River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-10-29


the contents, sneezed languidly and
addressed the newcomer with indolent
grace.
ITO what am indebted for the hon.
or of this visit, M. Vere?" he inquired,
politely.
We're uttered a short, contemptuous
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. Il didn't come
here to fence with fine phrases or beat
about the bush. First of all, I wish to
inform you that I have killed your
cursed spy, Beausine. l strangled him
with these hands about four o'clock
this morning, not, however, until |
had first wrung from his throat
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 eXh1b-
iting 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, seem
to understand that you come here to
boast of having murdered man.
Rather an indiscreet confession to
make to a chief of police, is it not?"
We're INDUCED in a bitter sheer.
II killed him in self-defense when
he tried to rob me-" he said, savage
ly. There's no mistake about that.
I'm an Englishman, under the protec-
ton of my country's ambassador, and
ready to welcome any investigation
you care to make. If you want proofs
send to my house; you we'll know
where it is, and your men will find
the corpse of that sneaking cur where
I left it. / 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-
ton 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 weak
er 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 a 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 a gaming estab-
lishment where he risked small sums
of money. None of his Partisan as
sociates had accompanied him, and
M. Claude, aware that the English
man had suffered severe financial re-
verses in the gambling bells of Paris,
came to the conclusion that he had
retired to Marseilles as less expen-
sive place than the capital in which
to await Monsieur d'LargentaPs re.
turn, when he hoped by final threat
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, f1ashy clothing and glittering dis
play of jewelry had wrought such a
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
servants of the Lion dor paid the Gus
tomary homage of their kind.
On the third day of his visit to Mar
settles 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.
1--WE half a 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 a
certain little business scheme devel
ops in Paris, but it won't materialize
for couple of weeks yet, and might
as well spend 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