Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-01-12

when did he come the last time, as
far as you known
"a week before the attempt in the
yellow room"
Rouletabille put another question.
tits time addressing himself particular
~ to the woman:
I'm the grove Of the parquet?"
I'm the grove Of the parquet" she
replied.
"Thanksw said Rouletabnle. "Be
ready for me this evening"
He spoke the last words with finger
on his lips as If to command silence
and discretion.
We left the park and took the way
to the Donjon inn.
"Do you often eat hereT'
Sometimes"
"But you also take your meals at the
chateau?"
Eyes, Larsan and 1 are sometimes
served in one of our rooms"
Hasn't M. Stangerson ever invited
you to his own tablet"
Never"
"Does yonr presence at the chateau
displease him%
II don't know; but, in any case, he
does not make us feel that we are in
his way"
Doesn't he question your
"Never. he is in the same state of
mind as he was in at the door of the
yellow room when his daughter was
being murdered and when he broke
open the door and did not find the
murderer. He is persuaded since he
! could discover nothing that there's no
reason why we should be able to dis
! cover more than he did. But he has
made it his duty since Larsan ex-
pressed his theory not to oppose u.s."
Rouletabille buried himself in thought
again for some time. He aroused him /
self later to tell me of how he came to !
set the two concierges free.
Il went lately to see NJ. Stangerson !
and took with me a piece Of paper on |
which was written, I promise, what
ever others may say, to keep in my
service my two faithful servants, Der
nier and his wife l explained to him
that by signing that document he
would enable me to compel those two
people to speak out, and I declared
my own assurance of their innocence
OF any part in the crime. That was
also his opinion. The examining mag
tstrate after it was signed presented
the document to the Berniers, who
then did speak. They said what l was
certain they would say as soon as they
were sure they would not lose their ,
places.
"They confessed to poaching on NJ
Stangerson's estates and it was while !
they were poaching, on the night of r
the crime, that they were found not far <
from the pavilion at the moment when [
the outrage was being committed
Some rabbits they caught in that way
were sold by them to the landlord Of
the Donjon inn, who served them to
his customers or sent them to Paris
That was the truth, as | had guessed +
from the first. Do you remember what
/ said on entering the Donjon inn? :
We shall have to eat red meat-nowr |
I had heard the words on the same 7
morning when we arrived at the park
gate. You heard them also, but you 1
did not attach any Importance to them.
You recollect when we reached the 7
park gate that we stopped to look at a =
man who was running by the side of l
the wall, looking every minute at his
watch. That was Larsan. Well, be
hind us the landlord of the Donjon inn
on his doorstep, said to some
one inside, we shall have to eat red
meat-now.'
why that 'nowr When you are as
am, in search Of some hidden secret,
you can't afford to have anything es-
cape you. You've got to know the
meaning Of everything We had come
into a rather out of the way part of
the country which had been turned
topsy turvy by a crime, and my reason
led me to suspect every phrase that
could bear upon the event of the day.
Now / took to mean, since the out
rage. In the course OF my inquiry,
therefore, / sought to find relation
between that phrase and the tragedy.
We went to the Donjon inn for break
fast. ! repeated the phrase and saw
by the surprise and trouble on Daddy |
Matthew's face that had not exagger-
ated its importance so far as he was
concerned.
Il had just learned that the con
clerges had been arrested. Daddy |
Matthew spoke of them as Of dear
friends-people for whom one is sorry
That was a reckless conjunction OF
ideas. ] said to myself Now, that
the cOncierges are arrested, we shall
have to eat red meat No more con-
oierges, no more game! The hatred ex-
pressed by Daddy Matthew for NJ,
Stangersons forest keeper-a hatred
he pretended was shared by the con
cierges-led me easily TO think Of
poaching Now, as all the evidence
] oh tHo. o,rnfor.rao Nod ,.nk l,a,. "a,