Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-04-01
pocket.
Cock it." he said.

pocket.
Cock It," he said.
/ did as he directed.
Then. moving toward the door of his
room. he opened it with infinite pre-
caution; it made no sound. We were
in tile "off turning" gallery. RouletA-
bile made another sign to me which
l understood to mean that | was to
take up my post in the dark closet.
When l was some distance from him
he rejoined me and embraced me, and
then / saw him. with the same precau-
tiop. return to his room. Astonished
by his embrace and somewhat disquiet-
] ed by 1t, | arrived at the fright" gal
lery without difficulty, crossing the
landing place and reaching the dark
closet
Before entering it l examined the
| curtain cord Of the window and found
that ! had only 10 release 1t from its
fastening with my fingers for the cur
tain to fall by its own weight and
hide the square of light from Roule-
tabille, the signal agreed upon. The
sound Of footstep made me halt be.
fore Arthur RANGES door, He was not
yet in bed, then! How was 1t that,
being in the chateau, he had not dined
with M, Stangerson and his daughter?
had not seen him at table with them
" the moment whom we looked In.
retired into the dark closet.
'ound myself perfectly situated. /
could see along the whole length Of
the gallery. Nothing. absolutely moth
ing, could pass there without my see
ing it.
| | waited about an hour and durint
all that time / saw nothing unusual
The rain, which had begun to com,
down strongly toward 9 o'clock, had
now ceased.
My friend had told me that prob
ably nothing would occur before mid
night or / o'clock in the morning. Ii
was not more than half past II, how
ever, when / heard the door Of Arthur
RANGES room open very slowly. The
door remained open for q minute
which seemed to me q long time. Al
! 1t opened into the gallery--that is to
say. outward-I could not see what
was passing In the room behind the
| door.
sound, three times repeated, coming
from the park. Ordinarily | should
not have attached any more impor-
tance to it than / would to the noise
of cats on the roof. But the third
time the new was so sharp and pene
trating that remembered what l had
heard about the cry of the Bette du Bon
Dieu. AS the cry had accompanied all
the events at the Chandler | could not
refrain from shuddering at the thought
Directly afterward saw a man ap-
/ pear on the outside of the door and
close 1t after him. At first could not
! recognize him, for his back was to-
ward me, and he was bending over
rather bulky package. When he had
closed the door and picked up the
package, he turned toward the dark
! closet, and then / saw who he was.
He was the forest keeper. the Green
Man. He was wearing the same cos
tune that he had worn when first
saw him on the road In front Of the
Donjon inn. There was no doubt
about his being the keeper. AS the
cry of the Bette du Bon Dieu came for
the third time he put down the pack
age and went to the second window,
counting from the dark closet dared
not risk making any movement. fear
ing | might betray my presence.
Arrived at the window. he peered out
on TO the park. The night was now
light. the rioon showing at intervals.
The Green Man raised his arms twice.
making signs which ! did not under
stand; then. leaving the window. he
again took up his package and moved
along the gallery toward the landirg
place.
Rouletabille had instructed me to
undo the curtain cord when saw any
thing. Was RouIetabille expecting
this? 1t was not my business to ques.
tion. All had to do was obey instruc-
tions. unfastened the window cord,
my heart beating the while as II II
would burst. The man reached the
landing place, but, to my utter sur
prIse-I had expected to see him con.
tinue to pass along the gallery-I saw
him descend the stairs leading to the
vestibule.
What was to do? looked stupidity
at the heavy curtain which had shut