The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-04-03
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Double Scent.

dise0very disco had S,d plunged tossdo me me
on the shoulder and asked me to fol-
low him into his room to think 1t over.
confess l was in no condition for
doing much thinking. His self control
was more than could explain. Closi nc
the door of his room, he motioned me
to a chair and, seating himself before
Inc, took out his pipe. We sat there
for some time in silence, and then ]
fell asleep.
When i awoke it was daylight II
was 8 O'clock by my watch. Rouleta-
bile was no longer in the room.
rose to 60 out. when the door opened
and my friend re-entered. He had evi-
dently lost no time.
"IIow about Mile. Stangerson% 4
asked him.
Her condition, though very alarm
ing, is not desperate"
when did you leave this room?"
Toward dawn"
''Have you found out anything?"
1.-TWO sets of footprints"
"Have they anything to do with the
mystery of the keepers body?"
"Yes: the mystery is no longer a
mystery. This morning, walking round
the chateau. found two distinct sets
of footprints made at the same time
last night. They were made by two
persons walking side by side. l fol-
lowed them from the court toward the
oak grove. Larsan Joined me. They
were the same kind of footprints as
were made at the time of the assault
In the yellow room. One set was
from clumsy boots and the other was
made by neat ones, except that the
big toe of one Of the sets was of a
different size from the one measured
in the yellow room incident.
"Stil following the tracks Of the
prints Larsan and passed out Of the
oak grove and reached the border of
the lake. There they turned off to
little path leading to the highroad to
Epinay. where we lost the traces in
the newly macadamized highway.
1--WE went back to the chateau and
parted at the courtyard. We met
again. however, In Daddy Jacques
room, to which our separate trains OF
thinking had led us both. We found
the old servant in bed. His clothes or
the chair were wet through and his
boots very muddy. He certainly die
not get into that state In helping us
to carry the body of the keeper. II
was not raining then. Then his face
showed extreme fatigue, and he looked
at us out Of terror stricken eyes.
"On pressing him he confessed tina
he had been away from the chateau
He explained his absence by saying
that he had headache and went ou
into the fresh air, but had gone nj
farther than the oak grove. When W,
then described to him the whole rout
he had followed he sat up in bed trem
bling.
"And you were not alone! crie'
Larsan.
"'Did you see it, thenT gasped Dad
dy Jacques.
"'WhatT asked.
"'The phantom-the black phantom!'
''Then he told us that for severa
nights he had seen what he called tn
black phantom. 1t came into the par
at the stroke of midnight and glide
stealthily through the trees. 1t az
peared to him to pass through th
trunks Of the trees. Twice he had see
It from his window by the light of th
moon and had risen and followed th
strange apparition. The night befor
last he had almost overtaken 1t, bl
It had vanished at the corner of tt
donjon. Last night, however. he ha
not left the chateau. his mind bein
disturbed by a presentiment that SON
new crime would be attempted. SUI
denly he saw the black phantom rus
out from somewhere in the middle I
the court. He followed 1t to the lal
and to the highroad to Epinay. whel
the phantom suddenly disappeared.
"'Did you see his faceT demand'
y Larsan.
"'No. I saw nothing but black veil
"Did you 60 out after what pass
on the galleryr
"T could not was terrified
Daddy Jacques said in thres
enlng voice, you uIu not ioio" H.
and the phantom walked to Epinay
gether, arm in ARM
"'No,' he cried. turning his ey
away; 4 did not. 1t came on to POI
and turned back. don't know wh
became Of the black phantom
"We left him, and when we we
outside l turned to Larsan. looki
him full in the face. and put my qu'
ton suddenly to take him of his guar
"'An accomplicer
"'How can tellT he replied and j
me. saying he was of to Epinay."
'well, what do you make OF ftF
asked Rouletabille after he had end
his recital. Personally am utterly
the dark can't make anything out
It. What do you gather"
Everything. everything" he
claimed. But" he said abruptly. "le
flnd out further about Mile. Stang
aon"