The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-21
To be Continled.l

seemed m 1mmlnent danger or rallin E and crushing the heads of the passers- by Rouietabille asked Mime Edith If she had any objections to its being pulled down until it could be replaced more solidly.
 A good idea" she answered
 Rouletabille handed the ivory head ed cane to Darxac, asking him to per- form the feat of dislodging the stone which was part of a carved escutcheon, the shield of the Mortola.
 You are taller than l." he went on. -.See if yon can reach it"
 Darzac seized the stick He stretch cd upward and struck with great vigor {; at the object, which clsttered to the 7 ground
 Suddenly behind me I heard the cry of q man in his dying agony.
 We turned with one impulse, utter fng an exclamation of horror.
 We all stood there, shiTering. our : eyes wide with horror. Who was 9ead7 What expiring breath had emit ! Hsd that terrible soundf
 Rouletabille was the most terrified ef us all
 1fattoni, who was passing through Che gardsn and who had also heard the cry, rushed up. He hurried behind him.
 When we had passed the shade of N the eucalyptus we found the cause. &The cry had come, indeed, from a soul passing into the unknown It was
 ernier-Bernier, in whose throat
 kunded the death rattle, who was
 tng in vain to rise and who was at
 last gasp of his life. It was Ber-
 from whose breast flowed a
 fn of blood and who, with one last
 struggle, summoned strength
 to utter the two words Fred
 Isanr'
 s head fell back, and he was Gedu- Ezrsan- always, forever. Here yet again was his mark-a dead body and no one anywhere near who could have committed the murder by any possibility of human reason
 We rushed into the square tower, the door of which still stood open. We entered in a body the bedroom of Old Bob. passing through the empty sitting room The injured man was lying quietly on his bed within, and near him Ia woman was watching Mere Bernier. Both were as calm and Still as the day -tself. but when the wife of the dead concierge saw our faces she uttered a cry Of alright, as though smitten by the knowledge of some calamity. She had heard noth- ing: she knew nothing. But she rush. ed Into the air like a streak of light ming and went straight. as though im- pelled by some hidden force, directly to the place where the body was Iy- Ing.
 ] And now 1t was her groans that rounded on the air under the terrible sun of the Midi over the bleeding Lorpee. We tore the shirt from the dead mans breast and found a gaping wound just above the heart. | We looked for the weapon every where without finding it. The man who had struck the blow had carried the knife away. Where was the man? Who was he? What we did not know Bernier had known before he died. and if was perhaps because of that knowiedge that his life had been for 1etred- Frederic Larsanr' We re- peated the last words of the dying pnan in fear and trembling. Suddenly on the threshold Of the postern we saw Prince Galitch. newspaper in his hand. He was read Ing ss he came toward us. His air was toyfal. and his face wore a smile. But Mms- Edith rushed up to him, snatched the paper from his hands, pointed to the corpse and cried out: "A man has been murdered! Send for the policeF'
 The prince turned away from the body. stating that he would send for the authorities.
 Rouletabflle was examining the iron Oars and heavy lid which closed the shaft. but his manner was distrait and discouraged. Turning once more to his hostess, he said in the same low roice:
 : And what will you tell the police when they get here:''
 "EverythIngF'
 Mrs. Rance fairly snapped out the word between her teeth. her eyes flashing Ire. He seemed utterly ex- hausted and vanquished NJ. Darzac wanted to search through the square tower. the Tower of the Bold. the new castle. all the dependencies of the
 
 made his escape and where. therefore. the assassin must still be concealed. The reporter shook his head drearily and said that it would be of no use. Rouletabille and l knew only too we'll that any search would be in vain. No. no. l had learned that there was no use in looking for Larsan with ones eyes. To see clearly 1t was better to close the eyes. as RouletabilIe was doing at this moment.
 And when he opened them he was another man. A new energy animated his features. He stood erect as though he had thrown off a weight He clinched his fist and raised it toward the heavens.
 He threw himself on the ground. creeping on his hands and knees. his nose to the. earth. like hound follow ing the scent. going round the body of poor Bernier and around Mere Bernier. around the shaft. around each of us