Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-03-07
the safe, in which NJ. FauvlIle de-

with feverish emotion which Don
Luis felt even more acutely than
he did. They were at last about
to know the details of the mysteri-
GUS story. The dead man himself
would betray the secret of his muir
derers.
"Lord, what a time you take!p'
growled Don Luis.
Mazeroux plunged both hands
into the crowd of paper that en-
numbered the iron shelf.
"Well, Mazeroux, hand it over"
WHAT"
"The diary"
IT can't, chief"
"What's that"
cts gone"
Don Luis stifled an oath. The
drab cloth diary, which the engi-
neer had placed in the safe before
their eyes, had disappeared.
Mazeroux shook his head.
Clash it all! So they knew
about that daryl"
"Of course they did, and they
knew plenty of other things be-
sides. We've not seen the end Of it
with those fellows. There's no
time to lose. Ring up!"
MaZeroux did so and soon re-
ceived the answer that M. Desma-
lions was coming to the telephone.
He waited.
In a few minutes Perenna, who
had been walking up and down,
examining different objects in the
room, came and sat down beside
Mazeroux. He seemed thoughtful.
He reflected for some time. But
then, his eyes falling on the fruit
dish, he muttered:
"Hullol There are only three
apples instead of four. Then he
ate the fourth"
eyes" said Mazeroux, che
must have eaten it."
"That's funny" replied Peren-
ma, "for he didn't think them
ripe"
He was silent once more, sat
leaning his elbows on the table,
visibly preoccupied; then, raising
his head, he let fall these words:
"The murder was committed be-
fore we entered the room, at IL 80
exactly"
"How do you know, chiefY"
I'M. Fauville's murderer or
murderers, in touching the things
on the table, knocked down the
watch which M. Fauville had
placed there. They put it back;
but the fall had stopped it. And it
stopped at IL 30"
"Then, chief, when we settled
ourselves here, at 2 in the morn
ing, it was a corpse that was lying
beside us and another over our
heads2"
Eyes"
"But how did those devils get
inf"
Through this door, which
opens on the garden, and through
the gate that opens on the Boule-
ward Suchet."
"Then they had keys to the
locks and bolts7"
"False KEYS. ves.O
"But the policemen watching
the house outsidef"
"They are still watching it, as
that sort watch a house, walking
from point to point without think
ing that people can slip into a gar
den while they have their backs
turned. That s what took place in
coming and going"
Sergeant Mazeroux seemed aab-
bergasted. The criminals daring,
their spill, the precision Of their
acts bewildered him.
"They're deuced clever" he
said. 4saAls
"Deuced clever, Mazeroux, as
you. say and / foresee a tremen-
dous battle. By Jupiter, with what
q vim they set to work!"
The telephone bell rang. Don
Luis left Mazeroux to his CONVEX
sation with the prefect, and, tax
ing the bunch of keys, easily un-
fastened the lock and ahe bolt of
the door and went out into the
garden, in the hope of there find
ing some trace that should facili-
tate his guest.
As on the day before, he saw,
through the ivy, two policemen
walking between one lamp post
and the next. They did not see
him. Moreover, anything that
might happen inside the house ap-
peared to be to them q matter Of
total indifference.
That's. my great mistake"
said Perenna to himself. ut
doesn't do To entrrlst a ioh RI non.