The Red Cloud chief., 1913-01-09

ton Of his papers failed to throw any
light on the affair, and at the official
inquest verdict OF suicide was re.
I turned.
It transpired that NJ. r had
bank. no trace of which could be
found. He neither speculated nor
gambled, and he always noted down
every cent he spent Yet of the hun.
dred thousand francs that had disap.
peared no record could he found.
What had become OF the cash? His
heirs moved heaven and earth to find
it, but in vain.
Although ! concurred in the verdict
Of suicide, I was not satisfied, for I
scented blackmailers. Those who, like
me, have lived in an atmosphere Of
crime, will know tho mischief wrought
by these scoundrels.
In the pantomime Of life, wherein
criminals play such an important role,
swindlers and sharpers often imper.
senate tho funny man." But the
blackmailer Is the VILLAIN" the traitor
who stabs his victims in the back, and
rarely leaves a trace OF his deadly
work.
When a few days after M. F---'s
funeral I called on his daughter and
expressed my view, she Indignantly
declared that there could be nothing
} hidden in her fathers life--a man
whose reputation had been above sus.
J picion. Her husband was of the same
| xhn, Iii
the truth. and also knew that could
not hope for any help from them.
. After an anxious search I at last
! made an important discovery. NJ.
: p had engaged himself to n Bar.
onne de v in Tours. and had con-
= cealed this fact from his daughter and
8 his friends. Deeply in love with Mad
D anne dc v. he had pressed her
. hard to fix their wedding for an early
l. date. whereupon It was arranged that
y IL was to have taken place toward the
end Of June. In less than q fortnight,
n however, he had suddenly become
o despondent. and, to the lady's surprise,
d had Informed her that the wedding
had to be postponed.
l. All this was related to me by Mad.
y anne de v, who was eager to as
q sist me in sitting the matter. AS I
rose to take my leave she said:
"The last time my poor friend was
!: here he left his cigarettecase behind
and inside I found this scrap of pa
per. 1t Is in his handwriting, and the
notes in pencil refer to sale OF a
1 small estate he owned. l am afraid
y you will not find 1t very useful"
a examined the leaflet with care.
% Madame" replied. this scrap dis
closes four distinct facts. which
70 pieced together. may supply q valu
l able clue"
m "What facts?"
sr "The address printed Mt the top o.
ID the page is that Of a shady cafe ir
10 tho Boulevard Rochechouart. Ant
y did you notice the curious character
ID at the back?"
10 "Yes. ! did. fancied they were
10 Hebrew letters"
le "No, they are Arabic. From all thi
I deduce: First, that your friend, wh'
d. could have gone to such place onl.
20 under compulsion, did not meet tn
III people he had come to see; second
that. having had to wait for them. h
". whiled away the time by scribblin
Of these notes on piece Of letter-pape
he found lying on the table: third. tha
he grew impatient and restless, 70
ne the characters at the back are jotte
le down nervously and lack the firmnes
I'd OF the other writing: fourth, that. n
Of Arabic Is not q language usually taugh
i'd at college. It is more than probabl
1t that NJ. r spent some time In ou
SO African colonies"
"Why. yes" Madame de v e1
OF claimed. II remember he once d.
W. scrlbed to me scene he witnessed 4
er Oran."
ed THAT simplifies matters" rejoine(
ee "and can now set to work"
yn 1t Is not always easy to dive into
dead mans past The moment tn
a human machinery has been brougt
nd to a standstill everything that ono
gravitated around him seems to di
ny appear. He is forgotten by friend
ert and detractors who prosecuted him
his last breath have potent reason
r." never to mention his name.
a But the threads supplied to mo b
to that note would. expected, put n
al on the right course, and felt coul
'ou not have any peace as long as the mi
lck creants responsible for NJ. F.
death went about unchallenged.
re- The statement made to me by
F--'s daughter that her father
led reputation was above suspicion W;
ith undoubtedly. true as far as Paris W;
concerned, If, therefore, there was
the blot In the mans life had to loo
lad for 1t elsewhere, and Oran at on,
tue presented itself to my mind.
hly I made discreet inquiries. and lear
sh- ed that some twelve years ago
ow- p, while in Oran, had allowed hi
md self to be foolishly implicated in
ul. | cno pdal which thanks To nAwarE