The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-14

between the palace of justice and Notre Dame Cath edral. -.
 He sat beside former convict known
 as Slasher. because the crime for
 which he had served fifteen years in
 the galleys had been the stabbing of
 some comrades while he was in the army after they had goaded him into fury.
 On the other side sat a girl whose presence in such a place would have seemed amazing to any stranger. She was not more than sixteen. Her face was a perfect oval and almost angelic In expression. Long eyelashes half yelled a pair of beautiful, mel- ancholy blue eyes. Her small, touch- fngy sad mouth was like rose. Splen- didly shining auburn hair crowned her. Even in her shabby, ugly clothes she looked almost royal.
 Yet she was only a poor waif of the dens--a girl of unknown percentage, ] taught to beg in her childhood by an old hag and thief. seized and put into a reformatory while still hardly less i than an infant, and turned loose when she had become sixteen. without ad- vice or guarding hand to save her from the sin of great city.
 Wretches who found their profit in 1t had met her even at the reformatory doors and lured her into their low | quarters. She had been there for some weeks when Rudolph met her by chance and inquired into her history.
 La Gonaleuse.' as they called her, because of her sweet voice, was still telling her story when she stopped suddenly with a little cry of terror. Two truly frightful creatures had en- tered. One was man whose every motion betokened a vast strength. That even the most reckless ruffian 1 in the place feared him was evident l fEa xrvfY xrrtt trt, off sI room for him. as the whisper ran around the den: "The Schoolnlaster :" I Rudolph shuddered when he saw this | creature's face. It was scared, fur rowed and eaten away in every direc- ton as by some frightful burn. The woman with him was an old skinny. bony wretch, with an extraor- dinary hooked nose and q single round green eye which had earned her the most appropriate name of Screech Owl. Hardly had the woman entered be- fore eshe spied La Goualeuse, and sprang at her with a cry: Why. I should recognize youi To be sure! shall be able to find wo your par ents werer
 The Goualeuse shrank behind Ru- dolph. The Schoolmaster reached over to grasp her. Rudolph sprang up to oppose him. At that moment a gigan- tic coal neaVeE entered the place, 1url- ed the ruffian to one side and pulled Rudolph away. Before the SchooImas. ter could interpose the two had vanish ed with the girl. The coal heaver was Sir Walter.
 The next day La Goualeuse. still im- agining Rudolph to be a poor artisan, was taken by him to a model farm which he had started near Paris under | the management of Madame George That good woman took the girl glad Iy into her keeping on learning her ! story and poor little Goualeuse, bewi- dered at her rec1fe, felt as if she had | been taken to Heaven as-s.ff The Grand Duke immediately set his agents to work to md out from the Screech Owl and the Schoolmaster what they knew of the girls parentage; but the old thief was too cunning. Ru- dolph decided to trap them.
 He baited house in a retired ave- nue with plate and money so arranged near windows that the Slasher was able to show it to the Schoolmaster. The Schoolmaster decided to rob the place that night and the Slasher, who had conceived a dog-like affection for ''M. Rudolph" lost no time in notify ing him at an appointed rendezvous. The vermin entered the trap and its jaws closed on them. Before he knew 1t the Schoolmatser was seized by four great fellows. thrust into a big chair ana bound fast after he had been searched
 large pocketbook full of papers was taken to Rudolph, who waited him in an adjoining room. They startled him. He had made wonderfully lucky capture.
 The first document that he picked up showed that he had caught no less villain than Anself Duresnel, the hus- band of Madame George.
 The Slasher had already told him that Schoolmaster was known to be an escaped convict from the galleys, who had burned his face with vftriol to defy identification-a process successful be- yond his desire since 1t had practical ly ohliterated his entire face.
 The next bundle of papers furnished evidence that Duresnel had committed no less than three murders since his escape. .. .-..-...
 Then came the papers concerning La Goualeuse. They showed that the girl had been delivered to a vagabond by a Madame Seraphine, who had then been and still was housekeeper for a promi- nent and respected lawyer, Jacques Ferrand. The vagabond had turned the little one over to the Screech Owl, who had learned of Madame Sera- phones connection with the case only recently and was laying plans, with the Sch oolmaster's help, to blackmail Fer rand.
 Lastly he found that the kidnapped son of Madame George had been brought up in the family of a banker at Nantes under the name of Francois Germain. With disgust and horror in his face Rudolph gave a signal. The bound wretch was wheeled in and placed opposite a table covered with black cloth. He gave a start of sur prise when he recognized the artisan of the White Rabbit in the tall figure | clad in black velvet dressing gown.
 A door opened noiselessly Two men | armed with rifles were disclosed stand ing at attention.
 Utterly cowed the giant collapsed | use his.,strengtn, his craven nature as- sumed command. He answered Ru- | dolphs questions slavishly, striving to gain mercy.
 He confessed the murders and then confessed that his object in having the boy Kidnapped had been to bring him | up as a thief. By chance he had come
 Into the hands of the banker at Nantes and had been brought up to honor and rectitude. After Duresnel had escaped from the gaiieys he found that his son held an influential position in the bank | He had gone to him, disclosed to him | ] that he was his father and had tried | to make him rob the bank. The young man, mortified and heart | broken, had refused. He had been un- able to force himself to denounce his | own father to the authorities there | [