Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-11
CHAPTER TX.
Reporter and Detective.
SOULETABILLE, Darzac and I
R went back toward the pavilion.
tN At some distance from the
building the reporter made us


stop and. pointing to small clump of
trees to the right of us, said:
"That's where the murderer came
from to get into the pavilion
AS there were other patches of trees
of the same sort between the great
oaks, | asked why the murderer had
chosen that one rather than any of the
others. Rouletabille answered me by
pointing to the path which ran quite
close to the thicket to the door of the
pavilion.
"That path is. as you see. topped
with gravel" he said "The man must
have passed along It going to the pa
viliOn, since no traces of his steps have
been found on the soft ground. The
man didn't have wings; he walked,
but he walked on the gravel, which
left no impression of his tread. The
gravel has, in fact, been trodden by
many other feet, since the path is the
most direct way between the pavilion
and the chateau. AS to the thicket,
made Of the sort of shrubs that don't
flourish In the rough seasOn-laurels
and -fuchsias-it offered the murderer
a sufficient hiding place until 1t was
time for him to make his way to the
pavilion. 1t was while hiding in that
clump of trees that he saw NJ. and
Mile. Stangerson and then Daddy
Jacques leave the pavilion. Gravel
has been spread nearly, very nearly,
up to the windows of the pavilion. The
footprints of a man parallel with the
wall, marks which we will examine
presently and which i have already
seen, prove that he only needed to
make one stride to find himself In
front Of the vestibule window, left
open by Daddy Jacques. The man
drew himself up by his hands and en-
tered the vestibule."
after all. 1t is very possible" said
"If / did not reason as | do In re-
gard to this gravel" Rouletabille went
on, 81 should have to assume bal
loon. So don't say thing is possible
when 1t could not be otherwise. We
know now how the man entered by
the window, and we also know the
moment at which he entered-during
the o'clock walk Of the professor
and his daughter. The fact Of the
presence Of the chambermaid, who had
come to clean up the yellow room, In
the laboratory when NJ. Stangerson
and his daughter returned from their
walk at half past ] permits us to af-
firm that ut half past l the murderer
was not In che chamber under the bed
unless he was in collusion with the
chambermaid. What do you say, NJ
Darzacw
NJ. Darzac shook his head and said
he was sure of the chambermaid's
fidelity and that she was thorough
ly honest and devoted servant.
Besides" he added, "at 8 o'clock
M. Stangerson went into the room to
fetch his daughters hat"
There Is that also" said Rouleta-
billie.
"That the man entered by the win
dow at the time you say, l admit"
said, "but why did he shut the win
dow2 1t was an act which would nee
essarily draw the attention Of those
who had left 1t OPEN"
1T may be the window was not shut
at once" replied the young reporter.
"But If he did shut the window it was
because Of the bend in the gravel path
a dozen yards from the pavilion and
on account Of the three oaks that are
growing at that spot"
What do you mean by that?" asked
NJ. Darzac. who had followed us and
listened with almost breathless atten-
tion to all that Rouletabille had said.
"I'll explain all to you later on, mon
sieur, when think the moment to be
ripe for doing 80. But / don't think
have anything of more Importance
to say on this affair if my hypothesis
is justified"
"And what is your hypothesis
"You will never know If It does not
turn out to be the truth. 1t is Of much
too grave a nature to speak of 1t so
long as. 1t continues to be only a hy-
pOthesis."
Have you at least some idea as to
who the murderer is?''
mo, monsieur, l don't know who
the murderer Is. But don't be afraid,
M. Robert Darzac. I shall know"
could not but observe that NJ. Dar-
zac was deeply moved, and suspect
ed that Rouletabille's confident asser-
tion was not pleasing to him. Why.
asked myself, If he was really afraid
that the murderer should be discover
ed, was he helping the reporter to find
him? My young friend seemed to
have received the same impression,
for he said bluntly:
IN. Darzac, don't you want me to
find out who the murderer was?"
"Oh, should like to kill him with
my own handw cried Mile. Stanger-
sons fiance, with a vehemence that
amazed me.
Il believe you," said Rouletabille
gravely. "But you have not answered
my question"
We were passing by the thicket OF
which the young reporter had spoken
to Us minute before. entered 1t
and pntutod hx,t nvidant tracoa Of n