Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1909-05-27
70 the DonJon Inn.

ssDo you often eat hereY
"Sometimes."
'.But you also take your meals at the
chateauw
Eyes, Larsan and | are sometimes
served In one Of our rooms"
"Hasn't M. StangerSon ever invited
YOU to his own tablet"
''Neyer.'
..Does your presence at the chateau
displease him?'
Il don't know; but, in any case, ne
does not make us feel that we are In
his way"
doesn't he question you?"
stNeyer. He is in the same state OF
mind as he was in at the door or the
yellow room when his daughter was
being murdered and when he broke
open the door and did not find the
murderer. He is persuaded since he
could discover nothing that there's no
reason why we should be able to dis
cover more than he did. But he mas
made 1t his duty since Larsan ex-
pressed his theory not to oppose US"
Rouletabille buried himself in thought
again for some time. He aroused him
self later to tell me Of how he came 20
set the two concierges free.
ST went lately to see M. stangerson
and took with me piece of paper on
which was written, I promise, what
ever others may say, to keep IN my
service my two faithful servants, Ber-
nier and his wife explained to him
that by signing that document he
would enable me to compel those two
people to speak out, and [ declared
my own assurance Of their innocence
Of any part In the crime. That was
also his opinion. The examining mag
istrate after 1t was signed presented
the document to the BernIers, who
then did speak. They said what was
certain they would say as soon as they
were sure they would not lose their
places.
saThey confessed to poaching on 81.
Stangerson's estates, and it was while
they were poaching, on the night OF
the crime that they were found not far
from the pavilion at the moment when
the outrage was being committed.
Some rabbits they caught in that way
were sold by them to the landlord of
the Donion inn, who served them to
his customers or sent them to Paris.
That was the truth, as I had guessed
from the first. Do you remember what
/ said ON entering the 'Donjon inn2
We shall have to eat red meat-noW!
I had heard the words on the same
morning when we arrived at the park
gate. You heard them also. but you
did not attach any Importance to them.
You recolleet when we reached the
park gate that we stopped to look at
man vino was running by the side of
the wall, looking every minute at his
watch That was Larsan. Well, be-
hind us the landlord Of the Donjon inn,
standing on his doorstep, said to some
one inside, We shall have TO eat red
meat-nov.'
.Why chat .noW?' When you are, as
am, in search Of some hidden secret,
you can't afford to have anything es-
cape you. You've got to know the
meaning of everything We had come
into a rather out of the way part Of
the country which had been turned
topsy turvy by a crime, and my reason
led me to suspect every phrase that
could bear upon the event Of the day
Now ! took to mean, since the out
rage In the course Of my inquiry,
therefore, / sought to find relation
between that phrase and the tragedy.
We went to the Donjon inn for break
fast repeated the phrase and saw
by the surprise and trouble on Daddy
Matthews face that had not exagger-
ated its Importance so far as he was
concerned.
II bad just learned that the con-
cierges had been arrested. Daddy
Matthew spoke Of them as OF dear
friends-people for whom one is sorry.
That was a reckless conjunction Of
ideas, 7 said to myself. Now that
the concierges are arrested, we shall
have to eat red meat No more con-
cierges, no more game! The hatred ex-
pressed by Daddy Matthew for M.
stangerson's forest keeper-a hatred
he pretended was shared BY the cen
cierges-led me easily to think OF
poaching. NoW,S as all the evidence
showed the concierges had not been In
bed at the time OF the tragedy, why
We're they abroad that night? AS par
Elephants In the crime2 | was not dis
posed to think SO. | had ALREADY ar
rived at the conclusion, by steps OF
which will tell you later that the as
sassfn had had no accompliee and that
the tragedy held a mystery between
Mile. stangerson and the murderer. 8
mystery with which the concierges
had nothing TO do.
With that theory In my mind. /
searched for proof In their lodge
which, as you know, / entered, |
found there under their bed some
springs and brass wire. All, I
thought, these things explain why
they were out in the park at nightp