The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-08-22
THE
TEETH OF THE TIGER
MAURICE LEBLANC
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS

0Ao cCuIOuCtS WHICH Ilc udu SDOk-
en- had surprised him. And the
others seemed equally discon-
certed. And all Of them uncon-
sciously drew from those SEN
fences the conclusions which they
implied, and which they them
selves did not yet fully perceive.
Don Luis did not remove his
eyes from the project, and aN ait.
ed the inevitable words.
NJ. Desmalions muttercd:
Come, come, you are not go
ing to suggest that he had
agreed"
II suggest nothing, Monsieur lie
Prefet, /" said Don Luis. $50 far,
you have followed the logical and
natural trend Of your thoughts /;
and that brings you to your pres
emf position. y
eyes, yes, | know, but / am
showing you the absurdity Of your
theory. 1t can't be correct, and
we can't believe in Marie Eau
vile s Innocence unless we are
prepared to suppose an unheard Of
thing, that M. Fauville took part
IN his own murder. Why, it's
.laughable!"
And he gave a laugh; but it was
forced laugh and did not ring
true.
For, after all, y he added,
you can't deny that that Is
where we stand"
Il don't deny it,
"Well?"
Well, M. Fauville, as you say,
took part in his own murder.
This was said in the quietest
possible fashion, but with an air
of such certainty that no one
dreamed of protesting. After the
work Of deduction and supposition
which Don Luis had compelled his
hearers to undertake, they found
themselves in a corner which it
was impossible for them to leave
without stumbling against unan-
swerabke objections.
There was no longer anw doubt
about NJ. Fauville's share in his
own death. But OF what did that
share. share consist2 What part had he
Played ia the tragedy of hatred
and m;lrler9 Had he played that
rart, which ended in the sacrifice
of his life, voluntarily or under
compulslon?' Who, when all was
said and done, had served as his
acconlpliee or his executioners
All these questions came crowd
ing upon the minds of III. Desma-
lions and the others. They thought
of nothing but Of how to solve
them, and Don Luis could feel GER
tain that his solution was accepted
beforehand. From that moment
he had but to tell his story Of what
had happened without fear Of con-
tradiction. He did so briefly, after
the manner of a succinct report
limited to essentials
Three months before the
crime, M. Fauville wrote series
of letters to one Of his friends, M.
Langernault, who, as Sergeant
Mazeroux will have told you, Mon
5siear lie Prefet, had been dead for
several years, a fact Of which M.
Fauville cannot have been ignor-
ant. These letters were posted,
but were intercepted by some
means which it is not necessary
that we should know for the mo-
ment. NJ. Fauyille erased the post
marks and the addresses and in
serted the letters in machine con-
structed for the purpose, Of which
he regulated the works so that the
first letter should be delivered a
fortnight after his death and the
Others at intervals Of 10 days,
At this moment it IS certain
that his plan was concerted down
Ito the smallest detail. Knowing
that Sauverand was in love with
his wife, watching Sauverand Is
movements, he must obviously
have noticed that his detested
rival used to pass. under the win.
Idows Of the house every Wedhes.
day and that Marie Fanvsille