The Washington herald., 1915-09-05
By 7. w. HANSHEW

1ancled. too. that that was why th,.
captain tainted when he knew We were
coming here. You see. when it became
evident that the murdered man had been
stopping in this place. he got nervous
and frightened for fear of being in some
way connected with the crime, because
well, because the old ma'mselle is a
very close and very dear friend of his
and it would look bad if it became known
that he had frequently been paying her
secret visits. Would it not, captain
From the first moment RibsdaIe had
drawn him into the affair. the captain
had gone into a sort of collapse Of ter
ror: his face had grown white as chalk
his knees had begun shaking. and the
very power Of Spea king seemed to have
been wrenched away from him. Now
however. No. ah. DIeu' no no no. hs
cried out in very panic of alarm III
is wronE-It is bv no means true
am not '"onnect-nanle OF the saints no
Il am not Nor is she. msssieurs. ]
swear II on the honor Of a soldier She
has nothing to do with the Crlrl-wltr
either crime Nor did I pay her many
secret visits. / came bat the twice
as the SAINTS hear me-. nnessieurs-hut the
twice She is not French. she is Aus
trian: she is compatrlot. there is no
other tie between u>. She shall write
to You from Vienna and tell YOU that
came hut to say good-by on the night
before her return"
Before her what" put in the inkeepar
Lord who told YOU as she'd returned
to Vienna or anywhere else? Not hut
wot she aren't a-gettIn' ready to. but
II take nv oath as she hasn't stirred
a blessed peg from this house a. yet
Ohio said Cleek with sort Of
laugh. Here still. is she. Mr.. Ribsdalea''
Yes. sir. Up in her room this minute
packin' up. The last three Of her blessed
birds died this afternoon. sir: she's
a-gettin' ready 10 take EN- up to the
taxIdermist's this evenin'. and comm
back for her boxes to be off to the Con
tinent again in the NORM
No, no 1t is not true: messieurs
II cannot be rue" exclaimed the cap
tain. fairly carried out of himself by
this unexpected announcement 1T is
some tricksome lie. She is not here
She is in Vienna. I know she is in
Vienna. The papers know. too. She has
been seen there They say so. She will
return TO England. All. yes: she viii
return before my month of holiday is
out. But she is therein NIenna-now
Yes. she is there now. I'll stake nv
life upon that captain" said Cleek. Yes.
and III stake it afresh that she returned
YOU have seen her for the very last time
my friend The Contessa di Lamoretti L.
d clever woman. captain: too clever tc
throw herself away upon a boy like YOU
And you have simply been her dupe. heI
tool. the unconscious pawn in her deer
little game and her worthy sband's
well-planned schemes.
The Contessa di-monsied You are
mad. We talk not Of her. but of the
old Ma'mselle d'Lascours"
And they are Identical my friend.
Come now. make a clean breast of it.
captain-and escape graver trouble-con-
cerning the emeralds and the murder
Of Antonio Orsini because the contessa
has MADE YOU believe that she loves you
and abhors her husband. Confess that
she arranged to meet you here-at this
inn: that she trumped up some story
when she did meet you here. to account
for sudden return to Vienna. but that
she promised to come back and be her
self again. laying aside the hideous dis
suise OF the old 'Mademoiselle d'Las-
ours"
Monsieur All. Dieu, Are YOU
Are you sorcerer to find out
things like that
No. captain. only a mere mortal. VIII"
Uses his wits and pieces out puzzles from
The fragments that other men drop said
-leek. Be sure there is another old
ma a'mselle here. my friend: he sure the
oerSon who plays that role changed
places with the Contessa immediately
after YOU parted from her. and allowed
her to get back to Vienna to establish
an alibi for herself and her rascaIly lord
and master Now. come up and see me-
my respects to this particular old
ma meselle, and when YOU see her
He stopped short. biting of his words
md glanCins upward. For they saw
Ter then or sudden a bent figure.
'wathed in shawls and leaning upon a
inObbed stick-a tgure which looked like
hat of an old. old woman. weak. totter-
ng, becapPed. very witch of Endor
ricked out in the modern garb of =
french market woman-appeared at the
op of the stairs; made as if to descend
With the little basket of dead birds which
she carried. heard that clear incisivs
'oice. those threatening words. and came
o an instant halt
For second the eyes above rested full
IN the eyes below. then Cleek spoke:
Come down. Lamoretti. the ,sickbed
lodge will not do" he said. ''Orsini's
,ody has been found. We want the EN-
raids and we want YOU too count.
-Ook here Do YOU know me-"
His features writhed a change came
'ver his faCe-a change unseen by any
'ut the man above. for Cleek kept his
'aCk to the rest-and. seeing it. the bent
gure Slaughtered: a cry went up from
he lips of II. and wheeling round It
ashed back and fed. half bleating: The
'racksman' Name of the devil-the
'racksman'
Yes" flung back Cleek Your friend
nd associate of the old Apache DAYS
ne old Margot days. and the swindlinc
INES in Paris Then he sprang up tn.
taIrs. covering but three steps before
he sound of a door being banged and
bolt being shot into its socket echoed
through the house. Outside. Mr. Mar
ON. head him on" he called back
Get 10 the window-quiCk! He's taker
o his room" Then pelted on again I'M
IL the locked door of that room was
cached and his shut fists were hammer-
lg upon il.
"Lamoretti. You are Gagged. Gagged, Il,
ou hear. YOU beast that killed his owr
onfederate to cover up his tracks" hs
ried You'll not pass the window
he superintendent OF Scotland Yard is
here. l want the emeralds and I want
ou: you've come to the end at last
Then the house echoed to a sharp ex.
!osion. the bleak crack" of a pisto.
hot: and after ii there was jar. and
-.
When they came to break down the
oor and force their way in, the man
'as already dead.
Cleek turned to Capt Bolarvius.
Let this be lesson to YOU. YOU fool,
you must love any woman. let IL be
good one. The emeralds? oh. quite.
ute safe, and the legitimate heir will