Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-12-09
poisoned fangs into the hand whic

there is no such mechanism"
L clutched at q last straw, and a sorry
one it was!
The mechanism may have been
placed there since the cabinet passed
from your possession / suggested.
THAT is. perhaps. possible" she
agreed, though l saw that she was UNI
convinced.
amy rate, madame" I said. Il
would ask that, in opening the drawer
you Wear this gauntlet" and L picked
up Godfrey gauntlet from the chair on
which it lay. 1T is needless that you
should take any risk. however slight.
Permit me" and 1 slipped the gauntlet
over her right hand.
AS l did so, l glanced at Godfrey. He
was staring at the yelled lady With
such a look of stupefaction that l near
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.
II am now free to open the drawer?"
she asked.
Yes, madame
She moved toward the cabinet, God
frey and 1 close behind her. At last
the secret which had defied us was to
be revealed. And with it's revelation
would come the end of the picturesque
lIICoIN VIC Ilou -
building up so la~boriously.
lnstlnctiNely. L glanced toward the
suffered window. but the semi-circle
of light was unobscured.
The yelled lady bent above the table
and disposed the fingers of her right
hand to fit the metal inlay midway of
the left side.
1T rs a little awkward" he said. ST
nave always been accustomed to using.
the left hand. You will notice that /
am pressing on three points; but to
open the drawer. N must press these
points in a certain order-first this one.
tlen this one. n then this one"
There was a sharp click, and. at the
Slde or the table. a piece of metal i'm
lay fell forward.
That is the handle,' said the yelled
lady, and. without AN instant's hesita-
ton, while my heart stood still. she
drawer. "Ah!" and. casting aside
the ridiculous gauntlet. she caught up
tne packet of papers which Law within.
linen, with an effort, she controlled
herseli, slipped off the ribbon which
aeld the packet together, and spread
out before my eyes 10 or 10 enyelopes.
You will see that they are only letters
Mr.. Lester" she said in a low voice
and 1 assure you hat they belong TO
me- w
~ believe you. madame I said. and
win a sigh of relief that was almost a
sob. she rebound the packet and slinned
it into theb bosom of her gown. There
is n thing l added, (Which madame
can. perhaps, do for me-
- shal! be most happy she b%reathed
AS l have told Mr.. Hornblower.' r;
continued, two men died in this room
the day before yesterday. Or. rather if
was in the room beyond that thev died.
put We believed it was here they
received the wounds which ca11sed
death. 1t seems that we were wrong i'm
this" e III
Undoubtedly" she agreed. "rhere
has never been any such weird
ism as you described connected With
that drawer. Mr.. Lester. At least. not
since L have had it. There is a legend.
you know. that the cabinet was made
tor Madame de Montespan."
she was talking more freely now. evil
IDENTITY a great load had been lifted
from her-perhapS 1 did not guess how
great! NJ"
Mr.: vantine suspected as much." I
SAID. He was a connoisseur Of furni-
ture. and there was something about
this cabinet which told him it had be-
ionged to the Montespan. He was ex-
the other man was doing, we do not
know. but If we could identify him ~
might help u.s."
You have not identified him?"
we know nothing whatever about
MN. except that he was presumably
q Frenchman. and that he arrived on
La Touratne. two days ago."
That Is the boat upon which I came
over" S"
1T has occurred to me, madame. that
Q may have seen him-that he may
even be known to YOU"
What was his name?"
IN card he sent inSto Mr.. Vantine
bore the name of Theophile d'AurelIe-"
She shook her head.
name. Mr.: Lester"
"We believe it to have been an as
you VII! recognize this photograph"
and I drew 1t from my pocket and
handed it to her.
She took 1t. looked at it, and again
shook her head. Then she looked at
1t again, turning aside and raising her
veil In order to see it better.
There seems to be something ia
miliar about the face" she said, at
last, "as though 1 might have seen the
man somewhere"
ON the boat, perhaps" 1 suggested.
u I knew very well It was not on the
steerage.
mo: it was not on the boat. I did
not leave my stateroom on the boat
But I am quite sure that I have seen
him-and yet I can't say where"
Perhaps" I said. in a low voice, she
may have been n OF the friends of
your husband"
I saw her hand tremble under the
blow. but 1t had to be struck. And she
was brave.
The same thought occurred to me.
Mr. Lester" h answered.: but I
know very few of my husbands
friends; certainly not this one. And
yet Perhaps my maid can
Photograph in hand. she stepped