Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-08-16

chance, which might, at any mo.
ment, deliver them into his hands
All, If only he were strolling along
the boulevards, looking into this
face and that!
Decidedly, I must be getting
back!' Lepine murma1red; and,
having arrived at the prefecture,
he sent a long telegram to his as
sistant at Paris and another to the
project at Brest. Then he sum
moned Pigot. "You will interro.
gate the cabmen at the Care Cen
t~rale," he said, "as to which OF
them drove a white haired man
and a dark haired girl to the sta.
ton for the Paris express, Monday
morning. And, understand we'll,
Plgot, there must be no failure
this time!'' Then, as the door
closed behind Pigot's retiring fig,
ure, he slapped himself smartly OH
the forehead. Il am a fool!'7 he
cried, and hurried from the build
ing and called a cab.
There are many dealers in cleo
trical supplies at Tomon, and it
was not until he reached the
fourth one that Lepine found a
ray of light. No; its proprietor
had 10 recollection of any sales to
strangers. A little white haired
man? No. But stay-there had
been a white haired man! No, he
had bought nothing. He had had
a battery recharged-a heavy bat
terry OF an unusual type. Yes,
1t had been delivered. One mo-
ment, and the man slowly turned
the pages of his ledger, while LIE
pine bit his lips with Impotence.
Here it was-the addres-SO Rue
du Plasson, fourth floor.
In another moment, Lepine's
cab was ~rattling over the cobbles
In the direction of the quays.
Faster! Faster!" he urged.
And then they were in the Rue
du Plasson.
"Behold No. 80, sir" said the
cabman, and pulled up sharply.
There was already a cab at the
curb, and as Lepine jumped out,
the door Of the house opened and
Plgot appeared on the threshold.
He stared at his chief in astonish-
ment.
II was just coming to report to
you, SIR" he said. "'The birds have
flown"
"Indeed!" sneered Lepine. $50
you have discovered that, have
you? But the installation is here,
l supposed"
eyes, SIR" answered Pigot,
very red. con the fourth floor
Lepine bounded up the stairs,
and Pigot followed in silence. He
felt that he had been used unjust
ly; after all, he was not a wizard
what did the chief expect!
At the top Of the house, Lepine
glanced first into the narrow DOM
which we have already seen; then
he returned to the landing and
opened the other door. It led into
a still narrower room, also extend
ing to the front Of the house, and
lighted by a single window. Le-
pine went to the window and
looked out. Over the roof of the
low market across the way, he
could see the harbor,; the warships,
and the wreck Of La Liberte. Then
he turned to an examination of the
room.
A heavy box stood before the
window, and on the floor beside il
were three large batteries. Some
pieces of copper wire were lying
about, but there was nothing else.
In the top of the box, however,
four holes had been bored, as
though for the reception of bolts,
and one side of the box was badly
burned The sill of the window
was also scorched and blistered.
"You have the proprietor of
this h~ousei" Lepine inquired.
HE is below" Piogot an
nounced, and went to fetch him.
But from the proprietor, a nerv-
GUS little man with a dirty beard,
learned little. He lived at
The rear of the ground floor, and
10 days or perhaps two weeks be-
FORE, a man had knocked at the
disor and asked if the upper floor
N,s to rent.
What sort of man?' Lepeine
Inquired.
"A dark man, with white hair.
sir; not a bad looking man, but
not a Frenchman."
"A German, perhaps"
No, most certainly not a Ger
man; an Italian or a Spaniard.n
What was his business7"