The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-06-09

the shell in the grate explodes It bangs upon the ear of M. Johns and he fires his weapon with an accuracy.
 "Messieurs ct mesdames, it is done"
 Flique had given us pretty vivid picture Celia was weeping and Caroline's arms were around her.
 And I clinched his alibi by phoning to find out if he were in the tower Samuels muttered in deep disgust What was the wea- pon, Flique?'
 Tt was a rifle, M le Deputy"
 "Nonsense!' Samuels exploded Those bullets had the rifling oi a Colt forty-five automatic pistol Whats the answer?"
 Flique twirled his mustache.
 "The weapon, monsieur was a rifle-a rifle of the Springfield army pattern, and it had"
 Ut couldn't have been!" Samuels i shouted
 and it had" Flique continued imperturbably the rifling of a Colt forty-five automatic pistol" Samuels drew a handkerchief across his forehead.
 That's a pretty big chunk to swallow" he said Tt take an ex- pert to do job like that"
 Flique beamed. Did I not inform you that it was thought the infa- nous Jules Lacote once served in an arsenal in France? Clearly, he would have the knowledge. Did not poor Grainger have a lathe in in his workshop? Has not M. An nersley informed us that Grainger sometimes took the little vacation?
 "On these occasions there re- mained on the island no one but M. Johns. Now, M le Deputy, would it be difficult, ask you, for that rascal to procure the tool with which to bore out that old rifling ! and increase the caliber from 1908, is it?-to .45?"
 1 Easy enough" Samuels admit ted. But that doesn't re-rifle the barrel with a Colt pistol rifling- unless he sent it to a factory" 1 "The rifling is the big job, as you say. But to one who has served in an arsenal of France, who has the shrewdness, the terrified heart, much time, and a trifle of money, it is nothing Monsieur, that Johns had all of those. And if certain trifles had to be made at fac- tory, what of that? Poor Grainger takes his little holiday that M. Johns employs his lathe to prepare the rifle that is to kill him.
 T guess you are right" Samuels said somberly. He must have done it."
 'Precisement You shall see" I Flique took himself into the bil- Hard room, reappeared with the game bag, the long steel rod he had found in Grainger's workshop, and a rifle-not the one I had re- lieved him of, but a 1906 Spring field army rifle Most of the stock had been cut away from the barrel, around which had been sweated wide straps of steel to strengthen it. The butt, also had been cut down-to lessen the depth of the rifle, suppose. Flique pre- sented the rod for Samuels' in- spection.
 This rod M. le Deputy-you have seen it before, yes?9 It is the cutter rod. This" touching the metal piece into which the rod fit ted-'is the cutter. AS the grooves in the rifle are to be deepened this cutter may be raised by-um- inserting a trifle of paper under it Monsieur understands the process oui?"
 Samuels shook his head impa- tiently. '
 The rod and the cutter-are they not pulled back through the barrel turning, as they come, according to the-twist, is it?-that is de- sired? Thus shaving of steel is pared off, the rod returns, the cut ter is raised, and the artisan-does he not repeat that process unti, the rifling is finished?" F'lique took up his rifle. Mon sieur has observed these bands oi steel. Widening the bore of the rifle from the calibre 1908 to the : caliber .45 weakened the. barre and M. Johns-the word, M. lAnti. : quaire?"
 Compensated for the lessenee resistance of the barrel-is that what you mean?" I ventured. T thank you, monsieur" Fliqut :. bowed. That infamous Johns com. pensated for the lessened resistance of the barrel by strengthening i with these hands cf Staalo