Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-10-05

''No more had an hour ago. Allow
me to discover it."
He pulled a redbound Baedeker out of
his pocket and huttered. through the
pages.
Here we have it-'Lemsdorf: four
teen to fifteen hours from Berlin. Rising
town in West Prussia; 1900 inhabi-
tants. Large dye-works. 'Prinz Won
Preussen,' 'Goldner Adler'-hotes well
spoken of. Cab from the station, rs pg.
Little of historical interest. Excursions
to Denker and the Huren, a wild and
desoate district with several large lakes,
on the Russian frontier Not altogether
an inviting prospect at the latter end of
October eh, Cousin Robert?"
Il did not imagine we were going there
for pleasure"
'Pessimist! Do neither the 'Prnz Won
Preussen' nor the 'uoldner Adler well
spoken Of as Baedeker describes these
hostelries, attract you? Then the dye
! works, they are sure TO be interesting"
Henry Graden," cried l with deter
mination, you try me too far! l am as
eager as yourself that this criminal
should be brought to justice. For this
reason alone l have every right to know
the why and wherefore of an expedition
which will entail upon me, as see clear
ly, the most extraordinary discomforts."
1T seems a pity, my dear cousin, that
Nature, which endowed you with so many
admirable qualities, should have omitted
the saving grace of humor," he rejoined
And then changing his tone to a greater
sobriety: You shall hear all that know
or conjecture. 1t WILL at least, help us
on our journey.
First, as to the facts at my disposal
For myself, | had heard much of Rudolf
Marnac, but only as a Heidelberg pro-
fessor of distinction, whose stupendous
effort, Science and Belief had set edu-
Gated Europe by the ears. From you l
learned of his quarrel with Won Stock
mar, quarrel originating in the latter's
attack on the work in question, of which
Marnac was inordinately vain Then
came the chain Of facts that proved-to
our mind at least-that Marnac had muir
dered his colleague with a diabolcal in
genuity. Could such a crime be inspired
by quarrel so trifiing? 1t was almost
past belief Further evidence was nee
essary; and this evidence the investiga
tions of the police have supplied.
When | learned that his father, Jean
Marnac, had died in a Paris asylum, l
began to see my way. But it was the
statements of his servants that cleared
np my last doubt. An eccentricity which
at one time amused them had of late
| been changed to violence that filled
them with terror. He had presented
them with copies of the book, elaborately
bound. A housekeeper who had served
him for twenty years was loaded with
abuse and discharged because the old
creature admitted that she could not fol-
low his arguments. He was the victim
uncommon.
"Whither had this dangerous creature
fled? 1t seemed a mystery insoluble.
He was well provided with money; on
all topics but one he was admirably sens
ible The police admitted that he had
beaten them. But only yesterday | OBJ
tanned a clue 1t may be valueless; but
for myself think otherwise. At least it
is worth the journey | am asking you to
make in my company.
AT my urgent request the police ad-
mitted me to his rooms. His papers
they had already examined, without re-
suit. | found that he possessed fine
library. i am a booklover, and my first
step was to examine it. Tucked away in
a corner of a shelf, yet within easy reach
of his customary chair, l found a vol
ume. 1t was typical of the man that it
should be elegantly bound. Within were
collected the hostile criticisms with which
his book had been loaded. The more
severe were scribbled over with the vilest
epthets. Won Stockmar was personally
threatened as was also certain Mech
ersky, professor of the Imperial Uni
versity at Petersburg. l distracted the
volume. You may like to examine it."
He drew it from the capacous pocket
of his travelling ulster and gave it to me.
The cover was of the choicest morocco;
upon it, in gold, were embazoned the
arms of the university 1t was a triumph
of the binders art, yet l handled it with
singular feeling of disgust.
The interior was oddly divided. The
greater part consisted of clippings from
papers and magazines, neatly gummed
upon blank pages. But here and there
were interpolated pamphlets, held in
their place by elastic bands. In contrast
with this orderly arrangement, scarcely
a page but was defaced by penciled re-
marks, satirical or abusive. ran through
them hastily until came upon the arti-
Gle which bore Mechersky's name, ex-
tracted apparently from some French re-
view. Its severity seemed to have lashed
Marnac to fury. 1t was covered with
! a maze of pencilings. But my attention
: was soon centered on portion of the
} text which, being underlined In red, stood
out from the page with some prominence.
, 'The author of Science and Belief" for
) thus it ran, seems to have lost touch
: with humanity. His deductions might be
correct If men were bloodless, merciless
; automatons. He regards them as might
some reptile-let us say, a toad scientif-
ically inclined" Across this criticism,
which seemed to me unnecessarily severe,