Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-06-26
CHAPTER Xxx

OaAR I'm AZ.
1.-THE woman you want went in there !"
1t was Mendotti, one of Cassagne's men,
who spoke to his employer as both stood
in the deep shadow OF a tree, whose fur
thest branches spread over the narrow
street and beyond high brick wall OPP
posite.
'She went in there, not twenty minutes
ago." repeated Mendotti, pointing with
his finger to a wooden door, which was
let into the wall Il at once sent you a
message. have not moved from here
except to do that. She's in there yet.
don't know whose house it is"
but l do. 1t is the residence Of COT
bert Rempln, the rich banker of the
Place de pOpera. That door leads into
his garden. Tell me how she got in Did
she have a key?"
"No, woman admitted her.
"What kind of a woman was she?"
'An elderly woman She looked as
though she might be a housekeeper. or an
upper servant. l crept up near enough
to hear her say. My mistress is busy
now, but she will see you in few min
utes. Go into the summer house,"
Cassagne thought deeply for minute
or two. At last he said:
run around in front of the house and
see what is going on. The house is we'll
lit up. The Colbert Remplins are not
people who entertain much but there
must be something on tonight Do /
not hear the sound of music? Whoever
is to meet the woman" continued the de-
tective, sis to meet her in the summer
house. oh, to be able to scale that wall,
and get into those grounds !"
Looking around him his quick eye fell
upon the tree Immediately over their
heads, along the branches of which he
thought he might possibly work his way
and so drop into the garden.
The night was tolerably dark. But
few people were passing in that fashion
able quarter After moments hesita-
ton he determined to attempt it. After
first instructing Mendotti to await his re-
turn, he then climbed upon his assistants
shoulders, and was just able to reach the
lower limb of the cedar.
II am all right" he whispered, and he
commenced to work his way very eau
tiously along one of the branches 1t
bent tremendously with his weight; but
he put up his hand and drew down an
upper bough. Thus distributing the bur
den, he managed to pass the wall, and
continued to creep along the branches
until, they gradually bending with their
load, he was enabled to drop noiselessly
into the garden.
II will go and wait for my lady in
the center of the lawn, and had better
be quick about it," he said.
Relying upon his general knowledge of
the construction of Partisan garden, NJ
Cassagne walked rapidly forward, struck
his foot against some unforeseen obsta-
Gle, trlpped, stumbled, and the next mo-
ment found himself struggling in the
water. He had overlooked the fact that
some gardens have fountains.
where have you come from, and what
have You been doing?" was the astonish-
ed inquiry of Charles D'Auburon.
He had been aroused from his bed at
midnight by a thunderous knocking at
his door, and on going to see what all
the noise was about, had discovered Cas-
sagne, standing, the picture of misery,
under the lamp on the landing.
Dripping yet with the moisture which
ran from all his garments minus his hat,
and shivering like an aspen, the famous
detective presented a picture well calcu
lated to excite the utmost commiseration;
but a CLEAN of triumph was in his I'M
dimmed eye; and he wore the air of a
eonqueror rather than of man who had
met with humiliating accident.
Cassagne entered into circumstantial
relation of his adventures When he ar
rived at what he faeetiousiy termed the
frog-pond incident" D'Auburon could
not restrain his mirth, and it was so con
'agious that Cassagne, though the joke
was against himself. could not refrain
from joining him. The two men reared