The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-10-23
1gHe MINISTER
yES n POLICE
A By HENRY MoNTJoY
MSA cssash. 1911. II. Boss.N.du csn.as
By HENRY MONTJOY

riere2 Answeyi Don't stand there like
"Oh, madame" said the old fellow In
a grumbling voice, "a story that IL half
a story Is no story. You wish to know
everything. Well, then, you snail. /
went to the Rue Plastiere as you told
me, showed the ring as you told me.
received the paper, took 1t to a place
/ know Of. opened It n read the docu-
ment 1t contained, OF which I could not
make head or tall"
Mon dieu!" cried the baroness,
clasping her hands at this astounding
admission.
"ono moment, madame. Seeing
Monsieur de Sartines' signature and
putting two and two together, j
judged 1t better to suppress the docu-
ment and inclose a plain piece of pa
per. A plain piece OF paper neve does
any harm till II Is written upon"
But the document. the documenti'
cried De Sartines. What have you
done Win IL? on. mon Dieu. 4 you
"Glne moment, monsieur. Having
re3ealed the parcel. I called q cabrio-
let and took the document to the house
Of Monsieur lie Due de Richelieu, who
was the original possessor OF 1t and
In whose possession It Is. Mon
sieur Is In bed, very much indisposed."
II . Duls ltSdNCubs 81 CItGu tn0 DdIOAAC6S1
now pale to the lips, how did YOU
fsnow that the Duo de Richelieu o
sessed Ii? How
How, madame3 Why. the night II
was taken from the dues house I
~Ejourneyed to Paris with the lady who
had taken 1t. i felt It In her pocket.
I could have picked her pocket, but I
preferred to let things develop. Ma fol.
madame, eve since I have been in your
service, / could have ruined you 10
times over. AS II ts. ! have guarded
you while looking after my masters
interests; given you good advice,
when l could have given you bad. /
have been the mole of the affair, be-
hind the scene all h time, and / would
have brought II all to a conclusion long
ago but for that pig Gaussin." Placide
swept his hand across his head and
his gray hair vanished; with a hand
kerchief he was holding In his left
hand he wiped away the wrinkles or
Placide, cast the beard OF Placide on the
floor, slipped from n oyercoat he was
wearing and--De Sartines could
scarcely believe his senses-there on
the parquet before him was standing
Lavenne. VI. .#,E.
'Iayenne!" cried his master.
"At your service, monsieur"
The baroness, almost fainting from
the shock Of this metamorphosis, stood
/ uOlllIlk III DdSh VI a Ell oAh "a"
derstood the situation instantly, and
the fact that this agent OF police had
been part and parcel OF hog life, under,
running the whole story OF the last
week and saving, by q stroke OF ge-
MUS, the man whom she a In q mo
ment OF anger brought to the edge OF
destruction. She waved away the ring
he was holding out to her.
His devotion, his common sense, his
consummate acting bantshed all Ill
feeling from her mind. Not only had
he saved his master, but he had saved
her. n MI
Monsieur she said. keep tho ring,
not as the gift of an admiring woman
to a supreme actor. y as the gift
failed her and her eyes were moist
as she turned to the door.
Rosine had entered the room.
Madame" said Rosine at the door,
"the carriage has arrived"
zone moment" said his Mistress"
She picked up the blank piece OF pa
per from the floor, tool II to b
folded 1t, and addressed II; then leay-
ing 1t on the bureau, she came to DE
Sartines and held out her hand. -. 4
"Goodby, Monsieur de Sartines. I'M
less you wish to keep me a prisoner"
Madame" replied De Sartines. q
world OF worry of his mind, Il would
much prefer keeping you O friend"
"Goodby. Monsieur Placide. You viii
find your wages IN q httle parcel In
the top left hand drawer OF my bu-
reau, but you win not find my thanks
there. for such q little drawer would
not hold them.
"GoodDy, Paris" She kissed her
| hand to the room around her, turned
with a smile TO b two men, bowed,
laughed with q laugh that q yet q
little catch In IT, and vanished like q
dream.
Rosine came In and removed the
boxes. They heard the carriage start
ing ana De Sartines, walking to the
bureau, saw a paper there with his
name upon II. d. ~ +
It was the paper that had fooled Dc
Maupeou. ~ Il.
He picked II up, opened II and read:
"Order Of release for Monsieur de Sar-
tines from the worry Of q woman;
once his admirer, but now his friend"
He dropped the paper, What did b
mean? Had she-had she? Then he
remembered DE Lussac. No, 1t was
Impossible. The comte had always
been her lover.
He came to the window, opened It
and stood looking out. watching the
| lights OF the lanterns lining the Rue
| Coo Heron, and listening TO the noise
| of the streets. 1t was as though he
were looking for something he had
lost Us IT'D ..
Then he turned from the window.
"Cordieu!" said he. What q WON
AMI"
THE END. .+