Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-11-09

Il
carefully drawn blinds, was lighted
and occupied.
They were not ornate, these offices.
They consisted of two rooms, a small
reception room and a large private
| Office, both lined to the ceiling with
books, chiefly law books. In the larger
room were sitting three men. One
of the three, Ben Chacherre, sat in
a chair tipped back against the wall,
his eyes closed. From time to time
he opened those sparkling black eyes
| of his, and through narrow-slitted lids
directed keen glanees at the other
! two men.
/ One of the men was the chief of
police. The second was joachim Fell,
whose offices these were.
even if things are as ayou say,
which I don't doubt at ALL said the
chief slowly, 81 can't believe the boy
did it! And darn it all, if I pinch
him there's goin' to be a h of a
scandal
Fell shrugged his shoulders, and
made response in his toneless voice:
"Chief you're up against facts.
Those facts are bound to come out
and the newspapers will nail your
hide to the wall in minute You've
bare chance to save yourself by TAX
ing in young Maillard at once"
The chief chewed hard on his cigar.
Il don't want to save myself by put
ting the wrong man behind the bars"
he returned. 1T sure looks like he
was the Masquer all the while, but
you say that he wasn't. You say this
was his only job-a joke that turned
out bad.'
'EThose are the facts" said Fell. II
don't want to accuse man of crimes
/ know he did not commit. We have
the best of evidence that he did COM
NIT this crime. If the newspapers
fasten the entire Midnight Masquer
business on him, as they're sure to
do, we can't very well help him. I
have no sympathy for the boy
"Of course he did it, put in Ben
Chacherre, sleepily. Wasn't he caught
with the goods?"
The others paid no heed. The chief
indicated two early editions of the
morning papers, which lay on the desk
in front of Fell. These papers car
ried full accounts of the return Of
the Midnight Masquer's loot, explain
ing his robberies as part Of a carnival
jest.
The later editions, comm out now
said the chief, will crowd all that
stuff off the front page with the Mail
lard murder. Darn 1t, Fell Whether
believe it or not, I'll have to ar
rest the young fool"
| Chacherre chuckled. joachim Fell
smiled family.
Nothing could be palmer, chief" he
responded First, Bob Maillard comes
to US in front of the opera house, and
talks about great joke that he's
going to spring on his friends across
the way"
How'd you know who he WASP" in
terjected the chief, shrewdly.
"Gramont recognized him; Ansley
and | confirmed the recognition. He
was more or less toxicated-chiefly
/ q
in the room at the moment Of the muir
der-unless he was the Masquer. Five
minutes afterward he was found in a
nearby room, hastily changing out Of
an aviator's uniform into his masquer-
ade costume. Obviously, he had as
sumed the guise of the Masquer as a
joke on his friends, and the joke had
a tragic ending Further, he was in
the aviation service during the war,
and so had the uniform ready to hand.
You couldn't make anybody believe
that he hasn't been the Masquer all
the time!"
"Of course" and the chief nodded
perplexedly It'd be a clear case
only you call me in and say that he
wasn't the Masquer! D-n it, Fell,
this thing has my goatw
WHAT'S Maillard's story?" struck in
| Ben Chacherre
"He denies the whole thing" said
the worried chief According to his
story, which sounded straight the way
he tells it, he meant to pull off the
joke on his friends and was dressing
in the Masquer's costume when he
| heard the shots. He claims that the
shots startled him and made him
change back. He swears that he had
not entered the other room at all, ex-
! cept in his masquerade clothes. He
says the murderer must have been the
real Masquer. It's likely enough, be-
cause all young Maillard's crowd knew
about the party that was to be held
in that room during the Comus ball"
"No natter said Fell, coldly.
"Chief, this is an open and shut case;
the boy was bound to lie. That he
killed his father was an accident, Of
course. but none the less it did take
place."
''The boys a wreck this minute"
The chief held match to his unlight-
ed cigar. But you say that he amt
the original Masquer?"
'Nop' Fell spoke quietly. 'The
original Masquer was another person,
and had nothing to do with the pres
ent case. This information is confiden-
| tial and between ourselves"
"Oh. of course" assented the chief.
"WeI, L suppose / got to pull Maillard,
but 1 hate to do it. | got bunch
that he amt the right party"
"Virtuous man!' Fell smiled thinly.
| ga ooor5inr 70 oil the hooks the chief