Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1909-05-06

long to the house unless he had an &C
complete, which / do not believe he
had: un1ess-unless Mile. Stangerson
herself had seen that that window was
not fastened from the inside. But,
then. what could be the frightful Sc
cret which put her under the necessity
Of doing away with obstacles that sep
arated her from the murderer?
81 seized hold of the ladder, and we
returned to the back Of the chateau TO
see if the window Of the chamber was
still half open. The blind was drawn,
but did not join and allowed bright
stream of light to escape and fall upon
the path at our feet. planted the
ladder under the window. / am al
most sure that / made no noise, and
while Daddy Jacques remained at the
foot of the ladder | mounted it very
quietly, my stout stick in my hand.
I held my breath and lifted my feet
with the greatest care. Suddenly
heavy cloud discharged itself at that
moment in fresh doWnpour Of rain.
"At the same instant the sinister cry
of the Bette du Bon Dieu arrested me
in my ascent It seemed to me to have
come from close by me, only few
yards away. Was the cry signal2
Had some accomplice OF the man seen
me on the ladder? Would the cry
bring the man to the window? Per
haps. All, there he was at the WindoWi
I felt his head above me. heard the
sound Of his breath! I could not look
up toward him. The least movement
Of my head and might be lost. Would
he see me? Would he peer into the
darkness? No: he went away. He had
seen nothing / felt rather than heard
him moving on tiptoe in the room, and
l mounted a few steps higher. My
head reached to the level OF the win
dow sill; my forehead rose above 1t;
my eyes looked between the opening
in the blinds, and I saw
"a man seated at Mile. Stangerson's
little desk writing. His back was turn
ed toward me. A candle was lit before
him, and he bent over the fame, the
light from it projecting Ghapeless shad-
ows I saw nothing but a monstrous,
stepping back.
mile Stangerson herself was not
there! Her bed had not been lain on!
Where, then, was she sleeping that
night? Doubtless in the side room
with her women. Perhaps this was
but a guess I must content myself
with the joy Of finding the man alone.
/ must be calm to prepare my trap.
eBut who, then, is this man writing
there before my eyes, seated at the
desk. as if he were in bis own home2
IL there had not been that ladder IN
der the window, If there had not been
those footprints on the carrat in the
gallery, If there had not been that open
window, I might have been led to
think that this man had right to be
there and that he was there as mat
ter Of course and for reasons about
which as yet / knew nothing. But
there was no doubt that this mysteri-
GUS unknown was the man OF the vel
low room, the man to whose murder
Gus assault Mile. Stangerson without
denouncing him had had to submit. Il
could but see his face! Surprise and
capture him!
ssIf-I spring into the room at this
moment he win escape by the right
hand door opening into the boudoir, or,
crossing the drawing room, he will
reach the gallery and shall lose him.
have him now, and in five minutes
more he'll be safer than if I had him
in a cage. What is he doing there,
alone In Nile. Stangerson's room?
What is he Writing9 descend and
place the ladder on the ground. Dad
dy Jacques follows me. We re-enter
the chateau. send Daddy Jacques
to wake NJ. stangerson and instruct
him to await my coming lii Mile.
Stangerson's room and TO say nothing
definite to him before my arrival.
Will go and awaken Frederic Larsan.
It's a bore to have TO do 1t, for I
should have liked to work alone and
to have carried off all the honors of
this affair myself right under the very
nose Of the sleeping detective. But
Daddy Jacques and M. Stangerson are
Old men, and / am not yet fully de-
veloped. might not be strong
enough. Larsan is used to wrestling
and putting on the handouts. ne
opened his eyes, swollen with sleep,
ready to send me flying without In the
least believing in my reporters fan
cies. I had to assure nlm tnae the
man was these.
That's strange, he said. T thought I
eft him this afternoon In Paris
He dressed himself In haste and
armed himself with a revolver. We
stole quietly into the gallery.
Where is he? Larsan asked.
In Nile. stangerson's room.'
Aud Mile stangerson?'
= She Is not IN there
- II cts 90 III
TO BE CONTINUED
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