The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-12-27
"Ah," said Pachmann, With :

| "Ah," said Pachmann, with
Tightening of the brows, "a spy,
then?'
"No, admiral; q patriot like
| yourself. ?"
"And your business here7''
81 have already stated it: to ac-
cept for France the services of this
! Incompatible man.
Something flashed in Pach-
MAINS hand, but even as he
| ierked up his arm, there was
soft impact, and a revolver clat-
tered to the floor. Crochard sprang
| 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 chair against it, and sat
down. Pray be seated, M.
Vard,' he added courteously 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.
ct is 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-
toll maker to the Great Louis.
Should you ever visit Paris, I
should be charmed to show you
the original at the Carnavalet.
This embodies some improvements
of my own. 1t can, as you haye
seen, discharge, almost noiselessly,
disabling ball; it can also, not
quite so noiselessly, discharge
bullet which will penetrate your
body, and which no bone will stop
or turn aside. Should you open
your mouth to shout, I can, still
with this little implement, fling
into your face liquid which will
strike you senseless before your
shout can come, or a poison
single breath of which means
death. And | assure you, my dear
admiral, that l shall hesitate no
more than you to use any Of these
agencies which may be necessary.
Pachmann listened, glowering :;
but, he told himself, he was not yet
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 natures Why, their ma
ture viii 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-
ament, & 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
| it, that ambition which overleaps
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 thai
which he already has. But [ fore
saw it; / foresaw it from the mo-
ment NJ. Yard stipulated that Al
sace-Lorraine must be returned to
France. I knew that your en-
peror was not great enough-that
he has too small soul-to con
sent to that restitution !"
Pachmann raised his head slow
". 3
So it was you who listened al
! the door, that night" he said.
4 Yes, it was /. And it was
who discovered that you and q
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
I on his lips Instead there was Il
his face a; deadly earnestness,