The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-03-06

went out together by little back
door into the park and stole along the
chateau to the point which is just be-
low Mile. Stangerson's window.
Il placed Daddy Jacques against
the wall, ordering him not to stir
from the spot, while /, taking advan-
tage of moment when the moon was
hidden by cloud, moved to the front
Of the window out of the patch of
light which came from it, for the win
dow was half open. If l could only
know what was passing in that silent
chamber! l returned to Daddy Jacques
and whispered the word ladder in his
ear. At first l had thought of the
tree which Il week ago served me for
an observatory, but Immediately saw
that from the way the window was
half opened should not be able to see
from that point Of view anything that
was passing in the room, and l want
ed not only to see, but to hear, and to
act.
Greatly agitated, almost trembling,
Daddy Jacques disappeared for mo-
luSul anu Ietulh WlluOuI luc luuuCl,
but making signs to me with his arms
as signals to me to come quickly to
him. When got near him he gasped,
Come!
"He led me round the chateau, past
the donjon. Arrived there, he said:
"T went to the donjon in search of
my ladder, and in the lower part Of the
| donjon which serves me and the gar
| dener for lumber room | found the
door open and the ladder gone. On
coming out that's what l caught sight
Of by the light of the moon
"And he pointed to the farther end
Of the chateau, where ladder stood
resting against the stone brackets sup
| porting the terrace, under the window
which l had found open. The projec-
ton Of the terrace had prevented my
seeing 1t. Thanks to that ladder, 1t
was quite easy to get into the off turn
ing gallery of the first floor, and had
no doubt Of 1t having been the road
taken by the unknown.
I'VE ran to the ladder, but at the
aloment of reaching 1t Daddy Jacques
drew my attention to the half oper
door of the little semicircular room
situated under the terrace at the ex
tremity of the right wing of the cha
teau, having the terrace for its roof
Daddy Jacques pushed the door open 6
little farther and looked in.
"'He's not therer he whispered,
"'Who is not thereT
"'The forest keeper
"With his lips once more to my cal
he added:
"'Do you know that he has slept IL
the upper room Of the donjon eve
since it was restoredT And with tn,
same gesture he pointed to the hal
open door, the ladder, the terrace an'
the window in the off turning gal
lery, which little while before | hat
reclosed
"What were my thoughts then?
had no time to think. / felt more thai
I thought.
= Evidently felt If the forest keepe
7 Is up there in the chamber q say
e because at this moment. apart iron
}. the presence of the ladder and his va
q cant room, there are no evidence
5 which permit me even to suspect him
y If he is there he has been obliged I
: pass by the ladder, and the room
r which lie behind his in his new loda
r Ing are occupied by the family of tn
e steward and by the cook and by tn
r kitchens. which bar the way by th
| uacfihnIa fn thn fntnrtnr nf fha obs
|, teau, And If he had been there durin
L the evening on any pretext it woul
d have been easy for him to go into tn
d gallery and see that the window coul
=, be simply pushed open from the ou
8 side. This question Of the unfastene
,r window easily narrowed the field {
# search for the murderer. He must b.
n long to the house unless he had an a.
k complice, which / do not believe
,r had; unless-unless Mile. Stangerso
n herself had seen that that window VIZ
,t not fastened from the inside, Blu
IS then, what could be the frlghtful 5
10 cret which put her under the necessit
to of doing away with obstacles that Sc
O. arated her from the murderer?
t? II seized hold Of the ladder. and v
Of returned to the back of the chateau
q see II the window Of the chamber w
r. still half open. The blind was draw
but did not Join and allowed brig
ne stream Of light to escape and fall upc
n the path at our feet. / planted Il
IN ladder under the window. / am ;
Id most sure that / made no noise, al
Sc while Daddy Jacques remained at t
co foot Of the ladder l mounted 1t We
81. quietly, my stout stick in my han
! held my breath and lifted my fe
ed with the greatest care. Suddenly
nd heavy cloud discharged itself at tn
nv moment In O fresh downpour Of rain
or "At the same instant the sinister c
m Of the Bette du Bon Dieu arrested
"a In my ascent. 1t seemed to me to ha
come from close by me. only a Il
ia yards away. Was the cry signi
,ot Had some accomplice Of the man sc
IA me on the ladder? Would the {
od bring the man to the window? z
eu haps. All. there he was at the windo
IN felt his head above me. l heard
q, sound Of his breath, l could not IL
on up toward him. The least movem'