The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-12-10
S TE E. N S O N

AS | did so, L glanced at God1Fey. !le
was staring at the yelled lady with
ly choked with delight. 1t had not
often been by luck to see Jim Godfrey
mystified, but he was certainly mys-
titled now!
The yelled lady regarded the steel
glove with a little laugh.
"I am now free to open the drawer?"
she asked.
Yes, madame"
She moved toward the cabinet, God
frey and / close behind her. AT last
the secret which had defied us was to
be revealed. And with it's revelation
and romantic theory we had been
building up so laboriously.
Instinctively, / glanced toward the
suffered window. but the semi-circle
of light was unobscured.
The yelled lady Dent above the table
and disposed the fingers of her right
hand to fit the metal inlay midway of
the left side.
"It is a little awkward" he said. "I
have always been accustomed to using
the left hand. You will notice that I
am pressing on three points; but to
open the drawer, one must press these
points in a certain order-first this one,
her this one, and then this one"
There was a sharp click, and. at the
side Of the table. a piece Of metal in
lay fell forward.
THAT is the handle" said the yelled
lady, and. without an instant's hesita-
ton, while my heart stood still, h
grasped it and drew out q shallow
drawer. "Ah!" and, casting aside
the ridiculous gauntlet, h caught up
the packet of papers which lay within.
Then, with an effort, she controlled
herself, slipped off the ribbon which
held the packet together, and spread
out before my eyes 10 or IL envelopes.
You will see that they are only letters,
Mr.. Lester" she said in a low voice,
and assure you that they belong to
me-"
u believe o madame I said, and
with a sigh of relief that was almost a
son, she rebound the packet and slipped
it into the bosom of her gown. There
is one thing l added, (which madame
can, perhaps, do for me-
I shall be most happy!' she breathed.
A nave told Mr.. Hornblower,' T
continued. two men died in this room
the day before yesterday. Or, rather, 1t
was in the room beyond that they died;
but we believed it was here they
death. 1t seems that we were wrong in
this"
"Undoubtedly," she agreed. ''There
has never been any such weird mechan-
ism as you described connected with
that drawer. Mr.. Lester. At least. not
t1SS itNNS IGN L lllS1S Is d lSSGuu,
you know, that the cabinet was made
for Madame de Montespan."
She was talking more freely now; evil
IDENTIFY a great loa had been lifted
from her-perhaps I did not guess how
great!
"Mr. vantine suspected as much" !
said. H was a connoisseur of furni-
ture, and there was something about
this cabinet which told him it had be.
longed to the Montespan. He was ex.
aiming 1t at the time he died. Wha1
the other man was doing, we do no
know, but If we could Identity him, i
might help US"
You have not identified him?"
We know nothing whatever abou
him, except that he was presumably
l a Frenchman. and that he arrived OF
La Touraine, two days ago."
3 THAT is the boat upon which I cam,
over"
/ 1T has occurred to me, madame, tina
you may have seen him-that he ma.
/ even be known to YOU
f What was his name?"
The card he sent in to Mr.. Vantin
: bore the name of Theophile d'Aurelle.
She shook her head.
Il have never before heard tina
name, Mr.. Lester"
w believe 1t to have been an as
sumed name" I said; "but perhap
s you will recognize this photograph,
r and I drew it from my pocket an
handed it to her.
She took it, looked at it, and agai
s shook her head. Then she Looked a
it again, turning aside and raising he
d veil in order to see 1t better.
There seems to be something fa
y miliar about the face" she said, 6
last, "as though I might have seen tn
man somewhere"
If "On the boat, perhaps" I suggeste,
e but l knew very well it was not on tt
s boat, since the man had crossed in tt
Storage.
ID mo; 1t was not on the boat. I d
Is not leave my stateroom on the boa
But I am quite sure tina I have see
'p him-and yet I can't say where"
Perhaps" 1 said. In a low voice, 81
"a may have been one of the friends
o u husband"
Id I saw her hand tremble unde tt
blow. but it had to be struck. And 81
s. was brave.
THE same thought occurred to m
IN Mr.. Lester" she answered; but
know very few Of my husband
to friends; certainly not this one. Al
40 yet = Perhaps my maid c;
help u.s.
ID. Photograph in hand, she stepp
through the doorway into the out
at room. The maid was sitting on t
chair where we had left her; her han
at ~clencked tightly together in her Ia
as though 1t was only by some viole
cd effort she could maintain her Sc
TO control.
lie Julie" said the yelled lady, in raj
French. ST have here the p%hotogra
ell of a Ia who was killed in this roc
IT. most mysteriously a few days az
a These gentlemen wish to identify hi
The ace seems to me somehow
py miliar, but 1 cannot place it. Look
i, it."
~, Julie put forth a shaking hand, tc
Ter the photograph. and glanced at
then, with a long sigh, slid Imply
ps. the floor, before either Godfrey OF
could catch her.
AS she fell, her veil, catching on
lne chair-back, was torn away; and, lo'
Gu, ing down at her, a great emotion b
Wo within me. for I recognized the m
ich ferrous woman whose photogrs
d'Aurelle had carried in his wa
as- case.
CHAPTER XIV.
con THE SECRET OF THE UNKNOI
sod FRENCHMAN.