The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-21

>O@0b ga tAS SONShIAA "a = AS~ A~A>SO>t
Year Second, in the nineteenth year
of his age"
Eyes. but more than century has
passed since then; and it must have
been looked for"
1T has been looked for, but in vain.
/ myself. after 1 bought the castle
from the great-grand-nep of Leri-
bourg of the National Convention.
had excavations made. What was the
good? Remember that this tower is
surrounded by water on every side,
and only joined to the castle by a
bridge, and that, consequently, the
tunnel must pass under the old moats.
The plan in the Bibliotheque Nation
ale shows series of four staircases,
comprising forty-eight steps. which
allows for a depth of over ten yards,
and the scale annexed to the other
plan fixes the length at two hundred
yards. AS a matter of fact, the whole
problem lies here, between this floor.
that ceiling, and these walls; and,
upon my word, do not feel inclined
to have them pulled down"
"And j. there no clew7"
mot one"
The Able Cells objected.
Monsieur Devanne, we have to
reckon with two quotations.
"Oh," cried Devanne, laughing, "the
rector is a great rummager of fam
lily papers, great reader of memoirs,
and he fondly loves everything that
has to do with Thibermesnil. But the
explanation to which he refers only
serves to confuse matters"
"But tell US what it is"
do you really care to hear1"
Immensely"
"We1l, you must know that, as the
result of his reading, he has discover
ed that two kings of France held the
key to the riddle"
1.-TWO kings of France?"
Henry ". and Louis XVI. Two
days before the battle of Argues,
King Henry w. came to sup and
sleep in the castle, and on this occa-
sion Duke Edgar confded the family
secret to him. This secret Henry w
revealed later to Su1ly, his minister,
who tells the story in his Royales
Economics d'Etat, without adding
any comment besides this incompre-
hensible phrase: La hache tournoie
dams Fair qui fremit, mais raile SQUIRE
ct Fon va jusqu' Dieu."
A silence followed, and Velmont
sneered:
ITS not as clear as dwight, is it,"
That's what I say. The rector
maintains that Sully set down the key
to the puzzle by means of those
words. WITHOUT betraying the secret
to the scribes to whom he dictated
his memoirs"
IT'S an ingenious superstition"
Truc. But what is the axe that
turns! What bird is it whose wing
opens?"
"And who goes to God7"
Goodness knowsw
And what about our good King
Louis XVI?" asked Velmont.
Louis XVI stayed at Thibermesnil
in 1884. and the famous Iron Cup
board discovered at the Louvre on
the information of Canaan, the lock-
smith. contained a paper with these
words written in the kings hand:j
'Thibermesnil, 2-6-I2.'"
Horace VeImont laughed aloud.
"Victoryl The darkness is dispelled.
Twice six are twe1vep
Laugh as you please, sir" said
the rector. "Those two quotations
contain the solution for all that. and
one of these days some one will come
along who knows how to interpret
them"
"HolTlock Shears, first of ALL" said
Devanne, unless Arsene Lupin fore
stalls him. What do you think, Vel
Velmont rose, laid his hand on De-
shoulder, and declared:
Il think that the data supplied by
your book and the copy in the Biblio-
theque Rationale lacked just one link
Of the highest importance, and that
you have been kind enough to sup
ply it. l am much obliged to YOU"
"Well?"
well. now that the axe has turned
and the bird flown. and that twice
six are twelve, all / have to do is to
set to work"
. Without losing a n1inute?"
Without losing 'secondl You see,
must rob your castle tonight, that
is to say. before Holmloek Shears ar
rives."
You're, quite right: you have only
Just got time. Would you like me to |