The Green Forest tribune., 1908-10-30

quil, immobile features. Producing his snuff box he inhaled a pinch of the contents, sneeZed languidly and addressed the newcomer with indolent grace.
 'To what am I indebted for the hon. or of this visit, M. Vere?" he inquired, politely.
 We're uttered short, contenlptuous laugh
 "Call it an honor if you want to-" he retorted, speaking in English, the language in which the chief had chos- en to address him. q didn't come here to fence with fine phrases or beat about the bush. First of all, I wish to inform you that 1 have killed your cursed spy, Beausine. 1 strangled him with these hands about four o'clock this morning, not, however, until l had first wrung from his throat a confession that he had been employed by you to steal some of my papers"
 He stretched out his thick, blunt fingers and shook them menacingly in the chiefs face. Neither the action nor announcement served to startle the chief from his habitual composure. He merely smiled and again applied himself to the snuff box without exhib- itirg the slightest trace of anger or excitement. Then he said, placidly:
 Without pretending to comprehend your allusion to the late lamented Beausine's employer, M. We're, I seem to understand that you come here to boast of having murdered a man. Rather an indiscreet confession to make to a chief of police, is it not?"
 We're indulged in a bitter sneer
 q killed him in selfdefense when he tried to rob me-" he said, savage ly. There's no mistake about that. tion of my country's ambassador, and ready to welcome any investigation you care to make. If you want proofs send to my house; you well know where it is, and your men will find the corpse of that sneaking cur where I left it. I fancy that for your own sake you will want to hush the matter up. If the letters from Mile. Blanche Leclair, for which your emissary risked and lost his life, are made pub lie, you know what pretty scandal will follow"
 The results of the police investiga- tion of Beausine's death corroborated the big Englishman's story in every particular. Examination of the dregs of a goblet that had contained wine drunk by We're before retiring, dis closed the presence of drug placed therein by the valet with the evident intention of rendering his master help less. But the dose, which would in all probability have overcome a weak CT man, failed to accomplish it's pur- pose in the case of the giant son of Albion. The latter, awaking from slumber and finding Beausine in the act of removing certain valuable docu- ments contained in belt around his waist, sprang upon him and in the struggle that ensued choked him to death Such was the gist of Vere's testimony, which was accepted by the authorities, and no further action was taken.
 Suddenly one day We're left the city and was reported by the Lynx, who followed faithfully on the trail, to have established himself in lodgings at the seaport of Marseilles, passing the greater portion of his time in the lower drinking places of the city and occasionally visiting gaming estab- lishment where he risked small sums of money. None of his Parisian as- sociates had accompanied him, and M. Claude, aware that the English man had suffered severe financial re- verses in the gambling hells of Paris, came to the conclusion that he had retired to Marseilles as a less eXpen- sive place than the capital in which to await Monsieur d'LargentafS re- Of exposure to bring the girl to his terms, upon which her friends would probably furnish the sum demanded for the surrender of the letters.
 The result of the chiefs cogitations was that one fine morning found him domiciled under the roof of the Lion dor inn at Marseilles. A dark brown wig, fiashy clothing and glittering dis play of jewelry had wrought such change in the head of the prefecture that his most intimate friend would have failed to recognize the usually sedate and soberly dressed M. Claude in this debonair person, to whom the ~f ( tomary homage of their kind.
 On the third day of his visit to Mar seilles a British frigate anchored in the harbor and a few hours later M Claude encountered We're on the street in company With an officer from the man-of-war.
 Eve half notion to accept your invitation, Fred" he heard the big man say in his loud, careless way, "and run over home with you. I'm killing time here at present until certain little business scheme devel- ops in Paris, but it won't materialize for a couple of weeks yet, and might as well spend a while in England as among these French frog eaters. When do you sail?'
 Tomorrow evening"" replied the naval man, and they stolled on leis- urely, the rest of the conversation be- ing inaudible to the chief M. Claude frowned as he digested the substance of the remarks he had just heard.
 In following the trail of his quarry, M. Claude had discovered that the gambling establishment most frequent ed by We're was one kept by Spanish woman who had formerly pursued similar occupation in Paris. Com pelled to leave the capital by orders ch hnl folx