Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-03-07
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AuiS Lliuc, cTcuud reSOlutely
took hold Of his hand.
It was icy cold.
Don Luis at once recovered all
his self possession.
"The window! Open the Win
dow!" he cried.
And, when the light flooded the
room, he saw the face Of Hippolyte
all swoolen, stained with
patches.
"Oh," he said, under his breath,
"he's dead!"
"Dash it all! Dash it alll"
spluttered the detective sergeant.
For two or three minutes they
petrified, supplied, stag
gered at the sight of this most as
.tonishing and mysterious phenom-
enon. Then a sudden idea made
Perenna start. He flew up the
staircase, rushed along
the gallery, and darted into the
attic.
Edmond, Hippolyte Fauville' s
son, lay stiff and stark on his bed,
with a cadaverous face, dead, too.
"Dash it all. Dash it all I" re-
peated Mazeroux.
Never, perhaps, in the course Of
his adventurous career, had Peren-
ma experienced such a Touchdown
blow. 1t gave him a feeling of ex-
lassitude, depriving him of
all power of speech or movement.
Father and son we're deadl They
had been killed during that night.
A few hours earlier, though the
house was watched and livery out
let Theoretically closed, both had
been poisoned by an Internal pune
ture, even as Inspector Verot was
poisoned, even as Cosmo Morning
ton was poisoned.
Clash it all ~ said Mazeroux
once more. II was not worth
troubling about the poor devils
and performing such miracles to
save them!"
The exclamation conveyed a re-
proach. Perenna grasped it and
admitted:
"You + right, Mazeroux; I
was not equal to the job"
"Nor, / chief"
"You you have only been
IN this business since yesterday
evening""
well, SO have you, chief!"
Yes, | know, since yesterday
evening, whereas the others have
been working at it for weeks and
weeks. But, all the same, these
two are dead; and / was there, I,
Lupin, was there! The thing has
been done under my eyes; and I
saw nothing! l saw nothing ! How
is it p~ossible7"
He uncovered the poor boys
shoulders, showing the mark Of a
puncture at the top of the arm.
"The same mark-the same
mark obviously that we shall find
on the father. - The lad does
not seem to have suffered, either.
$50 Poor little chap! He did not
look very strong Never mind,
it's a nice face; what a terrible
blow for his mother when she
The detective sergeant we2t
with anger and pity, while he kept
on mumbiing
"Dash it all Dash it alll',
Eve shall avenge them, Ell,
Mazerouxi"
Rather, chiefl Twice overt"
0Once will do, Mazeroux. But
it shall be done with a will"
THAT / swear it shalt"
You're right; let s swear. Let
us swear that this dead pair shall
be avenged. Let us swear not to
lay down our arms until the mur-
derers Of Hippolyte Fauville and
his son are punished as they de-
serve"
81 swear it as I hope to be
saved, chief"
Goosl" said Perenna. "And
now to work. You go and tele-
81 once to the police office.
/ am cure that N. Desmalions will
approve Of your informing him
delay. He takes an i'm
mense interest in the case
1And If the servants comet If
Fauville-
No one will come till we open
the doors; and we shan't open
them except to the project Of pos
lice. It viii be for him, afterward,
to tell Nine. Fanville that she is q
widow and that she has no son.
Go! Hurry!
One moment, chief we are for
getting that will help
an0rnaouSly
whit that,
Ne little drab colored diary -