The Southern herald., 1922-09-01

| WoIuen nau long since finished thpil
tasks and departed Out In the street!
the tag-ends of carnival were runninI
on a swiftly ebbing tide. A single ele
vator in the building was, however
In use. A single suite Of offices, witt
carefully drawn blinds, was lighted
and occupied.
They were not ornate, these offices
They consisted of two rooms, a small
reception room and 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 ewes
Of his, and through narrOw-slitted lids
directed keen gIances at the other
two men.
One of the men was the chief of
police. The second was Jachin Fell
whose Offices these were.
Even II things are as YOU saw.
which l don't doubt at ALL" said the
chief, slowly, 81 can't believe the boy
did it! And darn 1t all, If pinch
him there's goin' to be a h. of a
scandalr
Fell shrugged his shoulders and
made response In his toneless voice ::
Chief, you're up against facts.
Those facts are bound to come ont
and the newspapers will nail vour
hide to the wall in a minute. You've
pare 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"
ne returned. ut 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"
Those are the facts" said Fell. 'T
don't want to accuse q 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 Masauer
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 Mall.
lard murder. Darn it, Fell! Whether
l believe 1t or not, I'll have to ar
rest the young fool"
Chacherre chuckled. Jachln Fell
smiled family.
Nothing could be palmer. chief" he
responded. First, Bob Mailard comes
to us in front Of the opera house, and
talks about a great Joke that he's
going to spring on his friends across
the way"
How'd you know who he was?" in
ter1ected the chief, shrewdly.
"Gramont recognized him; Ansley
and l confirmed the recognition. He
was more or less intoxlcated-chieAv
more. Now, young Maillard was not
n the room at the moment of the mur-
1er-unless he was the Masquer. Five
minutes afterward he was found in n
nearby room, hastily changing out of
IN aviator's uniform into his masouer-
lde costume Obviously, he had as
'umed the guise of the Masquer as A
oke on his friends, and the joke had
tragic ending. Further he was in
he aviation service during the war.
md so had the uniform ready to hand.
fou couldn't make anybody believe
hat he hasn't been the Masquer all
he time I"
"Of course" and the chief nodded
'erplexedly. It'd be a clear case
'nly you call me in and say that he
wasn't the Masquerl D-n 1t, Fell.
his thing has my goat!"
Whats Maillard's story?" struck In
Ben Chacherre.
3 He denies the whole thing" said
he worried chief. According TO his
tory, which sounded straight the way
le tells 1t, he meant to pull off the
oke on his friends and was dressing
n the Masquer's costume when he
leard the shots. He claims that the
hots startled him and made him
mango back. He swears that he had
lot entered the other room at all, ex-
ept In his masquerade clothes. He
ays the murderer must have been the
eal Masquer. It's likely enough, be-
ause all young Maillard's crowd knew
bout the party that was to be held
that room during the Comus ball"
mo matter" said Fell, coldly.
Chief, this is an open and shut case;
he boy was bound to lie. That he
llled his father was an accident, Of
curse, but none the less it did take
lace"
1.-THE boys a wreck this minute"
he chief held a match to his unlight-
d cigar. "But you say that he amt
he original MasquerT"
mo" Fell spoke quietly. "The
rIgInal Masduer was another nersnn.