The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-03-27
The Mystery of
The I elbow Room
By GAsToN LERoUx \. 'o,sRH''ri sr l'ss sszarAsos
By GASTON LEROUX
COaYRu lit. 1908.
BY BRENTANO'S

lcry bv any other way than the of
turning gallery you will zee him before
| shall, because you have a view along
the whole length of the right gallery;
while | can only command a view OF
the off turning gallery. All you need
do to let me know is to undo the cord
holding the curtain of the right gal
lery window nearest to the dark clos
et The curtain will fall of itself and
Immediately leave square of shadow
where previously there had been a
square of light. To do this you need
but stretch your hand out of the closet.
l shall understand your signal per-
fectly."
And thenr
'Then you will see me coming round
the corner of the off turning gallery"
What am to do then?"
you will Immediately come toward
me, behind the man, but 1 shall al
ready be upon him and shall have seen
his face"
l attempted feeble smile.
"Why do you smile? Well, you may
smile while you have the chance, but
swear you'll have no time for that
few hours from now''
"And If the man escapes"
$50 much the BETTER" said Roule-
tabille coolly. 81 don't want to cap
ture him, He may take himself off
any way he can. | will let him go
after / have seen his face. That's all
want. shall know afterward what
to do, so that as far as Mile. Stanger-
son is concerned he shall be dead to
her even though he continues to live.
If 1 took him alive Mile. Stangerson
and Robert DaFzae would perhaps
never forgive me. And | wish to re-
tain their good will and respect.
Seeing, as | have just now seen,
Mile. Stangerson pour narcotic into
her fathers glass, so that he might
not be awake to interrupt the conyer-
sation she is going to have with her
assaiiant. you can imagine she would
not be grateful to me If brought the
man of the yellow room and the mex
piicsble gallery bound and gagged to
her father. realize now that If !
am to save the unhappy lady l must
silence the man and not capture him.
To kill human being is no small
thing. Besides, that's not my business
unless the man himself makes it my
business, On the other hand, to render
him forever silent without the lady's
assent and confidence Is to act on ones
own initiative and assume a knowledge
Of everything with nothing for basis.
Fortunately, my friend. have guessed
no, have reasoned 1t all out. All
that ask of the man who is coming
tonight is to bring me his face so that
1t may enter
iiIntQ the circle3'
Exactly And his face won't sur.
prise me!''
"But / thought you saw his face on
the night when you sprang into the
chamber?"
HQnly imperfectlyf The candls was
on the floor. and his beard
"Will he wear his beard this even
ing?"
II think can say for certain that he
will. But the gallery is light and now
! know-or at least my brain knows
ard my eyes will see."
"If we are here only to see him and
let him escape, why are we armed"
Because, If the man of the yellow
room and the inexplicable gallery
knows that-I know, he Is capable Of
doing anything! We should then have
to defend ourselves"
"And you are sure he will come to-
night?'
"As sure as that you are standing
there! This morning, at half past 10
o'clock, Mile. Stangerson, in the clever
est way in the world, arranged to have
no nurses tonight. She gave them
leave of absence for twenty -four hours,
under some plausible pretexts, and did
not desire anybody to be with her but
her father, while they are away. Her
father, who is to sleep in the boudoir
has gladly consented to the arrange
ment. Darzac's departure and what
he told me. as we'll as the extraor-
dinary precautions Mile. Stangerson Is
taking to be alone tonight, leaves me no
room for doubt. She has prepared the
way for the coming Of the man whom
Darzac dreads,"
"And what we saw her do was done
to send her father to sleepT'
"Yes"
Then there are but two Of us for
tonight's work?"
-Four; the concierge and his wife
will watch at all hazards. l don't set
much value on them before, but the
concierge may be useful. after, II
there's to be any killingp'
'Then you think there may be?"
"If he wishes It,"
"why haven't you brought in Daddy
Jacques? Have you made no use Of
him todayT
NO" replied Rouletabille sharply.
/ kept silence for awhile; then, anx-
Ious to know his thoughts, asked him
point blank:
''Why not tell Arthur Rance? He
may be Of great assistance to usT'
"Oh," said Rouletabille Grossly,
"then you want to let everybody into
Mile. Stangerson's secretsf Come, let