The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1913-01-10

delivered by an elderly man with a
long red nose and laughing eyes. Aft
er a quick glance through the room.
my companion walked up to table
occupied by Ave art students and
four girls comfortably squeezed to-
gether.
Have any OF You seen Auguste to-
night?" asked Claire.
No: nobody had seen him. The
girl after n moments silence turned
TO me.
II will make another try-will you
Gomez"
The next place-with which I was
very familiar-was a third-rate night
restaurant Somebody was presiding
over an old piano in the corner. but
the clatter Of plates and the noisy
laughter drowned every other sound.
Il wonder what has become OF
him." said Claire. He is not here:
nor did / see him last night shall
wait here n little while"
AS / was ordering refreshments. a
youth passed.
Seen Auguste tonight" Claire
called TO him.
mo, nor last night. But caught
sight Of him yesterday at Nogentsur-
Marine. He was walking down a pri-
vate road with a young chap who
looked like a Jockey"
"What on earth was he doing at
Nogent-sur- Marne?" remarked Claire.
And I asked myself the same question.
remembering that Nine. Servois had
not been heard OF since she went TO
that place the day before.
Four days elapsed. and every morn
ing and afternoon Josephine came 10
me. TO know whether / had any It'd
ings OF her mistress. Nine Mesier
and Fdouard likewise called: but none
OF them could supply any clue. AS to
Auguste. who. as I discovered. lived
in a small bedroom on the sixth floor
in the Rue Houdon. he had not been
home for several days. nor had Claire
seen him.
This Is how matters stood when on
the fifth day Paris was startled by the
Fontainebleau Forest. A party OF hol-
iday-makers had been picnicking in
the neighborhood of Barbizon and had
gone for a ramble. when. passing
through some bushes, two OF them
stumbled over n sack. They cut the
rope with which 1t was tied. and be-
held the headless body OF woman.
/ Immediately went 10 Barbizon TO
inspect the CHASTITY find The head
was absent. the arms and legs were
mangled beyond recognition. and ac-
cording to the medical evidence the
crime must have been committed a
couple Of days before. The skirt still
chung TO the body. II was OF a silky
material called | think. foulard, OF n
dark blue color with little white dots
printed all over it.
Ny first thought, OF course. was OF
Nine. Servois. and begged Nine.
Meiser and Josephine TO assist me
in my Investigations. The condition
OF the body rendered Identification
almost impossible. but Nine. Mesier
at once recognized the dress as hav-
ing belonged TO her friend: whereupon
Josephine shook her head and de-
clared the white spots on her mis-
tress' gown were bigger
"y swear II Is Nine. Servois' dress"
said Mime Mesier.
IT swear IL is mott" exclaimed
Josephine.
Where did she buy the material. or
who made the dress?" asked.
Unfortunately neither OF them
knew. Nine. Servois had the year
before made a tour through Germany
and had bought the costume there.
The body was transferred to Paris
and exposed in the morgue. where
upon matters became still more com
plicated, for a farmer from Lisleux
recognized the dress as that OF his SIS
ter, who had run away from her home
a month ago: and a corn merchant in
the Rue vicille-du-Temple was equally
positive that IL had belonged TO his
divorced wife. How, in view OF these
conflicting statements, could hope
10 trace the murderer? I Instructed
my chief assistant to follow UP the
vague clues supplied by the farmer
and the corn merchant, and imposed
upon myself the task OF discovering
whether there was a connecting link
between Nine. Servois' disappearance
and the finding of the body.
The coincidence Of Auguste having
been seen at Nogent-sur-Marne. the
day Nine. Servois called there on her
friend, had caused me 10 have his
lodgings watched night and day. But,
thus far, he had not turned up there
nor at his favorite haunt, where Claire
was still waiting for him every night.
I next saw Nine. Servois' lawyer who
was very anxious about his client.
Young Edouard," he said. has al
ready been to see me several times.
He knows that In the event OF his
aunt's death he will inherit a large
share OF her property, and his
thoughts seem to run more on the
money than on tho fate that may
have befallen her. M. Goron. do you
really think that the body found 10
A. - ID