The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-23

man still hung, spiked to the wall.
Cleek walked over to that CHASTITY human
crucifix and regarded the dead man bitter
ly, his lips puckered.
$50 it has come to this at last, has it,
De Villon?" he said, half audibly. "Well,
was it worth the price, do you thinka AS
for the rest-Mr. Narkom?"
eyes, old chap"
81 noticed last night when was down on
my knees following the trail of the huile
violette that there was a section of the floor
ing which has evidently been raised lately,
as it was fastened down with new nails. Lo-
cate the place for me-it's over there some
where-and stand there while l do little
measuring and counting"
Cleek began stepping off the distance be-
tween the spot where the body hung and
that where Narkom knelt. "Three PAGES
And PAGES are usually designated in dia-
from the body bring one to the mantelplece
gram by KS. And nine boards across the
room does the trick! Letters, she said, let
tersl That was the first clew. Letters that
might fall into Margot's hands; and that
dead wretch was Margot's ally ence upon
time, and might threaten to give the things
over to her. He will have hidden them
there"
Speaking he moved rapidly across the
room to the spot where Narkom stood, knelt,
and in five minutes time had the board up.
OuQSr IL lay SOtHcCiiiIS Clcu uP AAi GA oAo
white silk handkerchief and when the knots
of that were unfastened three thick packets
of yellow, time-discolored letters, tied up
with old neckties and frayed silken shoe
laces. tumbled out upon the floor
"There is the answer to the riddle"
Na1'kom made no reply in words. He SIM
ply glanced at the signature attached to the
first letter, then sucked in his breath with
a sort of shuddering sigh.
EENoW LOT ppt hack to General RaynOr.
"Raynor!" calculated Mr.. Narkom. Sure
ly it was not he who"-
COMMITTED the murder" finished Cleek.
''No, luckily FOR him, he found it already
committed. No, it is these letters that he
wanted"
A few moments later the general heard
footstep on the gravel, and, hating to listen
and make sure, heard that footstep come
on and up the terrace steps. With a quick
intaking of the breath he moved to the win
dow, twtched aside the curtains, and let
the light streak outward into the night.
1t fell full upon two men-Cleek and Mar
kom--standing within arms reach of the in
drawn sashes.
Greatly, Mr. Barch, this is carrying your
little pleasantries too far"
"Quite so," said Cleek. ''but the law is no
respecter of any man."
"The law" The generals sudden fright
was pitiful. "What have 1 to do with the
law? What have you, Mr.. Barch?"
''Cleek, if you want the truth of it, gen
eral--Cleek of the Forty Faces, CIeek of
Scotland Yard"
''CIeek? Cleek?" The generals cry was
scarcely more than shrill whisper. God!
You that man? You?
eyes, fear it is, general" said Cleek in
reply, as he stepped past him and moved
into the room. I've something to say to
YOU; and Mr.. Narkom has still something to
hear But first
He reached around and took packet of
letters from the tail pocket of his evening
coat and threw it to the stricken man.
"Carry those things to Lady Clavering and
let her burn them with her own hands," he
said. ''They are letters which caused last
nights crime-the letters of Mile. Marise de
Morcerf, pretty schoolgirl, who wrote them
in all innocence to Lieutenant Raynor out
there in Malta, all those years ago. They
were stolen by the man who was christened
under the name of Anatole de Villon, and
died under that of Count de Louvisan."
The general plucked up the letters with
wild sort of eagerness.
"You know. then, you know" he said in
a shaking voice. "And you know how De
Louvisan had blackmailed herr"
eyes, general, 1 know. The knowledge
came in part from those letters and in part