asked, "how would you
set about it?''
I'D try to find the mysterious wo-
man."
But the police, so I understand, at
tempted that and failed,'' he objected.
''How could you succeed?'
.'Oh, dare say 1 shouldn't succeed"
laughed, his air striking me as little
more earnest than the occasion de-
manded. 81 should probably fail, just
as the police did"
''In France" he remarked, sit is
not in the least expected that men of
the law should"-
''Nor is it here" I explained. "Only,
of course, lawyer can't help it some
| times. Some cases demand more or
less detective work and are yet too del
icate to be intrusted to the pol!ce'
ssTf iS a1So ho fa11lt of ON. T1olioo thaf
it is too fond of the newspapers, Of
posing before the public. 1t IL fault
of human nature, is it not?"
"You speak English so well, Mr..
Martigny," 1 said, that 1 have won
dered where you learned it,
Il was some years in England-the
| business of wine-and devoted myself
seriously to the study of the language.
But 1 still find it sometimes very diff
| cult to understand you Americans
you speak so much more rapidly than
| the English and so much less distinct
ly. You have way of running your
| words together, Of dropping whole syl-
| lables''-
EYES," smiled, "and that is the very
thing we complain Of in the French"
"Oh, our elisions are governed by
! well defined laws which each one COM
prehends, while here'-
EVERY man is a law unto himself
Remember it is the land Of the free
"And the home of the license, is it
not?" he added, unconscious of irony.
Yes, 1 decided, 1 was very fortunate
in gaining Martigny's acquaintance.
OF course after he opened his business
he would have less time to devote to
me, but nevertheless we should have
many pleasant evenings together, and
| I looked forward to them with consid-
erable anticipation. He was interest
ing in himself-entertainin with that
J large tolerance and good humor which
1 have already mentioned and which
was one of the most striking character
| istics Of the man. And then-shall l
admit it?-I was lonely, too, some
times, as 1 suppose every bachelor
must be, and welcomed companion.
| 1t was Monday, the fourteenth day
Of April, and we had just opened the
office, when a clerk hurried in with q
| message for Mr.. Royce.
| There's a man out here who wants
to see you at once, sir" he said. "He
| says his names Thompson and that
he's Miss Frances Holidays butler"
! Our Junior half started from his chair
in his excitement; then he controlled
himself and sank back into it again.
'Show him in," he said, and sat with
| ris eyes on the door, haggard in ap-
Searance, pitiful in his eagerness. Not
until that moment had I noticed how
the past week had aged him and worn
him down. His work Of course might
account for part of it, but not for all.
He seemed almost ill.
The door opened in a moment and
a gray haired man of about sixty en-
] tered. He was fairly gasping 70.
breath and plainly laboring under
strong emotion.
"We!l, Thompson" demanded Mr..
Royce, whats the trouble now"
Trouble enough, sirr' cried the 9TH
er. "My mistress has been made
: away with. sir. She left to-Tn just
ten days ago for Belair, where we
| were all waiting for her, and nobody
has set eyes on her since, sir"