The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-11-19
The Mystery Of
the Bou1e Cabinet
BURTON B.. STEVENSON
Copyright, 1918, by Burton E. Stevenson
S TE N S O "
passed before he came back.

passed before he came back.
Il 'phoned the office to send some
men around to the boats which came
some n of the stewards will recog-
nize his photograph. There were three
boats he might have come on-the
Adriatic and Cecelie from Cherbourg.
and La Tourafne from Havre. There
is nothing else that I know Of" he
linghuisen thinks he has discovered the
nature of the poison. He says it is
some very powerful variant Of prussic
acid"
Yes" I said, 81 heard him say
something of the sort last night.
Il had a ak with him this after
noon about 1T, and he was quite
learned" Godfrey went on. This is a
great chance for him to get before the
public, and he's making the most of
1t. l gathered from what he said that
ordinary prussic acid. which is deadly
enough. knows. contains only
2 per cent of the poison; while the
strongest solution yet obtained con-
tains only 4 per cent. Freylinghuisen
says that whoever concocted this par
tlcular poison has evidently discov-
cred a new way Of doing it-or redis-
least 30 per cent effective. In other
words. II you can get a fraction of a
drop of it In a mans blood, you kill
MIN by paralysis quicker than il you
put a bullet through his heart"
Nothing a save a man. them" 1
questioned.
Nothing on earth. Oh, I don't say
that If somebody had an ak handy
chopped your arm off al the
shoulder all instant after YOU were
struck on the hand. you mightn't nave
a chance to live; but it would take
mlghty quick work. n ever then, it
would be nip and tuck. Freyling-
huisen thinks 1t is a new discovery. I
don't. l think some one has dug UP
one OF the old Medic formulate, Maybe
1T was placed in the secret drawer. so
mat there would never be any lack Of
ammunition for the mechanism"
godfrey" I said. ARE you still bent
on fooling with that thing?"
More than ever; I'm going to find
strike-well. I'm ready for them. See
mere what l had made today"
He drew from his pocket something
that looked like a steel gauntlet, such
- one sees on suits OF old armor. He
slipped 1t over his right hand.
You see it covers the back of the
hand completely" he said, half way
down the first joint Of the fingers. 1t
Is made Of the toughest steel and
would turf a bullet. And do you see
Lester?"
Yes" I said. IT was wondering why
you had 1t made in that shape"
i want to get a sample of that
poison. MY theory is that when the
1angs strike the hand. the shock drives
OUT a drop or two Of the poison. 1
don't want those drops to get away. I
want them to roll into his depression
n l shall very carefully bottle them
mink what they are, Lester-the moi
son Of the Medici!"
sat for a moment looking at him
nan IN amusement, half In sorrow. 1t
seemed a pity that his theory must
come tumbling down. it was SO pic
turesque. and he was so Interested and
enthusiastic over it. And IT woI11d
make such a good storyl He caught
my glance. and put the gauntlet back
into his pocket. 1890
We'll. what Is it?' he asked quietly
for answer. | got out the cable
gram and passed 1t across to him. He
read 1t with brows contracted.
nj seems to put a puncture in
our llttle romance. doesn't it?" I
He nodded thoughtfully.
9es. 1T does" n he read the mes
sage again, word by word. "Armand's
man hasn't called YETI"
NO, l didn't get the message till
ABOUT . o'clock. L suppose he'll be
You will hav to turn the cabinet
over to him, Of course 2"
l., Why, yes, 1t belongs to him. At
least. 1T doesn't belong to Vantine."
he slipped the message into its en-
VeloPe and handed 1t back to me. I
upset. ~
Well, in spite OF this" he said fin
ally, Il am still interested in that cabi-
net Lester. and l wish you would keep
possession Of 1t as long as you can. At
ie a l wouldn't give it up until he
which Vantine really bought"
Quickly. That will no doubt take a
few days-,longer than that if Van
tines cab1ne Is in Paris"
Godfrey raised a finger to the waiter,
asked for the check n paid II.
And now let us go down and have a
tended doing. You will think me- fool
ish, Lester, but even that cabIegran
hasn't shaken my belief In the exist
ence of that secret drawer"
And all the rest?" I asked.
Yes" he answered slowly, "and all
the rest He said nothing more until
we stopped before the Vantine house,
but l could see, from his puckered
brows, how desperately he was trying
to untangle this quirk in the mystery.
- AAAS S3NeS oSSAil " IldS6 DGen ILL.,
ed" remarked, as we alighted.
The siege?"
Parks te.ephoned me that your
esteemed contemporaries had the place
fort!"
Poor boys!" he commented, smiling.
TO think that all they know is what
Grady Is able to tell them!" Then he
stopned before the house and made a
careful survey Of 1t.
Which room is the cabinet in 2" he
asked.
THE ante-room is there at the left
where those w shattered windows
are. The cabinet Is in the corner room
there is one window on this side and
two on the other"
Wait till I take a look at them" he
said. and. vaulting the low railing, he
walked quickly along the front of the
house and around the corner. He was
gone only a minute. They're all
right" he said, in a tone of relief.
or course they're all right You
didn't supposa-"