The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-12-17

-rhe story Is straight, OF course. ne
said. '.Hornblower would not be en-
gagged In anything tricky. Besides. /
recognized the lady. suppose you did.
Eyes, have seen pictures Of her. And
admired her for putting back her
$50 did I. She has changed since the
tday OF her wedding, Lester-she was
ksmooth-faced girl. then! Three years %
Fife with her duke have left their mark
on herI" e. ssr aassEtrs. .as.
He fell silent. staring thoughtfully at
the carpet. Then he shook himself.
/ And the maids story was most in
teresting, he added. Nevertheless,
There are still number of things which
are not quite clear to me-" - -
There Is one thing I don't under
stand, myself" / said. IT hadn't any
idea this was the right cabinet. didn't
see how II could be-" t.....
| That's It. exactly. How did II hap.
pen, when the yelled lady went to
armand Il Son in Paris. that she was
directed to Philip Vantine? Ac-
cording to his own story. he did
not purchase this cabinet; he had never
seen II before; Ii was presumably
shipped him by mistake; Armand q Son
cable you that II was a mistake; and
yet they cite Vantine as the purchaser.
There Ia something twisted somewhere,
Lester; just where I'll try to find out"
which reminds me that Armand's
representative hasn't been around yet.
No doubt he can straighten the matter
out" :
1T won't do any harm to hear his
story, anyway" Godfrey agreed Now
let's have q look at that drawer"
| 1t was standing open as we had left
4 Il -
place. called my attention to the cum
ming way In which its outline was con-
cealed by the inlay about Il. Then he
worked the spring, the handle fell into
place, and he drew the drawer out
again, as far as 1t would come, and ex-
amined II carefully.
The fellow who devised that was a
genius" he said, admiringly, pushing IL
back into place. Il wonder what its
contents have been from the days OF
Madame de Montespan down to tho
present? Love letters. mostly, sup
pose, since they are the things which
! need concealment most. Don't you wish
this drawer could tell its secrets, Les
teri"
There Is one I wish 1t would tell. II
1t knows It," / said Il wish IL would
tell who killed Philip Vantine. sup
pose you will agree with me that our
pretty theory has got knock out blow,
this time"
1T looks that way, doesn't it?'
| There Is no poisoned mechanism
about that drawer-thats sure" / add
ed.
mo: and never has been" Godfrey
agreed.
And that leaves US all at sea, doesn't
it? 1t leaves the whole affair more
mysterious than ever. / can't under
stand it," and I sat down In my be-
wlderment and rubbed my head.lI real
ly felt for an instant as though had
gone mentally blind. There 10 one
thing sure" l added. The killing. what
ever its cause, was done out there in
the ante-room, not in here"
| What makes you think that?"
we belfev that Drouet came here to
get Vantine's permission to open this
drawer and get the letters, no doubt
representing himself as the agent Of
their owner"
said Godfrey, pensively.
Our theory was that. after being
shown into the ante-room, he discov-
cred the cabinet, tried to open the
drawer, and was killed in the attempt.
But II is evident enough now that there
Is nothing about that drawer to hurt
any one
Yes. that's evident, I think" God
frey agreed.
IF he had opened the drawer then,
he would have taken the letters, since
there was nothing to prevent him.
Since they were not taken, II follows,
doesn't 1t, that he was killed before
he had a chance at the drawer? Per-
1aps he never saw the cabinet. He
must have been killed out there In the
ante room, few minutes after Parks
left"
"And how about vantine Godfrey
asked.
II don't know" I said, helplessly.
| He didn't want the letters-if he
opened the drawer at all, 1t was merely
out OF curiosity to see how 1t worked.
killed Drouet. killed him. Yes-and now
that I think of 1t, it's certain he didn't
open the drawer, either"
! How do you know it's certain"
IF he had opened the drawer" I
pointed out, land been killed in the act
OF opening II, 1t would have been found
open. 1 had thought that perhaps 1t
closed of itself, but you see that It
does not. You have to push It shut.
and then snap the handle into place"
That's true" Godfrey assented, "and
1t sounds pretty conclusive. II 1t is true
OF Vantine, 1t Is also true Of Drouet.
The inference is, then, that neither Of
them opened the drawer. Well, what
Ifollows?"
II don't know" said. helplessly.
| Nothing seems to follow"
| There Is an alternative" Godfrey
suggested.
What Is it?" demanded.
The hand that killed Drouet and
Vantine may also have closed the draw.
err" said Godfrey, and look ed at me.
And left the letters in it," ques-
toned. Surely not!"
|