Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-25
The Woman on the Terrace
ReOin Here Today


The handsome woman in the in
valid chair had been talking anSrily
with her companion when
M. JONQUELLE, greatest of French
detectives, entered the beautiful
Italian terrace. The woman IN
troduced her companion,
MARTIN DILLARD, an American,
and learned hat the great detec-
tive had come from Paris to learn
why the house in France, owned
by billiard, had burned to the
ground.
She explained that the house was
filed with priceless etchings which
billiard was copying. During Dill
lard's absence, when she was in
charge she went to the cellar where
the masterpieces were stored.
The flame of her candle ignited
the cobwebs in the cellar and in a
moment the whole place was i'll
aames.
Go on With the Story
CHAPTER Ill
sTr terror. / let myself out of the
flaming house," the woman contin-
ued
"As the basement of this house
was without windows, the fire
was not discovered until 1 had got
ten entirely out of the neighborhood
Of the Faubourg st. German.
"I was so overcome, no number
by this incredible disaster that / did
not stop to consider any result. 1
wished to escape from Paris-to
conceal myself somewhere I thought
of this villa, but l did not dare to
take the train from the Care de
Lyon. / Travelled in a motor, wind
ing southwark from France not d.
rectly, in order to confuse anyone
who might endeavor to follow"
Again she touched her mouth with
the lace handkerchief. There was a
faint red stain on it. She looked at
the stain, but without emotion, and
presently added.
"But / did not succeed. Monsieur
billiard and Monsieur Jonquelle have
been able to trail me here with an
equal facility, it seems, and within
almost the same period of time. /
can not have managed my travel
with discretion"
She stopped abruptly. For a mo-
n1ent there was silence. The two
men beside her did not move, but
their aspect changed. The Amer
lean seemed to relax: his tense
energy to ebb. The in him
changed to an aspect of disaster;
on the contrary, there came into
the posture of Monsieur ~Jonquelle
dressing the American.
Monsieur" he said 'is it true
that the basement room of this
house was thus hung with cob
webs?"
The man replied as though his
Jaws were stiff.
YES" he said. 'the whole rotten
ceiling was hung with them. l al
ways went in with an electric flash
Ia candle-good God! What an
accidenti'
Monsieur Jonquelle arose.
Monsieur" he said, this was no
accident. I will show you"
The villa had been long closed.
-unsects had had their will with it.
He went over to a shutter, I'M
hooked 1t, swung it a little open.
removed an immense cobweb and
came back to the border of the
terrace.
The American, amazed and in a
profound interest, moved to where
he stood on the border of the terrace
before the woman in the chair. The
woman alone seemed beyond any
concern. She neither moved nor
spoke. She smiled vaguely. main
tanning her posture Of repose. The
American could not conceal his pro-
found interest.
Not an accident" he said. "What
do you mean?"
Monsieur Jonquelle held the web
up in his fingers, struck a match,
and touched the web with the fame.
There was no flash. The flaments
of the web shriveled a little under
the heat.
81 mean" said Monsieur JON
quelle, that a spider-Web is not
infammable, and, therefore, the
basement of this house could not
have taken fire from the flame Of a
CANDLE"
After that two events seemed to
happen as though they were timed.
The woman laughed and the In
ruriated American lunged towalu
her; but Monsieur ~Jonquelle's foot
caught his ankle with a swift out
ward turn, and the man plunged
headlong on the terrace. He got a
heavy fall, for all the vigor of the