The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-02

him."
Ny words failed to reassure her.
However, she said no more, fearing,
no doubt, lest l should think her trou-
blesome
AS for myself, 1 opened my news
papers and read the reports of Ar
sene Iupin's trial. They contained
nothing that was not already known,
apd they interested me but slightly
Moreover, l was tired, / had had a
poor night, felt my eyelids growing
heavy, and my head began to nod.
But surely, Sir, you are not going
to slcep:"
The lady snatched my paper from
my hands, and looked at me with in
dignation.
Certainly not" I replied. 81 have
no wish to-"
: And l struggled hard, fixing my
eyes on the landscape, on the clouds
that sstreaked the sky. And soon all
this became confused in space, the
image of the excited lady and the
drowsy man was obliterated in my
mind, and l was filled with the great,
deep silence of sleep.
1t was soon made agreeable by
light and incoherent dreams, in which
a being who played the part and bore
the name of Arsene Lupin occupied
certain place. He turned and shift
ed on the horizon, his back laden with
valuables. clambering over walls and
stripping country-houses of their con-
tents.
But the outline of this being, who
had ceased to be Arsene Lupin, grew
more distinct. He came toward me,
grew bigger and bigger. leaped into
the carriage with incredible agility
and fell full upon my chest.
scream A sharp PAR: invoke. III. n niste ms
fellow traveller, with one knee on
my chest, was clutching my throat.
l saw this very dimly, for my eyes
were shot with blood. / also saw the
lady in corner writing. in a vio-
lent fit of Mysteries. I did not even at
tempt to resist. should not have had
the strength for it had 1 wished to:
my temples were throbbing, l choked
my throat ratified. Another
minute and I should have been suf-
located.
The man must have felt this. He
looAned his grip. Without leaving
hold Of me- with his right hand he
stretched rope, in which he had
prepared slipknot. and, with quick
turn, tied my wrists together. In
dered motionlcss and helpless.
And he performed this task in the
most natural manner in the world,
with an case that revealed the knowl-
edge of a MASTER. of an expert in
theft and crime. Not a word, not a
fevcred movement. Sheer GOODNESS
and audacity. And there lay l on the
seat, roped up like mummy, Ar
sene Lupin!
It was really ridiculous. And not
withstanding the seriousness of the
circumstances I could not but appre-
ciate and almost enjoy the irony of
the situation. Arsene Lupin done"
like novice, stripped like the first
comeri For of course the scoundrel
relieved me Of my pocketbook and
turn-duped and beaten! What an ad-
venturel
There remained the lady. He TOOK
no notice of her at ALL He contented
himself with picking up the wrist bag
that lay on the floor and extracting
the jewels, the purse, the gold and
silver knicknacks which it contained
The lady opened her eyes, shuddercd
with fright, took off her rings and
handed them to the man as though
she wished to spare him any super
fuous exertion. He took the rings,
and looked at her. She tainted away.
Then, calm and silent as before,
without troubling about US further,
he resumed his seat, lit a cigarette,
and abandoned himself to a careful
scrutiny of the treasures which he
had captured. the inspection of which
seemed to satisfy him completely.
l W.; much less satisfied. / am not
II
francs Of which I had been unduly
plundered; this was a loss which l
accepted only for the time; had
no doubt that those twelve thousand
francs would return to my possession
after short interval, together with
the exceedingly important papers
which my po-ketbook contained
plans, estimates, specifications, adj
dresses, lists of correspondents. let
tiers of compromising character. But.
for the moment, more immediate
and serious care wa worrying me.
What was to happen next?
AS may readily be imagined, the
excitement caused by my passing
through the Care Saint-Lazare had
not escaped me. AS / was going to
stay with friends who knew me by
the name of Gui.laume Bcrlat, and to
pin was the occasion of many
friendly jest, had not been able to
disguise myself after my wont. and
my presence had been discovered.
Moreover, man, doubtless-Arsene
Lupin, had been seen to rush from
the exorcss into the fast train. Hence
it was inevitable and fated that the
eommissary of police at Roucn, warn
ed by telegram, would await the ar
rival of the train, assisted by a re-
spectacle number of constables, ques-
ton any suspicious passengers, and
proceed to make minute inspection
of the carriages.
And to avoid this annoying catas-
trophe, what could do. entangled as
I was in my bonds? .
And the train was speeding toward
Rouen, the next and the only stop
ping place; it rushed through Vernon,
through Saint-Pierrc. 800
1 was puzzled also by another prob
lem in which / was not so directly
interested, bu. the solution of which
,ro,,e NV nrofeesio1o1 rurioeitx-