Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-04
CHAPTER VII.
In Which RouletabiIle Sets Out on
an Expedition Under the Bed.

U open the door of the yellow
I'M room, paused on the threshold.
The chamber was dark Dad
dy Jacques was about to open the
blinds when Rouletabille stopped him.
Ibid not the tragedy take place in
complete darkness" he asked.
mo, young man; l don't think so.
Mademoiselle always had a night light
on her table. and 1 lit 1t every even
ing before she went to bed. / was
sort of chambermaid, you must un-
derstand, when the evening came. The
real chambermaid did not come here
much before the morning. Made
moiselle worked late-far into the
night"
Where did the table with the night
light stand-far from the bed?"
"Some way from the bed"
''Can you light the burner now?'
1.-THE lamp is broken and the Oil that
was in 1t was spilled when the table
was upset. All the rest Of the things
In the room remain just as they were.
have only to open the blinds for you
to see."
wait"
Rouletabille went back into the lab
oratory, closed the shutters of the
two windows and the door of the YES
tibule. When we were In complete
darkness he lit wax vesta and asked
Daddy Jacques to move to the middle
Of the chamber with 1t to the place
where the night light was burning
that night.
Daddy jacques, who was In his
stockings-he usually left his sabots
in the vestibule--entered the yellow
room with his bit Of vesta. We
vaguely distinguished objects over
thrown on the floor, bed in one cor
ner and in front Of us to the left the
gleam of looking glass hanging OH
the wall near to the bed.
''That will do. You may now open
the blinds" said Rouletabi"o
Don't come any fart Daddy
Jacques begged. "You L.. make
marks with your boots, and nothing
must be dcrarged. It's an idea of the
magistrates. though he has nothing
more to do here"
L.
The pale daylight entered from with
out, throwing a sinister light on the
saffron colored walls. The floor-for
though the laboratory and the vesti-
bue were tiled the yellow room had
flooring of wood-was covered with
single yellow mat which was large
enOugh to cover nearly the whole
hoI kl,fN
dressing table, the only piece Of furni-
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's 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
er. Everything led to the presumption
that these drops of blood had fallen
from the wound Of the man who had
for moment placed his red hand on
the same hand on the wall. but much
less distinct.
"See-see this blood on the WALL"
could not help exclaiming. "The man
who pressed his hand so heavily upon
1t In the darkness must certainly have
thought that he was pushing at door.
That's why he pressed on it so hard,
hn M
BILE evidence. / don't think there are
many hands in the world of that sort
II is big and strong, and the fingers
are nearly all one 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" l con-
tinued, 1--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 proven" rejoined,
with a good sense Of which l 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 1t at ALL" Daddy
Jacques again exclaimed. eve are not
fools, and there were four of us when
we burst open the door,"
What queer hand! Look what
queer hand it isv said.
ut is very natural hand" said
Rouletabille, "of which the shape has
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 thatT
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 round hole.
"This ball was fred straight, not
from above and consequently not