Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-02-11

anu lie puSIl'u open IHP SDlVIpIs
The pale daylight entered from with.
out. throwing a sinister light or hS
saffron colorcd walls Tho floor for
though the labora tory and the yrStis
bule were tiled the yellow room had Q
flooring Of wood--was covered with
single yellow mat which was large
enough to cover nearly the whole
room. under The bed and under the
dressing table, the only piece of furnl.
ture that remained upright The cen.
ter round table the night table and
two chairs had been overturned. These
did not prevent large stain Of blood
being visible on the mat, made, as
Daddy Jacques Informed us. by the
blood which had flowed from the
wound on Mile. Stangerson forehead
Besides these stains drops of blood
had fallen In all directions in line
with the visible traces Of the foot.
steps. large and black, of the murder
or. Everything led 10 the presumption
that those drops Of blood had fallen
from the wound of the man who had
for moment placed his red hand on
the wall. There were other traces Of
the same hand on the wall. but much
less distinct.
"Sce-see this blood on the wall"
could not help exclaiming ",rhe man
who pressed his hand so heavily upon
1t in the darkness must certainly have
thought that he was pushing at a door.
That's why he pressed on it 50 hard,
leaving on the yellow paper the terri
bic evidence. | don't think there are
many hands in the world Of that sort.
It is big and strong. and the fingers
are nearly all ono as long as the other.
The thumb Is wanting. and we have
only the mark Of the palm. but If we
follow the trace of the hand" I con.
tinued. we see that after leaving its
imprint on the wall the touch sought
the door. found 1t and then felt for the
lock"
mo doubt" interrupted Rouletabille,
chuckling, only there IS no blood
either on the lock or on the bolt"
what does that prove" rejoined
with a good sense of which I was
proud. He might have opened the
lock with his left hand, which would
have been quite natural, his right hand
being wounded
HE didn't open It at all" Daddy
Jacques again exclaimed. "Wc are not
/ fools, and there were four of US when
we burst open the door"
What queer hand, Look what
! queer hand it is | said.
ut is very natural hand" said
/
been deformed by its having slipped
on the wall The man dried his hand
on the wall He must be man about
five feet eight in height
How do you come at that"
by the height OF the marks on the
wall"
My friend next occupied himself
with the mark of the bullet in the
wall. 1t was n round hole.
This ball was fred straight, not
from above, and consequently not
from below
Rouletabile went back to the door
and carefully examined the lock and
the bolt satisfying himself that the
door had certainly been burst open
from the outside, and. further. that
the key had been found in the lock on
| the inside of the chamber. He finally
satisfied himself that with the key IN
the lock the door could not possibly
/ be opened from without with another
/ key. Having made sure of all these
details. he let fall these words, That's
| better Then, sitting down on the
ground, he hastily took off his boots
and in his socks went into the room.
The fr-t thing he did was to exam
ine minutely the overturned furniture.
We watched him in silence.
Young fellow. you are giving your
self great deal of trouble" said Dad
dy Jacques Ironically.
Rouetabille raised his head and
said
You have spoken the simple truth,
Daddy jacques. Your mistress did
not have her hair in bands that even
ing. | was donkey TO have believed
she did"
Then with the suppleness Of ser
pent, he slipped under the bed. Pres
emily we heard him ask:
AT what time, NJ Jacques. did ".
! and Mile. Stangerson arrive at the
laboratory"
at Is o'clock"
The voice of Rouletabille continued:
Yes he's been under here that's
certain. In fact. there was nowhere
else where ne could have hidden him.
self. Here. too, are the marks of his
hobnails When you entered, all four
Of YOU. did you look under the bed?'
AT once. We drew it right out of It's
place"
And between the mattresses"
There was only ono on the bed and
on that mademoiselc was placed, and
! NJ. Stangerson and the concierge i'm
mediately carried it into the labora-
/ tory. Under the mattress there was
nothing but the metal netting which
/ could not conceal anything or any
body, Remember, monsieur, that there
were four Of US, and We couldn't fail
/ to see everything, the chamber is so
| small and scantily furnished. and all
was locked behind in the pavilion"
| ventured on hypothesis;
Perhaps he got away with the mat
tress-in the mattress Anything Is
possible In the face of such a mystery.
In their distress of mind NJ. Stanger-
son and the concierge may not have
noticed they were bearing double
! ,,xJ,t