The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-02-19
COPYRIGHT, 1908.
nv nRENT MOS

1 Mile. Stangerson, very nervous and
careful, M. Robert Darzac told me,
sees to her own safety since she has
been well enough to move about IN her
room, which have not yet seen her
leave. This nervousness and sudden
care on her part, which had struck
NJ. DarSac, had given me also food for
thought. At the time Of the crime in
the yellow room there can be no doubt
that she expected the murderer. Was
he expected this night? Was 1t she
herself who had opened her door to
him? Had she some reason for do
ing SO? Was she obliged to do It?
Was It meeting for purposes Of
crime? Certainly 1t was not lovers
meeting for believe Mile. Stanger-
son adores NJ. Darzac.
ut is possible that there was some
reason for the awful silence. My in
terveDtion might do more harm than
good. How could l tell? How could
/ know might not any moment cause
another crime? If l could only see
and know without breaking that ST.
lence.
! IL left the anteroom and descended
the central stairs to the vestibule and
as silently as possible made my way
to the little room Oh the ground floor
where Daddy Jacques had been sleep
| ing Since the attack made at the pa
vilion.
Il found him dressed, his eyes wide
open, almost haggard. He did not
seem surprised to see me. He told
, me that he had got up because he had
heard the cry of the Bette du Bon Dieu
and because he had heard footsteps in
the park close TO his window, out of
| which he had looked and just then
had seen Il black shadow pass by.
asked him whether he had fircaIm
of any kind. No, he no longer kept
one since the examining magistrate
had taken his revolver from him. We
went out together by little back
door into the park and stole along the
chateau to the point which is Just be-
low Mile. StangersOns 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 ii, for the Win
dow was half open. If | could only
know what was passing in that silent
chamber! | returned to Daddy Jacques
and whispered the word ladder in his
ear. At first had thought of the
tree which 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 | want
ed not only to see, but to hear, and to
act
Greatly agitated, almost trembling.
Daddy Jacques disappeared for ii mo
ment and returned without the ladder.
but making signs TO me with his arms
as signals to me TO come quickly TO
him. When l got near him he gasped,
Gomez
"He led me round the chateau, past
the donjon. Arrived there, he said:
az went to the donjon in search Of
my ladder, and In the lower part of the
donion which serves me and the gar
dener for lumber room i 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 a ladder stood
resting against the stone brackets sup
porting the terrace, under the window
which bad found open. The projec-
ton of the terrace had prevented my
seeing it. Thanks TO that ladder, ii
was quite easy to get into the off turn
ing gallery Of the first floor. and l had
no doubt of II having been the road
takeTt by the unknown.
I'VE ran to the ladder, but at the
moment of reaching it Daddy Jacques
drew my attention to the half open
door of the little semiclrcular 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 a
little farther and looked in
He's not there! he whispered.
WHO is not there?'
1.-The forest keeper
with his lips once more to my ear
he added:
DO you know that he has slept I'm
the upper room Of the dOnjon ever
since it was restored?' And with the
same gesture he pointed to the half
open door, the ladder the terrace ana
the window in the off turning gal
lery, which a little while before had
reclosed
What were my thoughts then? |
had no time to think. / felt more than
l thought.
Evidently l felt II the forest keeper
is up there IN the chamber q say IL
because at this moment. apart from
the presence OF the ladder and his va
cant room, there are no evidences
which permit me even 10 suspect HIM
If he is there he has been obliged to
pass by. the ladder, and the rooms
which lie behind his In his new lodg-
Ing are occupied by the family Of the
steward and by the cook and by the
kitchens, which bar the way by the
vestibule to the interior Of the cha
teau. And If he had been there during
the evening on any pretext It would
have been enev for him IN 90 into tho