The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-03-28

ITS TRUE! THERE ARE TWO HOLES"
 Did you look behind them?' ''No, but I saw something on the hoor-some yellowish dust. There! He unfolded paper and showed a few grains of coarse brownish pow der 'sYou see. there are only board partitions between these rooms, so a sharp auger would make the holes quickly. But there would be dust and chips The woman probably threw the chips out of the window"
 ''.Ehe woman,''
 Coquenil nodded. .EShe helped Mar tinez while he bored the holes."
 You think Martinez bored those holes?'
 Undoubtedly. The spirals from the auger blade inside the holes show plainly that the boring was done from No. 6 toward No. T."
 Tignol studied the hole. Then he turned. You've a fine detective, M. Paul. but was carpenter for six years before I went on the force, and I know more about auger holes than you do- say you can't be sure which side of the wall this hole was bored from. You talk about spirals, but there's no sense in that. They're the C1LAC1 w WO II SOC -OA LAO other side.''
 They went around into No. 6. The old man drew back the sofa hangings and exposed two koles-the same holes. s@You see,'' he went on, ''the edges are clean, without a sign of chipping. There is no more reason to say that these holes were bored this side than from that"
 M. Paul, going to the sofa, kne1t down by it and, using his magnifying g glass, proceeded to go over it's surface with infinite care.
 Turn up all the lights,'' he said. 'tAh.'' he cried presently. 'You think there is no reason to say the holes were bored from this side. I'll give you reason. Take this piece of white paper and make me prints of his boot heels" He pointed to the body. HsTake the whole heel carefully. then the other one; get the nail marks, everything. That's right. Now cut out the prints. Good! Now, look here Knee1 down. Take the glass. There on the yellow satin by the tail of that silver bird.- Do you see? Now com pare the heel prints.''
 Papa Tignol kneIt down as directed and examined the sofa seat.
 ''Sapristi! You're a magician" he cried in great excitement
 ''No." replied CoqueniI. tits perfect 1y simple. These holes in the wall are five feet above the floor. And Pm enough of a carpenter, Papa Fig nol.'' he smiled. ito know that a man cannot york an auger at that height without standing on something. And here was the very thing for him to stand on, a sofa just in place. So, if Martinez bored these holes, he stood on this sofa to do it, and in that case the marks of his heels must have remained on the delicate satin. And here they are.'
 "Yes, here they are, nails and an," admitted Tignol adniringly. I'm an old fool, bdt-put''-
 "Weu?"
 sTeu me why Martinez did it.''
 CoqueniPs face darkened. "Ah, that's the question. We'll know that when we talk to the woman. Some body helped him or the chips would still be there; somebody held back those hangings while he worked the auger, and somebody carried the auger away"
 TignoI pondered. "Hahi I see! The man in No. 2, the murderer, lifted that picture from it's nail before shooting and then put it back on the nail after shooting?"
 Yes. yes.' agreed M. Paul.
 tEFhen this murderer must have known that the billiard player was going to bore these holes.'' went on Papa Tignol half to himself. ssHe must have been waiting in No. '; he must have stood there with his pistol ready while the holes were coming through: he must have let Martinez finish one hole and then bore the other; he must have kept No. dark so they couldn't see him''- e''-A good point, that" approved Co., Gueiil, paying attention. He certain 1y Kept No. dark
 tsAnd he probably looked into No. 6 1 the first hole while Martinez was boring the second. I suppose you can tell which of the two holes was bored frst?' chuckled Tignol.
 NJ. Paul started, and 'I see-that's l it. He bored this hole first; it's the | right hand one when you're in this | room. the left hand one when you're l in No. r. As you say, the murderer l looked through the first hole while he l waited for the second to be bored; so, ! na turally, he fired through the hole | where his eye was. That was his first | great mistake I1o