The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-12-21

NS~~>~SVAA
The first of these persons was Nine.
Roupell, thus again establishing beyond
doubt the identity of the Henry Ora
ham OF Blois with the dissolute brother
OF the late owner of the Chateau VILE
neuve.
: The surname Of Henry Graham's Sec
ond correspondent had escaped the mem
DRY OF the concierge. in the course Of
years. He was positive, however, that
her first name had been Helene, and that
she had resided at Belliers, small village
in the department of the Loire.
This second correspondent had also
been a lady-a well-educated. refined
lady, he should judge, for he had been in
the habit Of taking up M. Graham's mail,
and the envelopes had been fine and deli
cately scented, and had borne a crest and
monogram on the outside, such as were
only used by persons of rank.
As the train rushed across the land
scape, Cassagne relapsed into medita-
tive mood. The thought required to him,
was this woman, after lapse of SO many
years, yet alive, and would it be possible
to find her? If Graham was the murder
er, as he now believed, the person most
likely to know Of his present whereabouts
would be this one-the woman who, In
all probability, had been his wife. He fell
to studying how old this boy could be
now. He calculated he must be nearly
thirty years Of age. For old Gughatof,
the concierge, had given the child's age at
about ten when Graham had left Blois,
and little more than twenty years had
elapsed since that time. If he could find
him, he perhaps might yet be in COM
munication with his father.
When Henry Graham had left Blois he,
too, had turned his steps in the direction
of Belliers. For Gughatof had forward
ed several letters to him at that place. It
was toward Belliers, therefore, that he,
Cassagne, must hasten, there to pursue
his investigations sbut first Of all he
would 80 to Paris. He must find out
what M. Lablanche had accomplished. He
must also receive the report of his as
sistant, who meantime would not have
been Idle.
The first thing M. Cassagne did upon
his arrival in Paris was to hail a cab.
Jumping in, he babe the man drive to
the apartment of his friend and assist
ant, D'Auburon, in the Rue de Provence.
1t was about noon when he assembled the
staircase and raped loudly on the door
of the vestibule. D'Auburon came out
himself to let him in, rubbing his eyes.
Il have been up pretty nearly all night"
he said, yawning terribly. "Wait till I
get a bath. Then we will have some
breakfast"
"Confound the fellow" exclaimed the
impatient Cassagne. Il never call on
him but he is either in the bath or just
about to take one. 1t is the one thing
against his making good detective. He
is too fond of water"
A minute afterward D'Auburon appear
ed in loose dressing gown and Turkish
slippers, swinging two enormous Indian
clubs in a manner that threatened de-
struction to the chandeliers and orna-
ments.
While he was thus engaged, Cassagne
had arisen. He was walking restlessly up
and down the room. The splashing of the
water had given him sudden fit of shiv-
ering. The. sight of his friend wasting
precious time on what he deemed a friv-
olous exercise, also irritated him. Sud-
denly his eye fell upon card in the
receiver on the center table. It was
very elegantly engraved piece of paste
board, surmounted with a coronet en-
bossed in gold. Its inscription read:
1.-The Vicomte de Valiar."
"Ah," exclaimed Cassagne, that's the
man to whom / procured you the letter
of introduction. You managed to get
there?"
'.Yes," replied D'Auburon, land he call
ed when was out and left his card. A
great fnancier he is. President Of half
a dozen big companies. He has made
one fortune and has twenty irons in the
fire, all of which he manages to keep re-
specially heated"
'Never mind him for the present." in
terrupted Cassagne, impatiently. Tell
me Of Chabot, above all. want to know
what the project of police has accomplish
ed. How many men has he got on the
case?"
-Four -
"Who are theyw
j "vougeot, Remoul, villeroy and Cou-
tinet."
..None of them is up to much except
yougeot," unused M. Cassagne, to whom
the detectives named were well known.
"Vougeot is a pretty smart fellow. What
is he doing?"
HE is shadowing Chabot. So tar he
has accomplished nothing"
snow tell me what has happened. This
man Chabot. IL monsieur lie project still
serious. in his belief that he is in some
way implicated in this crime? .
"Assuredly, but there is more absurd
phase to 1t than that. Whom do you
think, in addition to Chabot, monsieur le
project has placed under surveillance
..Oh, can't tell. The man In the
moon, perhaps
mo, not 30 bad as that. But, deter
mined to cover all points, suppose, be
has placed watch upon the movements
Of the American, DR.. Paul Mason. That's
not all. Poor, honest Pierre, the butler
at the chateau, man whom you yourself
examined and said wouldn't hurt ny.
has also been included. It II positively
shameful 70 permit such bunslers ~ La
blanche to squander the secret service
funds in such fooleries. Another fellow,
/ understand, has been haunting the PARK
at Villeneuve, and WAS nearly shot ~
one of the keepers, who took him Tor