New Britain herald., 1929-09-23
By R. 4. J. MAILING

IldlI, II n ti9 I II lIl' ll4slN VI ttti'-Al it by an invisible string,
 'Agatn the warning hand. Again the contomptuous gesture. The player. stalking his whole 5ains each lime, won seven coups.
 linen, as though he had con- sciously exhausted his magic in reaching the mystic number, he rose-possessor of | fortune. and, with his monitor, was escorted away.
 Tt is sail that his winnings reached the enormous sum of a million francs. rhc player is ln- known at Catcnd and cannot Ge traced
 When We came 10 the c3d of the paragraphs. We looked up to find the official standing behind us.
 He looked over our should,rs.
 "Ah." he said, you arc reading the report Of the sr.at seven C" Ups ot t925?'
 You remember ;hat2' I asked.
 "Very well, monsieur. md the most curious part of the history is not there"
 He pointed 10 the newspaper.
 NO, messiours the most curious part Of he history is afterwards. They go to their hotel.
 ''They say 10 the manager, Here is a lot Of money. Count it. Lock it I'D. G've us q receipt for it, To it now, without drlay. We take d jew thousand for ourselves. We leave the rest in your care Very well.
 "The next day, they go away. They have not come back. The money remains still in the coffrc- fort of the hotel, waiting for them.
 Chapter q p. r.. Lincoln 4 million francs left four years in a hotel unclaimcd
 The man knew he was telling 9 sensational story and expected us 10 be surprised. Our astonishment must have far exceeded his cXpec- | tations.
 So excited were ne that he smiled indulgcntIy. Ycs-he was quite willing to give us the name of the hotel, but he warned Us the manager intended 10 hang on to that fortune till the rightful owner presented the righuuI receipt The money itself had, of course, long since been lodged in the bank. . .
 In the morning We visited the Hotel des Cynges and saw the man. ager He was a difficult and SC. cretive gentleman, but we per. suaded him to allow us 10 look ovcr his register for July, 1925, telling him nothing of the purpose of ths search.
 We found in this list of guests or the 23rd of July only two English rames. They were l.. Richard and L. Philip of London.
 The two men Tn tho Dover af. fair. Laxton certainly had an un- canny instinct. We sent him tel cgram announcing our return by the boat which left at ten.
 It was pleasant 10 bc back at Woodcot without skeleton in tn. cupboard or a hypothetical cousin
 upstairs l. was splendid to bt
 welcomed by my mother, Uht
 asked 10 sunorflpoUs questions
 Professor Laxton mad already re
 lievod hor mind.
 Rut I1xton's own mind was in { sad uproar He had rushed bacl
 to BlacItWater 10 find MarIin2
 flown. According 10 Mr Fother
 bury. he had suddenly thrown III his iob and gone to London. Tn , London address he left was q hotel
 Tho hotel knew him not.
 LaXtou had nothing save rrais ! Ter our work at Ostcnd. We wer curious 10 know how he had hit O; . Cstcnd at all He then traced fo :, Us the chain of ctrcumstanc
 which began with his oll lag
 yarn and continued with his 1isi ! 10 Princctown pri.on at the tim $ of tho man Richards escape. Richard had only on" core
 srondart. q man named Lincoln, q, , accountant in London. They ha,
 tranci Lincoln up 10 a significan
 point and then lost him. p Lincoln had been employed by s v"II-knoWn firm Of accountants i 5, the city, Three years ago he too a holiday Of fortnieht and did no & return for l2 months When in
 vrar had gone hn turned up agair .. with no explanation of his remark , able conduct, and asked for q ref | ,rcncc.
 4 Tho firm liked Lincoln. Tgt--n g 0xolanation, no reference. Nothiu T doing
 v "You need hardly go on. Mir. Lax ton' said l. "Of courso the ma Lincoln VAS 'ha second prisoner i o 'ho bo}rr affair. nh6 gave tH ? namo of PhtIir and Philip Waa th I I."@lie'na0 who stood uehiud in ] 4amb'rr'a elbow Io tao Elrsaa D and that EagusHma1 v.#s pcIj' e laNoa sniiad approviugly
 confessed that lad reached m r, speculative limit.
 g "The rest is matter Of prosa IS police inquiry The rorr"s 3ondenc i- between Richard and Lincoln W, IT apparently perfectly harmIcss-b,
 it must have concealed q pret'
 subtle understanding. The e ,n tra0rdjnary ju5@nIl'v and pluck .d LiHcoln.-listen 10 thls." s. And taeu 1azton told us n- length about Prll lie had carnc lr lha usual r-u'sslo1 Of ecntcn' ,c and ~as out ol prison iu May. fF2
 Having had J shot at his old ir lo without #lnnns&. ho went 10 a- 1d other "u,se was engaged in 10 moIlato.g That firm was smitht !. ltI