Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-04-24

MOI WOTu, SlT
There can be no harm in telling
you this much, at any rate" NJ. Louis
continued smoothly. Your master.
through no fault of his own. got mixed
up in Q very unpleasant affair in Paris.
and he will have to appear in the
courts there. | am his friend and wish
to do all that I can to help him. We
have been talking the matter over. and
! have strongly advised him TO pro-
duce some papers which think will
help him materially. The police officer
in whose charge he is would not allow
him to return. so he handed me his
keys and asked me to fetch them.
can assure you that am your masters
friend and wish to do all that l can to
help him. If he had not trusted me,
he would not have given me his keys.
which no doubt you recognize"
Groves reluctantly stood on one side.
Il suppose must let you in. sir" he
said. ''but wish that the master had
sent me line
I'VE had neither pencil nor paper"
NJ. Louis said. "and the affair was
by 8 O'Clock"
Il will prepare the coffee, sir"
Groves said, turning away. IF you
require more light the switches are
behind the door,
Every good" NJ. Louis said. You
need not have the slightest anxiety. |
am here on your masters behalf
cd n
moment curiously around the room.
He seemed rs though he had something
| else to say. but checked himself at the
last moment and withdrew. NJ. Louis
| drew little breath of relief.
He did not Immediately proceed to
work He threw off his overcoat and
lit cigarette. His fingers were
steady enough bat he was conscious
| Of an unwonted sense of excitement.
He was face to face with destiny. lie
had played before for great stakes.
bat never such as these. y single false
! step, an evil turn i'll the wheel OF for
tune spelled death. and he was afraid
to die. lie moved to the side6oarl.
Everything there was as they had let
| it. re poured out some brandy and
/ drank it OF.
With fresh courage he moved to the
safe, which stood in the corner Of the
room. It must be there, if anywhere,
that this precious document lay. He
tried his keys one by one. st last he
found the right one. The great door
swung slowly open.
! He was spared all anxiety. There OIL
the top of Il pile of legal looking docu
ments leases, title deeds and the like
was long envelope, and across it i!
] Duncombe's sprawlinS writing these
few words, Entrusted to me by Miss
i Poynton.-Sept. 18th"
II He grasped it in his fingers and tore
i open the envelope. AS he read the sin
gle page of closely written writing hi:
eyes seemed almost to protrude. liz
gave little gasp. No wonder there
I; We're those who reckoned this sinSl,
page of manuscript worth great for
: tune. Every sentence, every word, tolt
its own story. 1t was a page of tn;
worlds history.
Then strange thing happened
Some part of him rebelled against thu
instinct which prompted him to care
fully fold and place in his breast peck
, ct this wonderful find of his. Hi
nerves seemed suddenly frozen in hi
body. There was curious numb sen
sation at the back OF his neck which
forbade him to turn round. His hand
shook, his teeth chartered. The swea
of death was upon his forehead an,
despair in his heart. He had heart
nothing, seen nothing, yet he knew
that he was no longer alone.
When at last he turned round h
turned his whole body. The muscle
knees shook and his face was ghastly
NJ. Louis of the Cafe Montmartrt
brave of tongue and gallant of bearing
had suddenly collapsed. Nj. Louis, tn
drug sodden degenerate of a famil
whose mobiles had made gay the seal
: folds of the Place de la Republiqu'
= covered in his place.
1t was the worst upon which b
= looked with chattering teeth, but will
out surprise. The door of the inne
= room was open, and upon the threshol
= stood Toqnet. small, dark and satu
ninc-Toquet, with something whic
glittered IN his hand, so that NJ. Loui
y already the prey Of diseased an
a CHASTITY imagination, felt the pain
J. the bullet in his heart. On an cas-
chair by the fireSide Henri de Bergilla
was lounging. with queer smile upo
: his lips.
: MY friend" he said quietly, thouG
the sccrn which underlay his wore
) seemed to bite the air, you have sol
ed for us Il double problem. First. no
to account for the absence of our hos
and. secondly, how to open that veI
Il formidable looking safe. You will
so good as to place upon the table til;
h document which you hold In 70,
4 hands"
H. For single second NJ. Louis hesita
ed. Some lingering vestige of cou
age. purel! hereditary. showed him
one lightning-like fash how at least
might carr with him to swift gra,