New Britain herald., 1922-09-15
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The Apache Strikes Back

plenty for thought. together with a notion that he had better resign him. self to stop on indefinitely at the Grand Hotel de l'Univers and |. zee what he should see. .....
 That fatality on which he had so bitterly reflected, had him now fairly by the heels. Impossible-and the more so the longer he pondered it. to credit to mere coincidence the in nuendooes uttered at the chateaeu by Monk and his party No: there had been malice in that, Duchemin was satisfied if not some darker purpose which perplexed the most patient scrutiny.
 Now malice without incentive is unthinkable. But Duchemin searched his memory in vain for anything he could have said or done to make any body desire to discredit him in the sight of the ladies of the Chateau de Montalais. Still the attempt so to do had ben unmistakable: the Lone Wolf had been iugged into the con- versation literally by his legendary ears
 Surely, one would think, that noc- turnal prowler Of pre-war Paris had been so long dead and buried even the most ghoulish gossip should re- sukct his poor remains and not dis inter them merely to demonstrate that the past can never wholly die.
 Had he, then, some enemy of old hidden under one of those sleek sur faces?
 An excellent visual memory re- viewed successively the physical char scteristics of Messieurs Monk, Phi nuit and de Lorgnes and their chauffeur Jules; with the upshot that Duchemin could have sworn that he had never before known any of these.
 And Madame la Comtesse? In re- spect of that one memory again drew a blank, but remained unsatished. When one thought of her some re- mote. faint chord of reminlscence thrilled and hummed, but never rec ognizably.
 Setting aside then the theory of positive personal animus. what other reason could there be for the effort to fasten upon Duchemin suspicion of identity with the late Lone Wolf?
 A sinistetr consideration, if any, and one, Duchemin suspected not un- connected with the much-talked- about jewels of Madame de Mont alais
 And then, partly to kill time, he resumed his character as the pedes- trian tourist
 He took the road in the heart of a day even more oppressive than it's yesterday. In the valley of the Dourbie the air was stagnant. life less. After eight miles of it Du- chemin was guilty of two mistakes of desperation.
 In the first instance he paused in La Rooue- -Sainte- Marguerite and, tor mented by thirst, refreshed himself at the auberge where the barouche and guide had been hired to convey the party from Montalais on to Mont pellier. The landlord remembered Duchemin and made believe he didn't, serving the wayfarer with surly grace.
 puchemin drank sitting on a bench outside the door of the euberge. He could hear the voice of the landlord inside, grumbling and growing to what purport he couldn't determine, Before Duchemin was finished he found himself the exposure of more than a few pair of eyes set in the ill., favored faces of natives of La Roque.
 One gathered that the dead guide had enjoyed fair amount of local popularity.
 While Duchemin drank, lout or a lad shambled out of the auberge,
 
 mounted. and rode off in the direction of Nant.
 Then Duchemin committed his second error of judgment, which con sisted in thinking to find better ar d cooler air on the heights across tte river.
 Accordingly he crossed the Dour- bic, reached the top in bath of sweat. and sat down to cool and breathe himself.
 The view was splendid, almost worth the climb. Duchemin could see for miles up and down the valley. Across the. way Duchemin identihed the figure of the landlord, standing in the door of the auberge with arms raised and elbows thrust out on level with his eyes: the pose ot man using glasses,
 Having rested, he picked himself I'D. found his road, a mere trail Of wagon tracks, and mindful Of the cooling drinks to be had in the Cafe de l'univers, put Ms best foot fore most
 After a time something, call 1t in- stinct .impelled him to look back the way he had come. Half a mile dis tant he saw the figure of peasant following the same road Duchemln stopped and waited for the other to ,n Rut when be Stopped the 1