Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-10

should take any risk, however slight.
Permit me-" and 1 slipped the gauntlet
over her right hand.
AS I did so. 1 glanced at Godfrey. He
was staring at the yelled lady with
such a look of stupefaction that 1 near
~ 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.
L am now free to pen the drawer?"
She asked.
Yes, madame
She moved toward the cabinet. God
frey n l 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
building up so laboriously.
Instinctively, I glanced toward the
shuttered window. but the semi-circle
OF light was unobscured.
The veiled lady bent above the table
and disposed the fingers of her right
mana TO mt the metal inlay midway of
the left side.
1T is a little awkward" he said. Il
nave always been accustomed to using
the left hand. You will notice that /
am pressing on three points; but to
open the drawer, one must press these
points IN a certain order-first this one,
the this one, n 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
q and. without an instants hesita-
ton, while my heart stood still, she
2fasped 1t and drew out a shallow
draWer: "Ah!" and, casting aside
tne gauntlet, she caught up
Inc nlrknf nf AMMAN. ,y1,1I- No.. -. - r.
Ihen, with an effort, she controlled
herself, slipped off the ribbon which
ned the packet together, n spread
out before my eyes 10 or IL envelopes.
GU VIII see that they are only letters,
Mf. Lester" she said in a low voice,
me"
II believe you. madame I said, n
with a sigh of relief that was almost a
SOD, she rebouhd the packet and slipped
II int the bosom of her gown. There
is n thing 1 added, which madame
can, perhaps, do for me-
a. shlai De most happy, she breathed.
AS nave told Mr.. H~ornblower,' L
continued, two men died in his room
the day before yesterday. Or. rather if
was In the room beyond that they died.
put we believed it was here they
received the wounds which caused
death. 1t seems that we were wrong in
this" o ~
'Undoubtedly," she agreed. ."There
mas never been any such weird mechan-
ISM as You described connected with
tnat drawer, Mr.. Lester. AT least. not
SINCE have had it. There is a legend.
you know, that the cabinet was made
LOT Madam de Montespan."
she was talking more freely now. evil
IDENTITY a great load had been lifted
from ~her-perhaps l did not guess how
great! iN
Mr.; yantine suspected as much" I
sdla. he was a connoisseur of furni-
tufe' and there was something about
1hls cabinet which told him it had be-
lol,5eu 10 the Montespan. He was ex-
anllhlhg 1t at the time he died. What
me other man was doing. we do not
Know, but If we could identify him if
might help us" ~
You have not identified him?,
we know nothing whatever about
llHl, except that he was presumably
a hrenchman. and that he arrived on
La Touraine. two days ago
mat is the boat upon which T came
over" am
1t has occurred to me. madame. that
you may have seen him-that he may
even be known to you"
What was his name?"
me card he sent in to Mr.. Vantine
bore the name of TheophiIe d'Aurene1
She shook her head.
nave never before heard that
name. Mr.. Lester
We believe it to have been an as
sumed name" 1 said; but perhaps
you VIII recognize this photograph"
and l drew it from my pocket and
handed it to her.
she took it. looked at it, and again
shook her head. Then she looked at
1t again, turning aside n raising her
ven IN order to see it better.
ihere seems to be something ia
nlllar about the face she said. at
man somewhere"
the boat, perhaps" I suggested,
put l knew very well it was not on the
BOAT. since the man had crossed in the
Storage. ~
No; it was not on the boat. j did
not leaVe my stateroom on the boat
But | am quite sure that / have seen
hlm-and yet l can't say where"
Perhaps." | said. in a low voice. ''he
may nave been one OF the friends of
your husband
L saw her hand tremble under the
blow: but it had to be struck. And she
was brave.
The same thought occurred to me.
Mr.. Lester she answered, but /
know very few of my husbands
rlends; certainly not this one. And
help US ~NH
Photograph in hand, she steppea
through the doorway into the outer
room. The maid was sitting on the
chair where we had left her: her hands
clenched tightly together in her lap.
as though it was only by some violent
effort she could maintain her self
control.
Julie" said the yelled lady. in rapid
French. Il have here the photograph
OF a man who was killed in this room
most mysteriously a few DAYS ago,
These gentlemen wish to identify him.
The face seems to me somehow ia
miliar, but I cannot place it. Look at
it." 60
Julie put forth a shaking hand. took
the photograph. and glanced at it:
then, with a long sigh. slid Imply to
he floor. before either Godfrey or I
could catch her. Is.
AS she fell. her veil, catching on the
chair-back, was torn away: and. look
ing down at her, a great emotion burst
within me. for I recognized the mys-
ferrous woman whose photoeraph
d'Aurelle had carried in his watch
case.
CHAPTER XIV.