The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1908-06-03
CHAPTER XVI.

More than q week had elapsed since
the departure Of NJ. Cassagne, during
which time his assistant in Paris, Charles
D'Auburon, had received no word of him.
One morning, however, he got laconic
message over the wire: Rue de Prov
ence, 9 p. m. Tuesday," by which he
rightly surmised that his chief would
meet him at his lodgings at the hour
named. Almost on the stroke Of the
clock, D'Auburon heard the detective
climbing the stairs leading to his apart
ments.
"He is pretty tired" cogitated the
young Frenchman. He comes slowly
He was right Alfred Cassagne had no
sooner entered the room than he flung
himself heavily into chair. His face
wore an expression of anxiety. His dress
was disorlered. He seemed dreadfully
fatigued and dispirited. D'Auburon
fastened to relieve him of his hat and
from his head.
you look worn out, old fellow" he
exclaimed. Pull off your boots and
coat and make yourself comfortable"
Thus invited, Alfred Cassagne Invested
himself of these articles OF apparel, re-
marking us he pulled off his boots:
II haven't had these off for the last
forty eight hours-and they were too
tight for me anyhow"
Anything gone wrong?"
ITO be brief, all our work of the past
two weeks has to be done over again.
"What?" exclaimed D'Auburon. do
you mean to say we are on the wrong
track?'
II will tell you right now replied
NJ. Cassagne. 1T is peculiar story.
soon settled the question as to where
Graham was"
you have found him, then? and it is
not he who committed the crime? All
that is bad. Our theory at once falls to
the ground
Not so fast. Don't anticipate me.
However. | may tell you that Henry Ora
ham had no more to do with the murder
of Madame Roupell than you or / had"
at is very extraordinary
mot extraordinary at all. But let me
begin at the beginning. I left Paris hav-
| ing In my possession certain facts upon
| which ! knew l could thoroughly rely.
One of them was that Graham had gone
! to Belliers. taking his little son with
| him; another that he had been in CORE
spondence with woman there whose first
name was Helene, and whom l firmly be-
lieyed to be the mother Of the child"
"Yes, I recollect all that; 80 on, pray
what next?'
Arrived at Belliers, | instituted every
possible inquiry as to whether such per-
sons as Graham and his son were known
or had ever been known there. This
search occupied the greater portion of my
| time l was about to despair when
stumbled across an old priest who told me
that he had known the man | was III
search Of.
"'Are you q friend OF his?' asked the
priest. L am l replied. Then yor
| will be shocked when you hear what hap
| pened to him. Come with me. and | viii
tell you his story l followed the priest
expecting to hear that he was the inmat,
of some charitable institution, Or having
lost his reason was confined in some pri
vate asylum. He led the way to hi
church, and there in the little buryinl
ground he pointed me out grave. At it:
head was d stone on which l read:
HENRY GRAHAM,
Aged 81 years.
what !" exclaimed D'Auburon, aston
ished beyond measure. WAS it our Hen
ry Graham? 1t can't be possible ~
There is not the slightest doubt abou
. It. When I saw that tombstone, you cal
, imagine how I felt after all the tim
and trouble I had given this case. l
was as If the bottom had dropped out o
, everything. The priest saw, no doubt
: that was strangely affected. He attrit
uted my agitation to grief.
Tell me something about my poo
. old friend I said. I have heard tina
he was in very bad circumstances. Di
; he die poor?'
Z Very replied the priest. But h
was cared for by mother church. Tha
g stone was erected by his son. All! b
was a sad scamp, a willful fellow, VII
: gave his poor father no end Of trouble
] But that was the old mans fault, partl,
| ,be TO ho. ba y,