South Bend news-times., 1922-11-16

TEE Man WIfl oIElL FINGERS
The great drauing-room through
which Monsieur Jonquelle advanced
vas empty
But ID was not silent vague
music. Ike some weird conception
of Tschalkowsky. seemed 10 feel
about the room. extending uself-
a thing that crept bundly and dis
turoed as though it would escape
from something that followed u
Lreiessiy and invisibiy.
10 required The fingers OF q master,
on the board OF a Keyed instru ment
Co produce these sounds. They
came from the room beyond.
second drawing-room looking out on
the Bois de BOalogne.
Monsieur Jonquelle had not al
lowed the servant 20 announce him.
zone IS not permitted 20 disturb
Lord Valleys az this hour, the
servant had said.
Monsieur Jeuquelle's card had
added te the mans perpleXlty. one
was also not permitted 10 deny as
entrance. anywhere. az any hour. TO
the Prefect of Police of Paris. The
man had made a hopeless gesture.
Ike one resigning himself 10 the IN
evitabie
Monsieur Jcnquelle. after the
door had closed behind him. re-
malned for some moments quite
motl0niess IN the eddy, os one might
wriee lt. Of this strange. weird
music. in which there vas always a
~
barbaric vigOr. harsh and deter
mined
Monsieur J0nQuelle could not
place the music in any remembered
composition. II was not the work
or any master that he knew. IL was
an lmprovsation OF the fingers that
produced H.
Presently he advanced into the
room from which the music Issued.
lie paused a moment In the doorway.
watching the figure with white,
nimble fingers hard as steel Then
Re spoke.
Your pardon. monsieur" said the
Prefect OF Police. Il am desolated
10 disturb you"
The man at the plano sprang up
and turned swiftly as though his
body accomplished the act with a
single motion
To the eye. the man was strange.
IFS shoulders were very broad and
stopped. his face was wide, massive
the face or a Slav. His hair was
thick. close and heavy. but II was
not long, and affected no manner
ism.
The man was very carefully
dressed. after the English fashion
and with its well-bred restraint But
the impression he gave one was de-
cidediy not English. 1t was that OF
q slav adapted to an English aspect
The eyes one did not see one
rarely saw them. They seemed tC
be hidden By heavy lids like cur
tained windows And there was nc
expression In the face The face
was a mask. II seemed always in
repOse. The big nose. the square
brutal Jaw. and the wide planes OF
the face, were white as with a sor'
Of pallor. Monsieur JOnquelle had
81 sudden. swift impression. Th'
man before him was either the
greatest criminal or the creates
genius that he had ever seen.
JOnQuelle had also a further I'm
preston OF failure. He had mean
10 startle this man. and observ,
what followed And he had startled
him: but untrue to every experience
there was nothing 10 observe. Tn,
mans face remained without an ex
preston. ne was behind 10 hiddel
from every eye. 10 was a mask tha
could not DE changed by the will o
another. Monsieur J0nquelle won
dered in what manner 81 would
change at the Will OF the man tina
80 so admirably ohscured II was
thing he was not interested 20 dis
cover
II was only fer an instant tha
the man was without expression
Then he smiled and came forwar,
into the rom The smile begar
with a queer lifting or the lips ant