The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-02-20

However, a cab was waiting for me
and l was soon at the Chandler. No.
body was at the gate, and it was only
on the threshold of the chateau that
l met the young man. He saluted me
with a friendly gesture and threw his
arms about me, inquiring warmly as
to the state of my health.
When we were in the little sitting
room of which l have spoken Roule-
tabille made me sit down.
Its going badly" he said.
whats going badly?" asked.
Everything"
He came nearer to me and whis
pered:
Frederic Larsan is working with
might and main against Darzac."
This did not astonish me. l had seen
the poor show Mile Stangerson's fiance
had made at the time Of the examina.
ton of the footprints. However, i'm.
medlately asked:
"What about that canef'
at is still in the hands of Frederic
Larsan. He never let's go of It."
"But doesn't it prove the alibi for
NJ. Darzac?'
"Not at all. Gently questioned by
me, Darzac denied having on that
evening or on any other purchased a
cane at Cassette's. However" said
Rouletabille, "I'll not swear to any
thing. M. Darzac has such strange
fits Of silence that one does not know
exactly what to think Of what he
says"
"To Frederic Larsan this cane must
mean piece Of very damaging evi-
dence. But in what way? The time
when 1t was bought shows 1t could
not have been in the murderers pos
session"
'The time doesn't worry Larsan. He
Is not obliged to adopt my theory,
which assumes that the murderer got
into the yellow room between and @
o'clock. There's nothing to prevent
him assuming that the murderer got In
between 10 and II o'clock at night. At
that hour M. and Mile. Stangerson, as
sisted by Daddy Jacques, were engag-
ed in making an interesting chemical
experiment In the part of the labora-
tory taken up by the furnaces. Larsan
says, unlikely as that may seem, that
the murderer may have slipped behind
them. He has already got the examin-
ing magistrate to listen to him. When
one looks closely into 1t the reasoning
is absurd, seeing that the intimate
If there is one-must have known that
the professor would shortly leave the
pavilion and that the friend had only
to put off operating till after the pro-
fessor's departure. Why should he
have risked crossing the laboratory
while the professor was in It? And
then when he had got into the yellow
| room
There are many points to be cleared
up before Larsans theory can be ad.
mitted. l shan't waste my time ovel
1t, for my theory won't allow me to
occupy myself with mere Imagination
Only, as / am obliged for the moment
to keep silent, and Larsan sometimes
talks, he may finish by coming out
openly against M. Darzac If I'm moi
there" added the young reporter
proudly, "for there are surface evi
dences against Darzac much more con
vincing than the cane which remain
incomprehensible to me. all the more
so as Larsan does not In the least hesi
tate to let Darzac see him with 1t.
understand many things In Larsan's
theory. but l can't make anything Of
that cane"
"ls he still at the chateauW
"Yes. He hardly ever quits It. III,
sleeps there, as | do. at the request O.
NJ. Stangerson, who has done for hin
what NJ. Robert Darzac has done fo
me. In spite Of the accusation mad,
by Larsan that NJ. Stangerson know
who the murderer Is, he yet afford
him every facility for arriving at th
truth, just as Darzac Is doing for me.
"But you are convinced Of Darzac'
innocenceW
"At one time did believe IN the pos
sibillty Of his guilt. That was whei
; we arrived here for the first time. Tn
time has come for me to tell you wha
has passed between NJ. Darzac an,
myself"
CONTINUED next week.