Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-12-21
THE MARATHON MYSTERY
A STORY OF MANHATTAN
e. STEVENSON
Author Holiday Cadets o
A STORY OF MANHATTAN.

Then he didn't live at FOud-Corre p
AT FoUd-CouC2 oh. no. He was
a zombi--in the air. in the Garth, ev-
erywhcre. Doudoux would fight with
MIN an hour a. a time. on, it was ter
TblC!"
/ leaned back in my chair and
watched the smoke from my ctgaret
CiTCling upwards. / remembered the
letter that had been tattooed on the
arm Of the man killed I'm suite four
teen. So Tremaine had some cause TO
hate him-he had helped him, had
supplied him with whisky, with money,
through fear and not through friend
ship. TO establish that was to take
another step forward.
Did ne have those spells often,
Cecily?" / asked, at last.
"Oh. no, sometimes not for months.
Thrn, phut! the zombi would charm
him"
Charm him."
with a little scrap OF paper, yes,
mere would come a letter, doudOuX
would open IT; always in ii there
would be little piece of paper Some
times Il had writing on il, sometimes
printing as though 1t had been cut
from newspaper, Then, tambou!
doudouxs face would grow black, he
would tear the paper into little bits,
uttering curses the most terrible, and
we would all run"
Clippings from "A newspaper. Here
was a coincidence. But | cudgelled my
brain yainly-T could form no theory
as TO why clipping should cause
those fits Of rage.
The last one, though, did not give
him spell" she added, after a NOM
rnt. We We're watching the sun set
out across the water when Dodol
brought the letter TO him. This time
ii was printing and writing both, !
got up, ready to fee for | thought
that would be swicc as bad, but no.
He sat reading it ana his eyes glisten-
ed; then he sent me running for his
hat and hurried away to st. Pierre.
When he came back, he told me that
we were to come at once TO New
York"
1t was eXasperatiug. ] felt that the
secret lay just under my hand. and
yet / could not grasp it, ! seemed TO
be revolving round and round about it,
without getting any nearer. What
could this message be which brought
Tremaiue hot foot to New York
That was the question to which there
seemed no possibility of finding the an
swer at present. besides / thought il
well to lead the talk away from Tre-
maine for a While, or even Cecily. un-
suspectng as she was might guess
my purpose. So / turned TO another
point.
You have some very pretty fewelrv,
Cecily' | said touching the great
brooch Of gold that CLEANED at Der
throat.
She laughed like a pleased child.
'Hes-are they not pretty, che? Let
me show you and springing from the
couch, she ran into her bedroom In
a moment she was back again a box
Of inlaid ebony In her hands
70
the lid.
Indeed they were worth seeing. and
It was not wholly TO disarm her sus-
picions, II she had any, that / fingered
over them. At last, / came to the piece
! wanted.
Here is a beautiful pin" | said.
An opal in a circle of diamonds" and
held 1t up to the light. But see. Ce-
ely, one of the diamonds is missing
Have you lost it,"
"Doudoux lost it," she answered
He wore il sometimes as a piu for
his scarf. Tambou! | was angry when
! found II gone. You should have
heard me-
Il have a diamond" l said. getting
out my pocketbook, that might do to
replace II. Let us see IL il win fit"
| unwrapped the little brilliant and
applied IL to the break i'm the circle
Then my heart fell. 1t was evident
in an instant that it had not come
from there-it was much smaller than
the other stones-differently cut
| have seldom experienced a more
poignant pang OF disappointment /
seemed 20 have lost more than I
had gained. Where. then, had this
diamond come from? Who was it had
dropped II in suite fOurteen2 | was
lost confused utterly at sea. And
q moment before, / had been so con-
hdent Well, it was right; II was Just.
This would be the fate of the whole
SHY, nlmsy fabric we were trying to
build against Tremaine.
No, il Will not do" / stammered. at
last 1T is too small" and | re-
turned 1t 10 my pocket Il shall have
to get you another trinket. Cecily."
And she thanked me with a childs
eXuberance, then put away her jewels
and came back TO the divan. talking
OF many things. But my attention
wandered | answered her mechanical
ly, or not at all; l felt the need of
being alone and setting my discoveries
in order; or finding out whether | had
gained or lost ground. In any event
We should have TO take fresh start
the trail we had been following led
Lowhere-ended in a swamp
Cecily perceived my Indifference in a
moment-shc mad temperament
which seemed 20 scent instinctively
every change of feeling-and she threw
her arms above her head with that
gesture of weariness which | had seen
before.
"Adie, che" she said abruptly.
Good night, Cecily," / answered.
rising, smiling in spite of myself at
my curt dismissal, at her change Of
tone.
"Bon-Die Ike beni out"
And you, Cecilv."
AS l turned TO the door | heard the
rustic OF her gown as she arose from
the couch. My and on the knob. l
glanced arou--l expecting to find her
at my elbow. Instead, she was kneel-
ing. with bowed head. before her viz
gin.