The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-02-11
CHAPTER XIV.
THE M1cHAELov1TcH DIAMONDS

NJ. Pigot, cool and imperturbable, held
out to US, with a little smile, a hand
showed not a CULVER of emotion-his
gauntleted hand; and I saw that, on
the back of it, were two tiny depres-
sions. At the bottom Of each depres-
sion lay a drop of bright red liquid
blood red. 1 told myself, as I stared at
1t, fascinated. And what nerves of steel
this man possessed! A sudden warmth
of admiration for him glowed within
me.
THAT liquid, gentlemen" he said in
his smooth voice, sis the most power
full poison ever distilled by man. Those
two tiny drops would kill a score of
people, and kill them instantly. Its
odor betrays it's origin"-and, indeed,
the air was heavy with the scent Of
bitter almonds-"but the poison or
nothing compared with this. This poison
dinar1ly derived from that source is as
is said to have been discovered by Remy,
the remarkable maj who brought about
the death Of The Due d'Anjou. It's dis
~tillation was supposed to be one Of the
lost arts, but the secret was redis-
covered by this man Crochard. No Sc
cret, indeed, is safe from him; crimina
history, criminal memories-the mys-
teries and achievements Of the great
~confederacy Of crime which has ex-
listed for many centuries, and whose
existence few persons ever suspect
all this is to him an open book 1t is
this which renders him SO formidable.
No man can stand against him. Even
the secret of this drawer was known to
him, and he awaited himself of it whea
| need arose"
M. Pigot paused, his head benz in
| thought; and l seemed to be gazing
with him down long avenues Of crime,
extending far into the past dismal ave-
nues like those of Pere Lachaise, where
tombS elbowed each other; where, at
| every step, one came face to face with
a mystery. a secret or a tragedy. Only,
here, the mysteries were all solved, the
secrets all uncovered, the tragedies all
understood. But only to the elect, to
criminals really great, were these ave-
nues open; to all others they were for
hidden. Alone Of living men, perhaps,
! Crochard was free to wander there I'M
challenged.
Some such vision as this, I say, pass
ed before my eyes, and I ] had a feeling
that M. Pigot shared in it; but after
an instant, he turned back to the cab
met.
Now, NJ. Simmon,' he said briskly,
in an altered voice, IF you will have
the kindness to hold the drawer for a
moment in this position, I will draw the
]serpent's fangs. There is not the
ylightest danger he added. seeing that
Simmonds very naturally hesitated.
Thus assured, Sinmonds grasped the
handle Of the drawer, and help 1t open
while the Frenchman took from his
pocket a tiny flask of crystal.
"A little farther he said; and as
Simmonds, with evident effort, drew
the drawer out to it's full length, a tiny
two-tined prong pushed itself forward
from underneath the cabinet. There
are the fangs,' said NJ. PIgot. H'
held the mouth of the flask under frs
one and then the other, passing his
other hand carefully behind and above
them. The poison is held in place b!
what we in French call attraction
capillaire-I do not know the English
| but 1 drive it out by introducing the al
behind it-ah, you see!"
He stood erect and held the flask III
to the light. 1t was half full of the rec
liquid.
Enough to decimate France,
he said. screwed the stopped care
in his pocket. Release the drawer, i
YOU please, monsieur" he added t
Simmonds.
1t sprang back into place on h In
slant the arabesqued handle snappinl
ND with a little click.
you will observe its ingenuity sal
M. Pigot. 1T is really most clever. TO
whenever the hand, struck by the pois
oned fangs, ioosened is hold on n
drawer the drawer sprang shut as yo'
see. and everything was as before-e1
cept that one man more had taste,
death. Now 1 open it. The fangs fal
again: they strike the gauntlet; but 70
that. they would pierce the hand, bu
death no longer follows. By turnln
this button, / lock the spring. n tn
drawer remains open. The mar Wh
devised this mechanism was so prou
of it that he described 1T in a secre
memoir for the entertainment or TN
Grand Louis. There is a copy OF tina
nemior among the archives OF tn
Bibliotheque Rationale; the original !
owned by Crochard. 1t was he wh
connected that memior with tnis CAP
met, who rediscovered the m~echanlsn
rewound the spring, and renewed tn