The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-05-09
CHAPTER XVI.
I BEARD THE LION.

1
| he said with his old smile. 81
\ 1T was only by accident / learned
! you were on board" explained, as
sat down. You're getting better?''
II believe so; though this physician
| is--what you call--arl alarmist--most OF
them are, indeed; the more desperate
| the illness, the more renowned the cure!
| Is ii not so? He has even forbidden
| me cigarets, but 1 prefer to die than
| to do without them Will you not have
| one?" and he motioned to the pile that
lay beside him.
lighted II. Your cigarets are not TO
be resisted. But II you are so i'll. why
did you attempt the voyage? Was it
not imprudent2 2"
"A sudden call of business" he ex-
| planned airily: unexpected but--what
you call-imperative. Besides this bed
is the same as any other. You see.
have week OF rest"
"The doctor--it was he who mem
toned your name to melt was not on
the sailing list"
mo- He was looking at me sharply
II came on board at the last moment
1.-The need was ver' sudden. as l have
said. had not time TO engage state
ROOM"
THAT explains it. Well. the doctor
told me that you were bedfast."
"Yes--since the voyage began have
not left IL. l shall not arise until we
reach Havre tomorrow
watched him as he went through
the familiar motion of lighting sec
ond cigaret from the first one. In the
half-light of the cabin / had not at
first perceived how i'll he looked; now,
saw the dark patches under the eyes,
the livid and flabby face the shaking
hand And for the first time, with a
little shock, realized how near he had
been to death.
but you. Mistalr Lester" he was
saying. how does It occur that you
also are going to France? did not
know you contemplated" .1rE
mo" | answered calmly, for had
seen that the question was inevitable
and even welcomed it, since 1t gave
me opportunity to get my guns to go
ing. mo; the last time | saw you, /
didn't contemplate il, but good deal
hes happened since then. Would you
care to hear? Are you strong enough
to tallI?"
Oh, how l relished tantaIi2ing him.
II should like very exceedingly to
hear" he assured me- and shifted his
position a little so that his face was in
the shadow "The beams of light
through the shutter makes my eyes to
hurt" he added
So he mistrusted himself; so he was
not finding the part an easy one, either!
The thought gave me new courage,
new audacity.
You may remember" I began, that
! told you once that III / ever went to
work on the Holiday case. I'd try first
to locate the murderess succeeded in
doing 1t the very first day."
"Ah!'' he breathed And after the
police had failedl That was, indeed,
remarkable. How did you accomplish
TT"
BY the mcrest chance--by great goo.
fortune. / was making search of the
French quarter, house by house, when,
on Houston street, came to a restagr-
ant, the Cafe Jourdain. A bottle Of
supereur set Jourdain's tongue to waG-
ging; / pretended wanted room: he
dropped word. the merest hint and,
In the end, got the whole story 1t
seems there was not only one woman,
there We're two"
"Yes?"
'Yes-and man whose name was
Betuny or Bethune, or something like
that. But / didn't pay much attention
TO him--he doesn't figure in the case
He didn't even go away with the worn-
en-. The very day set out on my
search, he was picked up on the streets
somewhere suffering with apoplexy and
taken to hospital, so nearly dead that
1t was question whether he would re-
cover So he's out OF 1t. The Jourdains
told me that the women had sailed for
France"
you Will pardon me- said my hear
er, but In what way did you make
sure that they were the women you de-
sired?"
BY the younger ones resemblance to
Miss Holladay," / answered lying with
glfbness which surprised myself
THE Jourdains maintained that a pho
tograph of Miss Holiday was really
one Of their lodger."
I heard him draw deep breath, but
troll.
"Ah. yes" he said. THAT was ex-
ceedingly clever. / should never have
thought of that. That is worthy of
Monsieur Lecoq. And SO you follow
them to France--but, surely. you have
some more-what you call--definite adj
dress than that Mistair Lesterl"
could feel his eyes burning out from
the shadows; I was thankful for the
c-garet-it helped me to preserve an in
different countenance.
NO" said. "It seems rather a
wild goose chase, doesn't It? But you
could advise me. Mr.. Martigny Where
them?"
He did not answer for a moment. and
1 took advantage of the opportunity to
select second cigaret and light II
dared not remain unoccupied. +
dared not meet his eyes; l trembled
to see that my hand was not wholly
steady.
That" he began slowly. at last I"
seems TO me q -deefcIilt af-
fair, Mistair Lester To search for
three people through all France-there
seems little hope of success. Yet r
should think 1t most likely that they
have gone to Paris"
nodded. That was my own the
ory," / agreed. But to find them In
Paris seems almost impossible"
Not If one uses the police" he said.
1T could, most probably. be soon
achieved. If you requested the police to
assist you
But, my dear sir" I protested. IT
| can't use the police. Miss Holiday, at
least has committed no crime: she has
simply chosen to go away without in
forming u.s."
You will permit me to say then,
Mistair Lester" he observed, with Just
touch of irony, that fail to compre-
hend your anxiety concerning her"
felt that / had made a mis-step;
that ] had need to go carefully.
1T Is not quite so simple as that"
explained. THE last time we saw
Miss Holiday, she told us that she
was I'll, and Intended to go to her coun-
try home for a rest. Instead OF going