The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-03-26

discovered that his expression Of sullen
uSALdnce seemed now to be shot with a ray
u nOpe. ! could not see what he had to be
nOteLu about in anything that Jacques had
salG, as even suppOsing Delmas had failed
MS murderOus attempt an acceptance
Oh jacques statement, inadmissible as le-
~ evidence though it must be. would still
eve Delmas as the causative factor in the
cI!me, accessory before the fact.
Lou have said, Monsieur, that the mind
o. Delmas claims to have been witness to
liz act" said the officer. "Can you tell US
"MaL It witnessed 2"
1hat is within my province, monsieur, %
jacques answered. "Delmas remained at the
WINDOW. Why did he remain after having
IaIIeGF Because he was convinced that NJ.
wharf, whom he knew to be a man Of cOur-
dsS ana determination, would spring up
anu rush out around the cabane in a fury
10 seize the man who had made an attempt
upon his life. 1t flashed through the mind
OF Delmas that he had gone too far to re-
LredJ, and that his only hope Tor salvation
now lay in making a quick end to his I'm
successful attempt and in stealing off be-
IOre Lerceived by others.
But NJ. Wharf did not spring up. He
mad suffered a fearful nervous shock from
the fall upon the shattered clOches, which
hau cut him about the face and hands. Fol
al That Delmas knew, and, therefore, fol
al Jhat / know, my being the
reIlextiOn of his own thought, Monsieur vi
part might have had a stroke, an |apOpleXy
Ferhaps, indeed, he did. That would no
ne surprising in a man of his age and full
FLOODED habit. Indeed it would be mOr'
surprising if he did not.
so, Delmas waited, peering through tn,
Dafs. 1t was very dark, as always witt
sucn a storm Of rain and gtbOullet. It n
doubtful, in fact, if NJ. Wharf had recOg
'nlzed his assailant.
At this moment the door Of the caban
was opened and slammed shut behin'
Andre. DelmaS saw him rush to his uncle
stOOp over his Lrostrate form, make a swift
movement of the hand, then turn and rus
out again. But there was that in the actiOi
of Andre to pursuade the mind of Delma
, that Andre had done no less than to ad
minister a coupe de grace. The mind @
Delmas found it incredible that a man O
andre past should be so shocked and tel
l rtfied on being confronted with a sangui1
airy accident as to have rushed out Of Ch
D place like a frightened femme de chambrt
e Moreover, Delmas' reason told him that
2 soldier who had fought in the trenches an
e was at this moment employed in a big hot
pital where he came in daily contact wit
] the victims Of such accidents would, ma
. he been an honest man, remain at the sic
,, OF MS uncle, making every eIIOtt 70 renu'
S first aid, to stanch the flow Of blood.
why, asked the intelligence of Delma
should Andre have fumbled at the neck
n M. Wharf, then rushed out and ran back
j. his cousin Renee to ask that she telephOI
It for a doctor, when the obvious necessit
b was so evidently one of prompt attentiC
e to his Ound? And why, then, instead
o telephOning himself for a surgeon, shOu
It Andre have hObbled back on his bad kn6
d preceding Renee to the cabane?
"NO, messieurs. The agile mind of De
mas told him that a man Of Andres e
perience would not become suddenly stup
d in the face Of such an accident. 1t reasons
lie also that this thing had happened at
N moment when former sanguinary impuls
were rifle in the heart of Andre. There W
the rumble of thunder like heavy artilleI
Ia the explosion Of the mortar, and the bur'
10 inn Of tho nnfnmnC with which AmnTn n
ot at that moment been bOmbarding the 81
1t But the stealthy intelligence Of Delmas tC
" him it would be well now for him to {
r tablish an alibi as quickly as he could.
y he ran back to his car, leaped into
ne drove around and entered the Villa Viba
ne trusting that the deluge would wash out
n traces of his presence in the lane and i
mediately behind the cabane. As for