Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-27
CHAPTER xxI1.-(continucd)

so JicdIly correct IeSdTuiIls ~. j mus
thank you. also. for yOur II
keeping me informed of the measure:
which have been taken to guard thu
cabinet. and which seem to me Very
complete and we'll thought out. j have
myself visited the station n inspected
the cell. and l find that in every detail
o were correct.
1T is because so esteem YOU as
an adversary that l tell YOU. in con
fidence. that it is my intention to re-
gain possession OF my property or
Wednesday next. and that. having lone
so. L shall beg YOU to accept q small
souvenir OF The occasion.
Il am. my lea sir.
Most cordially YOURS.
Jacques Crochard.
"L'Invincible!"
| looked up to find Godfrey regard
ing me with a auizzical smile.
OF course it's a joke l said. Then
looked at him again. Surely. God
uine!!"
Perhaps we can prove it, he said
quietly. That is n reason i came
up. Didn't Armand leave a note for
You the day he failed to see you?'
Yes; on this card: have it. here
and with trembling fingers. l got out
my pocketbook and drew the card from
the compartment in which had care
'ully preserved 1t.
One glance at it was enough. The
,enciled line on the Jack was unques-
:lonably written by the same hand
which wrote the letter.
'-And now YOU know his name" God
rey added, tapping the signature with
MS finger. II have been certain from
he first that 1t vas he!"
i gazed at the signature without an
swering. 1 had. of course. read in the
papers many times of the Gargantuan
Exploits OF Crochard-"The %Invincible,"
AS he loved to call himself. and with
good reason. But his achievements. at
east as the papers described them.
'eemed too fantastic to be true. / had
suspected more h once that he was
merely Il Pigment of the Partisan space
Writers. Il sort of reserve for the duh
season.; or else that he was Il kin of
.capegoat, saddled by the French police
NTH every crime which proved too
nuch for them. Now. however. 1t
seemed hat Crocharu really existed. |
held his letter in my hand; / had even
:alked with him-and as / remembered
ne fascination. the finish. the distin-
:ulshed culture Of NJ. Felix Armand. I
Understood something of the reason for
his extraordinary reputation.
inere q be no two opinions about
nm. said Godfrey. reaching out his
land for the letter and sinking back
n his chair to contemplate 1t. Gro
.hard is n of the greatest Grim
nails who ever lived. full Of magma
.lon and and with a sense OF
lunor most acute. l have followed his
eareer for years-it was this fact that
gave me my first clue. He killed a
nan once before. just as he killed this
asst one. The mar had BETRAYED him
20 the police. He was never betrayed
again"
What a lend he must be- said.
With a shudder.
But Godfrey shook his head quickly.
don get that idea of him. he pro-
:ested earnestly. up to the time of
mis- arrival in New York he had never
<iilec any man except that traitor. Him
ne a a certain right to kill-accord-
.ng to thieves' ethics. anyway. His
own life been in peril scores OF
lines. but he a never killed a mar
10 save himself. Put that down to his
credit"
But Drouet and Vantine," | objected.
An accident for which he was in no
way responsible said Godfrey prompt
You mean he didn't kill themo-
Most certainly not. This last man
ne did XIII was a traitor like the first.
Crochard. i think. reasons like this: to
kill an adversary, is TOO easy: It in FOO
brutal: it lacks finesse. Besides. it re-
moves the adversary. And without adj
versaries. Orchards life would be Of
no interest to him. After he had killed
ms last adversary. he would have to
kill himself
Il can't understand a man like that y,
said.
We'll. look at this said Godfrey,
and tapped the letter again. He hon
ors M by considering ne an adver.
sary. Does he seek to remove me? On
the contrary. he gives me a handicap.
He takes off his queen In order that
It may be a little more difficult to mate
mel"
But. surely. Godfrey 1 protested.
you don't take that letter seriously.
If he wrote 1t at all. he wrote 1t merely
to throw you off the track. II he saws
Wednesday. he really intends to try for
the cabinet tomorrow"
II don't think SO. I told you he
would think me only a tyro. And, be-
side him. that is all j am. Do you know
where he wrote that letter. Lester?
Right in the Record office. That is a
sheet OF our copy paper: He sat down
there. right under my lose, wrote that
letter. dropped It into my box. and
walked out. And all that sometime this
evening when the office was crowded"
but It's absurd for him to write a
letter like that, IL he really means it.
You have only to warn the police . )"
youth notice he says 1t is in con-
fidnnce."
And you're going to keep 1t SOP"
Certainly ] am: / consider that he
has paid me q high compliment. have
shown Il to no n but you-also III
confidence"
ut II not the sort Of confidence the
law recognises" 1 pointed out. ITO
keep Z confidence like that IL practi-
cally to abet Z felony"
And yet You will keep it, said God
frey ch~eerf0lly. "You see. l am going
10 everything / car to prevent that
felony. And we will zee II Orchard Ii
,raally inv1ncihle!"
ssIsll \ keep IT, aereed, ebecause I