Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-16
The Mystery of
 the Yellow Room By GASTON LEROUX

precipitate a tragedy more terrible than that which had already been en- acted here? Who can tell if 1t might not mean her death? Yet it had brought her close to death. and we still knew nothing. or, rather, there are some of us who know nothing. But Tiff l knew who, l should know all. Who? Who? Not knowing who. I must remain silent out of pity for her. For there is no doubt that she knows how ne escaped from the yellow room. When know who l will speas to him--to him.
 "She looked at us now, with far away look in her eyes. as if we were not in the chamber. NJ. Stangerson broke the silence He declared that. henceforth. he would no more absent himself from his daughters apart ments. She tried to oppose him in vain He adhered firmly to his pur- pose. He would install himself there this very night. he said. Solely con cerned for the health of his daughter, he reproached her for having left her bed. Then he suddenly began talking to her as if she were a little child. He smiled at her and seemed not to know either what he said or what he did. The iIustrious professor had lost his head Mile Stangerson in a tone of tender distress said. Father. father, Daddy Jacques blows his nose. and
 Frederic Iarsan himself is obliged to turn away 10 hide his emotion. For
 myself. am able neither to think or
 feel l felt contempt for myself. Tt was the first time that Frederic
 Iarsan. like myself found himself fnce to face with Mile. Stangerson since the attack in the yellow room. Like me. he had insisted on being al- lowed to question the unhappy lady, but he had not, any more than had l,
 been permitted. To him. as to me. the same answer had always been given: Mile. Stangerson was too weak to re- ceive us. The questionings of the ex- amining magistrate had oyerfatigued her. It was evidently intended not to give us any assistance in our re- |
 Frederic Larson had always resented this conduct It is true that he and l had totally different theory of the crime. still catch myself repeating
 from the depths of my heart: Save
 her. Save her without his speaking!
 Who is he-the murderer? Take him and shut his mouth. But M. Darzac l made 1t clear that in order to shut his
 mouth he must be killed. Have l the right to kill Mile. Stangerson's mur- terer? No, I had not. But let him only give me the chance! Let me find out whether he is really creature of
 flesh and blood. Let me see his dead
 body, since it cannot be taken alive. If I could but make this woman, who does not even look at us, under stand. She is absorbed by her fears and by her fathers distress of mind.
 And can do nothing to save her. Yes, I will go to work once more and ac- complish wonders.
 "I move toward her. l would speak
 70 her. I would entreat her to have confidence in me. would. in a word, make her understandable alone-that
 1 know how the murderer escaped from the yellow room. that l have guessed the motives for her secrecy,
 and that I pity her with all my heart.
 But by her gestures she begged us to
 leave her alone, expressing weariness and the need for immediate rest. NJ. Stangerson asked us to go back to our rooms and thanked us. Frederic Lar
 san and bowed to him, and. followed by Daddy Jacques, we regained the gallery. l heard Larsan murmur:
 Strange. Stranger He made sign
 to me to go with him into his room.
 On the threshold he turned toward
 Daddy Iacc'--
 (To be continued)