Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-12-27

"Ah," said Pachmann, with
Tightening of the brows, a spy
then?"
No, admiral; a patriot lik,
yourself"
And your business here?o
II have already stated it to &C
c.ept for France the services of thi.
incompatible man."
Something flashed in Pach
mann's hand, but even as he
jerked up his arm, there was a
soft impact, and a revolver clat.
tered to the floor. Crochard spranp
for it, seized it, and slipped it into
his pocket.
~ was expecting that" he said,
still smiling. "Now we can talk
more at our ease," and he came in.
to the bedroom, closed the door,
placed a chair against it, and sat
down. pray be seated, M.
Ward" he added co~urteouslv to
the inventor. "And you, adj
miral."
Pachmann, white with pain, was
nursing a numbed and nerveless
hand. He sat down slowly. his
eyes on the face of his antagonist.
You should admire this weap.
on, admiral" Crochard went on.
extending for his inspection what
looked like an ordinary revolver.
1T is a most useful toy, of my
own invention-or, perhaps, I
would better say adapted by me
from an invention Of that ingeni-
Gus Sieur Hyacinthe, who was pis-
tol maker to the Great Louis.
Should you ever visit Paris, |
should be charmed to show you
the original at the Carnavalet.
This embodies some improvements
OF my own. 1t can, as you have
seen, discharge, almost noiselessly,
a disabling ball; it can also, not
quite SO noiselessly, discharge a
bullet which will penetrate your
body, and which no bone will stop
or turn aside. Should you open
your mouth to shout, | can, still
with this little implement, fling
INTO your face a liquid which will
strike you senseless before your
shout can come, or a poison a
single breath Of which means
death. And | assure you, my dear
admiral, that [ shall hesitate no
more than you to use any of these
agencies which may be necessary"
Pachmam listened, glowering;
but, he told himself, he was not vet
defeated; and he sat rubbing his
hand and measuring his adversary.
What do you imagine to be
the exact nature of the services of
which you speak?" he asked, at
last.
Their nature? Why, their ma
ture will be Of the same sort as
those already offered to your en-
peror."
"Yes?"
1.-The position of leader in the
movement for world wide disarm-
anient, said Crochard, and smiled
as Pachmann's lips whitened.
"Ah, my dear admiral, your en-
peror is too selfish, too ambitious
he has, as an English poet puts
1T, that ambition which o%verleaps
itself. He should have accepted the
arrangement which M. Ward pro
posed. That would have been
glory enough, But no; he must
dream Of being a greater than Ma
poleon, OF world empire; and in
consequence he will lose that
which he already has. But T fore
saw it; | foresaw it from the mo-
ment NJ. Ward stipulated that AL
sace-Lorraine must be returned to
France. | knew that your I'M
peror was not great enough--that
'o mas 100 silail a sOul-tO con-
sent to that restitution!"
Pachnann raised his head slow
ly.
$50 it was you who listened at
the door, that night?" he said.
"Yes, it was 1. And it was !
who discovered that you and a
companion whom I will not name
waited for sunrise, one Monday
morning, on the quay at Toulon.
For that, France must have re
venge."
Orchards eyes were cleaning
now, and there was no smile up.
on his lips. Instead there was in
face a deadly earnestness, a
fierce hatred, before which Pach-
mann shrank a little.
"She shall have It'll" cried a
voice from the bed, where Ward
had been bending forward, drink
ing in every word. "She shall
have it'll"
"You heart" said Orchard.
and then he smiled again. "Ah.
nv dear admiral Il yuoo q m;.+