The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-01-14

Boule cabinet which makes this un-
known willing to do murder for II?
Does he think those letters are still
in it,"
HE knows they are not in 1t now
you told him. Before that, he knew
nothing about the letters. II he had
known Of them, he would have had
them out before the cabinet was
shipped"
what is 1t, them" 1 demanded.
And, above all, Godfrey, why should
this fellow hide himself in Vantine's
house and kill two men? Did they
surprise him while he was working
over the cabinet?'
II see no reason to believe that he
was ever inside the Yantine house."
said Godfrey quietly; Chat Is, until you
took him there yourself this afternoon"
But, look here, Godfrey,"I protested,
that's nonsense. He mast have been
In the house, or he couldn't have killed
Vantine and Drouet."
who said he killed them?"
"If he didn't kill them, who. did?'
Godfrey took two or three contem-
plative puffs, while l sat there staring
at him. ~
Well" Godfrey answered. at last,
now I'm going to romance a little. We
will return to your fascinating friend,
Armand, as we may as well call him
for the present. He is an extraordi-
nary man."
mo doubt of it." agreed.
Il can only repeat what have said
before-in my opinion, he Is the great
est criminal OF modern times"
IF he is a criminal at ali, ne is un-
doubtedly a great one" / conceded.
But it is hard for me to believe that
he Is criminal. He's the most cui-
tured man ever met"
"Of course he is That's why he's so
dangerous. An ignorant criminal is
never dangerous--it,s the ignorant
criminals who fill the prisons. But
look out for the educated, accomplished
ones. It takes brains to be great
criminal, Lester, and brains OF a high
order"
But why should a man with brains
be crimtnal?" / queried. IF he can
earn an honest living, why should he
be dishonestT'
I'm the first place, most criminals are
criminals from choice, not from neces-
sity; and with a cultured man the in
centive IL usually the excitement Of IL.
Have you ever thought what an ex-
citing game 1t Is, Lester, to defy So
ciety, to break the law, to know that
the odds against you are q thousand 10
one, and yet to come out triumphant?
And then, suppose, every great GRIM
inal is a little insane"
mo doubt of It," agreed
lust as every absolutely honest man
Is a little insane" went on Godfrey
quickly. ''Just as every great reformer
and enthusiast is a little insane. The
sane men are the average ones, who
are fairly honest and yet tell white lies
on occasion, who succumb to tempta-
ton now and then; who temporiZe and
compromise, and try to lead a COM
Portable and quiet life. repeat, Lester.
that this fellow Is q great criminal,
and that he finds life infinitely more
engrossing than either you or 1. hope
shall meet him some time-not in a
little skirmish like this, but in an out
and-out battle. OF course I'd be routed,
horse, foot and dragoons-but 1t GER
tainly would be Interestingly" and he
looked at me, his eyes glowing.
ut certainly would" agreed. Go
ahead with your romance"
Here 1t is. This NJ Armand is a
great criminal, and has, Of course, va
rious followers, upon whom he must
rely for the performance Of certain de-
tails, since he can be in but one place
at a time. Abject and absolute ODE
dience Is necessary TO his success, and
he compels obedience in the only way
In which it can be compelled among
criminals-by fear. For disobedience,
there Is but one punishm ent-death.
tain and so mysterious as to be al
most supernatural. For deserters and
traitors are found to have died, newt
ably and invariably, from the effects OF
an insignificant wound on the right
hand, just above the knuckles."
! was listening intently now, as you
may well believe, for / began to see
whittier the romance was tending.
1T Is by this secret" Godfrey con-
tinued. that Armand preserves hts
absolute supremacy. But occasionally
the temptation Is too great, and one
Of his men deserts. Armand sends this
cabinet to America. He knows that in
this case the temptation is very great
indeed; he fears treacheTy, and he ar
ranges in the cabinet a mechanism
which will fnfiict death upon the trail
tor in precisely the same way in which
he himself infiicts it-by means Of a
poisoned stab in the right hand. I'm
agtne the effect upon his gang. He is
nowhere near when the act of treaeh-
cry Is performed, and, yet the traitor
dies instantly and surely! Why. IT
was a tremendous ideai And It was
carried out with absolute genius"
But" ! questioned, what act Of
treachery wasn't that Armand fearedr
THE opening Of the secret drawer"
Then you still believe In the D0is-
oned mechanism?
II certainly do. The tragedy Of this
afternoon proves the truth, OF the
theory"
II don't see it." said, heplessly.