The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-02-19
CHAPTER XVI.


"@ AM again at the window
SILL" continues Rouletabille,
land once more l raise my
head above it. Through an
opening in the curtains, the arrange
ment of which has not been changed.
I am ready to look, anxio,<Fto note the
position in which l a<soing to find
the murderer, whether his back will
still be turned toward me, whether he
is still seated at the desk writing.
But perhaps-perhaps- is no longer
there. Yet how could he have fed?
Was not in possession of his ladder? ?
/ force myself to be cool. raise my
head yet higher. ! lo0k-he Is still
there. I see his monstrOus back, de-
formed by the shadow thrown by the
candle. He Is no longer writing now,
and the candle is on the parquet, over
which he is bending-a position which
serves my purpose.
II hold my breath. mount the lad
der. am on the uppermost rung Of 1t
and with my left hand seize hold Of
the window Sill. In this moment Of
approaching success feel my heart
beating wildly. 1 put my revolver be-
tween my teeth A quick spring and
1 shall be on the window ledge. But
the ladder! had been obliged to press
on it heavily, and my foot had scarcely
left 1t when I felt 1t swaying beneath
me. 1t grated on the wall and fell.
But already my knees were touching
the window sill, and by a movement
quick as lightning got on to it,
But the murderer had been even
quicker than 1 had been. He had
heard the grating Of the ladder on the
wall, and saw the monstrous back Of
the man raise itself. / saw his head.
Did l really see it? The candle on the
parquet lit up his legs only. Above
the height of the table the cham
Der was in darkness. l saw a man
with long hair, a full beard, wild look
ing eyes, pale face framed in large
whiskers as well as l could distin-
guish and as | think red in color.
did not know the face, That was, in
brief, the chief sensation l received
from that face in the dim half light in
at least did not recognize 1t.
Now for quick action. 1t was in
deed time for that, for as / was about
to place my legs through the window
the man had seen me, had bounded to
his feet, had sprung, as l foresaw he
would, to the door of the antechamber,
had time to open it and fed. But
nlv haI I'm,
hand, shouting, 'Helpv
Like an arrow l crossed the room,
but noticed letter on the table as |
rushed. | almost came up with the
man in the anteroOm. for he had lost
time in opening the door TO the gal
lery. l few on wings and in the gal
lery was but few feet behind him.
He had taken, as | supposed he would,
the gallery on his right-that is to say,
the road he had prepared for his fight.
Help. jacques; help, Larsan! | cried.
He could not escape us. l raised q
shout of joy, Of savage victory. The
man reached the intersection of the
two galleries hardly two seconds be-
fore me for the meeting which l had
prepared, the fatal shock which must
inevitably take place at that spot. We
all rushed TO the crossing place-M.
Stangerson and | coming from one end
Of the right gallery, Daddy Jacques
coming from the other end Of the gal
Iery aud Frederic Larsan coming from
the off turning gallery.
The man was not there!
I'VE looked ut each other stupidity
and with eyes terrified. The man had
vanished like ghost. Where is he.
where is he? we all asked
"It is impossible he can have es-
fapedv cried. my terror mastered by
thy anger.
"T touched him.! exclaimed Frederic
Larsan.
81 felt his breath OH my face! cried
Daddy Jacques.
Where is he. where is hep we all
cried
1--WE raced like madmen along the
two galleries. We visited doors and
windows. They were closed-hermetic
ally closed. They had not been opened.
Besides. the opening Of a door or win
dow by this man whom we We're hunt
Ing without our having perceived it
would have been more ineXplicable
than his disappearance.
where is he, where Is he? He
could not have got away by a door or
window Hor by any other way. He
could not have passed through our
bodies.
II confess that for the moment felt
done for for the gallery was perfect
ly lighted. and there was neither trap
nor secret door In the walls nor any
sort Of hiding place. We moved the
chairs and lifted the pictures. Moth
ing, nothing! We would have looked
into fiowerpot If there had been one
to look into
When this mystery, thanks 10 Roulc-
tabillc. was naturally explained by the
help alone Of his masterful mind we
were able to realize that the murderer
had got away neither by door, win.
dow nor the stairs, a fact which the
judges would not admit.
CHAPTER XVII.
The lnexplicable Gallery.