Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-12-22

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explains many things and particularly
the fact that neither the laboratory
nor the vestibue bears any traces of
the footmarks found in the room. If
in carrying mademoiselle on the mat
tress from the laboratory they rested
for a moment there might have been
an opportunity for the man in 1t to
escape"
"And them" asked Rouletabille, de-
liberately laughing under the bed
I felt rather vexed and replied:
81 don't know, but anything appears
possible"
1.-THE examining magistrate had the
same idea, monsieur" said Daddy
Jacques. "and he carefully examined
the mattress. He was obliged to laugh
at the idea, monsieur, as your friend
is doing now, for whoever heard of
a mattress having a double bottom|
My friend alone seemed able to talk
intelligently. He called out from un-
der the bed:
1.-THE mat here has been moved out
of place Who did itT'
we did, monsieur" explained Dad
DIV Jacques. when we could not find
the assassin we asked ourselves
whether there was not some hole in
the floor"
There is not" replied Rouletabille.
'Is there a cellarY
"No, there's no cellar. But that has
not stopped our searching and has not
prevented the examining magistrate
and his registrar from studying the
floor plank by plank, as if there had
been cellar under it,"
The reporter then reappeared. His
eyes were sparkling and his nostrils
quivered. He remained on his hands
and knees. Thus he made his way to
the four corners of the room, so to
speak, shifting and going around ev-
erything-everything that we could
see, which was not much, and every
thing that we could not see, which
must have been infinite.
The toilet table was simple table
standing on four legs There was
nothing about it by which 1t could
possibly be changed into a temporary
hiding place. There was not closet
or cupboard. Nile. Stangerson kept
her wardrobe at the chateau.
ROuletabille literally passed his nose
and hands along the walls, constructed
of solid brickwork When he had
finished with the walls and passed his
agile fingers over every portion of the
yellow paper covering them he reached
to the ceiling, which he was able to
touch by mounting on chair placed
on the toilet table, and by moving
this ingeniouSly constructed stage
from place to place he examined ev
cry foot of it. When he had finished
his scrutiny Of the ceiling, where he
carefully examined the hole made by
the second bullet, he approached the
window and once more examined the
iron bars and blinds, all of which
were solid and intact At last he gave
grunt of satisfaction and declared,
NOW | am at ease!'
"Well, do you believe that the poor
dear young lady was shut up when
she was being murdered-when she
cried out for helpP walled Daddy
Jacques.
YES" said the young reporter, dry
ing his forehead; the yellow rooA4
was as tightly shut as an iron safe"
1.-THE Bette du Bon Dieu," muttered
Daddy Jacques-"the Bette du Bon Dieu
herself, if she had committed the
crime, could not have escaped. Lis
ten! DO you hear it? Hush?
Daddy Jacques made us a sign to
keep quiet and, stretching his arm to-
ward the wall nearest the forest, lis
tened to something which we couid
not hear.
"It's answering" he said at length.
Il must kill it. 1t is too wicked, but
it's the Bette du Bon Dieu, and every
night it goes to pray on the tomb OF
st. Genevieve, and nobody dares TO
touch her for fear that Mother An
genouX should cast an evil spell Oh
them"
How big is the Bette du Bon Dieuf
Nearly as big as a small retriever
nOuSleIg lSll you. An, Il udNS uStASu
myself more than once whether it was
not she that took our poor made
moiselle by the throat with her claws.
But the Bette du Bon Dieu does not
wear hobnailed boots, nor fire revolv-
ers, nor has she hand like thatp' eX-
claimed Daddy Jacques, again point
ing out to us the red mark on the wall
Besides, we should have seen her as
well as we would have seen man"
Evidently" / said. Before we had
seen this yellow room had also asked
myself whether the cat of Mother An
genoux"-
"You also" cried Rouletabille.
Didn't your asked.
mot for a moment. After reading
the article in the Matin l knew that
a cat had nothing to do with the mat
ter, But swear now that frightful
tragedy has been enacted here. You
say nothing about the Basque cap or
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