Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-02-25


Como TO the Chandler by the earliest
train. Bring rcvolvcrs. Frendlv greet
tngs. ROCLETAIILLE.
! had not heard from him for a
week, nor Of the progress made with
that mysterious case. except Ivy the In.
Vulnerable paragraphs in the ncwspa.
pers and by the very brief notes Of
Rouletabile in the Epoouc Those
notes had divulced the fact hat traces
of human blood had been found on
the mutton bone as well a. fresh
traces of the blood Of Mile. Stranger
son The old stains belonged TO- other
crimes. probably dacnE years back.
I. may be easily imagin,i that the
crime engaged the attention Of the
pres throughout the world. No crime
known had moro absorbed the minds
of peo2e. 1t appeared 10 me- how
ever, that the iudicia. inquiry was
making but very littll procrc5S. ana l
shoul3 have been ver' elaG if, on the
receipt of my friends inVtaiio. to re.
toin him at the Chandler tho dispatch
had not contained the words. Bring
revolvers'
That puzzled me greatly Rouieta-
bile telecraphing for reviewers meant
that there might he occasion TO use
them Now. confess 1t without
shame. l am not hero. But here
was friend evidently in danger call
ing on me to 60 to his aid 7 did not
hesitate long. and after assuring my
self that the only revolver | possessed
was properly loaded I hurried toward
the Orleans station. On the way
remembered that Rouletabille had
asked for two revolvers therefore
entered n gunsmiths shop and bought
an excellent weapon for my friend
! had hoped 10 find him NJ the sta.
ton AT Epinay. but he was not there.
However, a cab was waiting for me.
and l was scon at the Chandler. No.
body was a. the gate, and ii was only
on the threshold of the chateau that
] met the young man. He salured me
with a friendly gesture and threw his
arms about me. inquiring warmly as
to the state of my health.
When we were in the little sitting
room Of which ] have spoken Roule.
tabille made me sit down.
IT'S going badly he said.
"What's going badly" ] asked,
"Everything.
pered:
Frederic L.arsan is working with
might and main against DarZac'
This did not astonish me. had seen
the poor show Mile. Stangerson's iianco
had made at the time of the cXamina
ton Of the footprints. However, i'm
mediately asked:
What about that cane:'
ut is still in the hands Of Frederic
Larsan. He never let's 20 of it."
But doesn't it prove the alibt fol-
NJ. Darzacf"
Not at all Gently questioned by
NE, Darzac denied having on that
cane at Cassettc's. However," said
Rouletabills, IN not swear to any
thing. NJ. Dar2ac has such strange
fits O. silers. that one does not know
exactly whas 10 think Of what he
says
ITO Frederi, Larsan this cane mus,
mean = piece of ver.- damaging evi
dence. But in whas way! The time
when it was bought shows it could
not have been in the murderer's pos
session"
"The time doesn't worry Larsan. HI
Is not obliged 10 adopt my theory
which assumes that the murderer go
into the yellow room between and
o'clock. There's nothing to proven
him assuming that the murderer got il
between 10 and i o'clock at night. 4
that hour NJ and Mile. Stangerson, as
sisted by Daddy Jacques, We're engag
ed IN making an interesting cbemica
experiment In the part of the labora
tory taken up by the furnaces. Larsal
says, unlikely as that may seem. tina
the murderer may have slipped behin(
them. He has already got the examin
ing magistrate to listen to him. Whel
one looks closely into it the rcasonin.
Is absurd, seeing that the 'iutimate'-
If there is one must have known tina
y
pavilion and that the friend had onl,
to put off operating till after the pro
fessor's departure. Why should h.
have risked crossing the laboratOr,
while the professor was in II? Ant
then when he had got into the yellow
room
There are many points to be cleare'
up before Larsan's theory can be ad
mitted. | shan't waste my time owe
It, for my theory won't allow me t
occupy myself with mere Imagination
Only, as I am obliged for the momen
TO keep silent, and Larsan sometime
talks, he may finish by coming on
openly against NJ. Darzac if I'm no
there" added the young rcporte
pEoudi;', Tor there are surface ev
dences against Darznc much more cor
vincing than the cnnc nul,n ......
incomprehcnsible to me, all the NOR
so rs Larsan does not in the least hes
tate to let Darzac see him with it.
understand many things in Larsan'
theory, but l can't make anything o
that cane"
SIS he still Mt tho chateauf"
"Yes. He hardly ever quits 1t. Ii
sleeps there, as do, at the request q
n. Stangerson. who has done for hl
what N. Robert Darzac has done f.
me. In spite OF the accusaU ton mad
by Larsan that NJ StangerAn know
who the murderer IS, he got AFFORD
him every facility FOR arriving at o.