The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-03-04

porter. 1.-The key with a brass head
Is not this the key? This advertise
meut interested me specially; the wo-
man Of the key surrounded it with a
kind Of mystery. Evidently she valued
The key since she promised "A big re-
ward for It's restoration. And l thought
ON these six letters. M. A. L. II. :. y.
The first four ut 0nce pointed TO a
Chris ian name. evidently, | said,
Math is Mathilde. But l could make
nolhing OF The Two last letters. SO |
threw the Journal aside and occupied
myself with other matters -Four days
later when the evening paper appear
ed with enormous headline announc-
Ing The attack on Mile Stangerson the
letters in the advertisement mechan-
ically REQUIRED to me ! had forgotten
the two last letters, = \. When |
saw them again | could not help ex.
claiming. 'StangerSOn!' I jumped into
a cab and rushed into the bureau No.
80 asking, Have You a letter addressed
TO NJ. \. +. II. s. NJ The clerk re-
Piled that he had not. ! insisted. beg
XVI anu fAlAlftttu III W othNNS ~
wanted to know IL I we're playing a
Joke on him and then told me that he
had had Il letter with the initials NJ. A..
I. III. S. ~, but he had given it up
, three days ago 10 a lady who came for
il. You come today to claim the let
ter, aud the day before yesterday an
other gentleman claimed 1t. I've had
enough Of this he concluded angrily.
I tried to question him as to the two
persons who had already claimed the
letter, but whether he wished to en-
trench himself behind professional Sc
crecy-he may have thought that he
had already said too much-Or whether
he was disguised at the Joke that had
been played on him he would not an
swer any Of my questions"
"Then 1t Is almost certain" said NJ.
S%tangerson, that my daughter did
lose the key. and that she did not tell
me Of 1t, wishing to spare any anxiety,
and that she begged whoever had
found 1t TO write to the poste restante.
She evidently feared that, by giving
our address, inquiries would have re-
suited that would have apprised me
Of the loss Of the key. 1t was quite
logical, quite natural, for her TO have
taken that course-for I have been
robbed once before"
where was that. and whenT' asked
the police chief.
"Oh, many years ago, in America, in
Philadelphia. There were stolen from
my laboratory the drawings Of two in
ventions hat might have made the
fortune Of a man. Not only have !
never learned who the thief was, but |
have never heard even a word of the
object of the robbery, doubtless be-
cause In order to defeat the plans Of
the person who had robbed me l my
self brought these two inventions be-
fore the public and so rendered the
robbery Of no avail. From that time
on ! have been very careful to shut
myself In when | am at work. The
bars to these windows, the lonely stu
alton Of this pavilion. this cabinet,
which ! had specially constructed, this
special lock, this unique key, all are
precautions against fears inspired by
a sad experience"
Most interesting"" remarked NJ
Dax.
NJ. Rou!etabille asked about the reti-
Guile. Neither NJ. Stangerson nOr Dad
dy Jacques had seen 1t for several
days. but q few hours later we learned
from Mile. Stangersop herself that the
Ll &c.,
her or she had lost 1t. She further
corroborated all that had passed just
as her father had stated. She had
gone to the poste restante and, on the
23d OF October. had received a letter
which, she affirmed. contained nothing
but n vulgar pleasantly, which she
bad Immediately burned,
To return to our examination, or.
| rather. to our conversation. | must
state that the chief Of police. having IN
quired of VI. StanCerson under Whaf
| conditions his daughter had gone 10
Paris on the o0th Of October. we learn
ed that NJ. Robert DarZac had accom-
panied her. and Darzac had not been
again seen nj the chateau from th0t
time until the day after the crime had
been committed. The fact that NJ. Oar
FAC was with her in the department
store when the ~rcticule disappeared
| could not pass unnoticel and. 1t must
be said. strongly awakened our In
terest.
This conversation between magis-
trates. accused. victim. witnesses and
Journalist was coming 10 a close when
quite a theatrical sensation-an Incl
dent Of a kind displeasing to NJ. de
Marquet-wa vas produced. The officer Of
the gendarmes came to that
Frederic Larsan requested to be ad-
mitted-a request that was at n
complied with. He held In his hand q
heavy pair Of muddy boots. which he
threw on the pavement Of the iabora.
tory.
Here" he said. ARE the boots worn
by the murderer. Do you recognize
them. Daddy J~acQuesT"
Daddy Jacques bent over them and.
stupe6ed. recognized n pair Of old boots
which he had some time back thrown
into q corner of his attic. He was so
90 -