The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-29
(Continuedl

(Continued) .svantdne's death isn't so simply ex- plasned- Presumably the unknown wo- mar. also called on business relating to the cabinet She. also wanted to open the secret drawer in order to secure it's contents That seems fairly cer- -4airs from her connection with the first caller
 You still think it was her photo graph be carried in his watch2"
 T am sure of it But how did~it happen that it was Vantine who was lziEIeds Did the woman, warned by fhe fate of the man. deliberately set VAntine to open the. drawer in order that she might run no risk? Or was she also ignorant of the mechanism2 ? Above ail. did she succeed in getting away with the contents of the drawer 2''
 What was in the drawer?
 '.Ah. if we only knew.'
 ssPerhaps the woman had nothing to do with it vantine himself told me that he was going to make a careful examination of the cabinet No doubt that is exactly what he was doing when the woman,s arrival interrupted him. He might haveslet her; out of the house himself. and then. returning to the cabinet stumbled upon the secret drawer after she had goness
 -sYess stf1at is quite possible too. But there are objections. and rather weighty ones In the first place. if the Frenchman got<thes drawer open. who. closed ft2''
 Perhaps 1t closed ftself when, he let 20 of it-'s-.=-s - -s-s.s And closed again after vantine opened it?"
 s.Yes"
 -'It's possible We must remember that the polsoners of those days were very ingenious But there is one thing that isn't possible. and that is that a poison which. if it is administered as we think it is must be a liquid could remain in that cabinet fresh and ready for use for more than 800 years. It would have dried up centuries ago. Nor would the mechanism stay in or der so long It must be- both compli- cated and delicate. Therefore it would have to De oiled and overhauled from time to time If it is worked by a spring-and don't see how else 1t can be worked-the spring would have to be renewed and wound up.'
 
 wen. it is evident that the drawer contains something more recent thar the love letters of Louis KY. It must have been put in working order quite recently But by whom and for what purpose2 That is the mystery we have to solve. and it is mighty pret ty one And here's another objection he. added- That F,renchman knew about the secret dra wer. because. ac s-ordfng to our theory, he opened it and got killed Why didn't he also know about the poison2''
 That was an objection, truly. ana / the more thought of it the more seri oris it seemed
 .sIt may be- said Godfrey at last that D'AureIle was going it alone that he had broken with the gang
 The gangg
 .tOf course there is gang Thii thing has taken careful planning ant concerted effort And the leader O the gang is a geniusl I wondersi if yol understand how great genius? Think He knows the secret of the drawer O Nine de Montespan's cabinet. But above all. he knows the secret of tn poison - the poison of the Medici Do you know what that means. Les ters.'
 What does it mean?'' I asked, fo Godfrey was getting ahead of me.
 Tt means he is a great criminal- really great criminal-one of the cleo from whom crime has no secrets. Ot serve He alone knows the secret o the poison One of his men break away from him and pays for his mt tiny with his life He is the brain the others are merely the instruments
 .sThen you don't believe it was b accident that cabinet was sent to Var tiness'
 By aecident2 Not for an instant It was part of a plot-and splendi plotr'
 Can you explain that to me too? queried a little ironically.
 He smiled good naturedly at m bone
 .-Of course this is all mere romano lng- he admitted 'I am the first t acknowledge that I was merely fo lowing out our theory to what scene it's logical conclusion But perhap we are on the wrong track altogether Perhaps D'AureiIe. or whatever hi flame is. just blundered in like mot Into a candle flame As for the plot we'll can only guess at It. But sur pose you and had pulled of some bi robbery'-
 He stopped suddenly and his fac went white and then red. Lester! he crisd.- htn voice shrill with fea1