Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-09

sr didn't ike you much, but It WASH
that of course" she continued. "Yol
pretended to adore animal life, yet 20,
forgot to clean out your goldfish pond
The poor things were dying. was go.
Ing to speak to Mr.. Hunt and M. Flique
You see, could have told them whs
you were"
Prof. Johns laughed. I'VE should
have been good friends but for your un-
fortunate intuitions, Miss Brent. Curl.
Gus how little things trip one up. isn't
ST."
His pistol was leveled at Caroline, his
index finger on the trigger. I thought
] never could discharge the weapon In
my own hand. It does take courage to
kill q man.
A report deafened me, but even then
I was not sure which Of US had hred.
Not until Johns pistol hand fell to his
side and he turned toward me, his
glasses smashing on the floor, was ]
Amusement agitated the expression Of
benevolent wisdom he mad cultivated SO
assiduously these 20 years. It's sinister
stain discolored the pallcr Of his face
and established his kinship with those
other men OF Babylon, le Balafre and
Ciceron Bee.
He sided out through the door behind
him and dropped. His left arm, outfiung
from his body, futtered like . wounded
bird and became still.
"AllanI" Caroline wept, as dropped
beside her. could not speak and she
took my streaming face between her
hands and kissed me.
held her in my arms until Fuque
came.
when Finue bent over Johns It
turned out that he was not yet dead.
Nor had consciousness entirely left him.
After we had made him as comfort
able as we could. he revived little.
"A good shot, Hunt" His words were
sorry now. A young man In
love strange things. Why Is
1t, Flique?"
"It is the madness, mon pauvre Jules"
Flique said, actually wip!ng his eyes.
''Do not know"
I led Caroline to the end Of the wharf
while F1ique talked with Johns and ush-
cred him out of life.
I did not let her talk much. What
she said came In stark. clipped SEN
fences.
As Miss Jahries had said, Caroline had
gone upstairs for her coat. On the roof
she had met lie Balafre, who was leav-
ing the room In which the bodies Of
Parados and Granger lay. His purpose
ln coming was to satisfy himself and Bee
that Parados either was or was not Jules
Lacote. He had found two dead men.
neither Of whom was LAcote. Bee was
standing on shore In the launch in case
his accomplice should signal
Obviously, le Balafre could not let
Caroline 60. He must kill her or take
her with him. It occurred to him that
she might know something Of the pres
ent identity and exact whereabouts Of
Laeote, as he still believed Lacote was
on the island.
It was his idea that saved Caroline's
life. His problem was to get her TO
some safe place-the village, perhaps
where he and Bee might be able to force
out Of her the information they needed.
He made me 60 into the room in
which Parados and Granger lay. When
you called to me his mite was pricking
too And then, when you had
left the house and he thought it was
safe, he signaled to Bee and
you came back. oh, Allan, thought
he had killed your
They had let her alone on the launch,
but In the shed they soon made it clear
that they were prepared to go 70 any
lengths to get information both Of them
believed. she possessed.
81 couldn't have stood &c much longer.
n I'd been sure Il was Johns I'd have
told them, but I wasn't al
didn't know. And then Johns came
and Johns was Lacote.
sAnd then you Allan"
Flique's fondness for an audience as
serted itself as soon as we returned to
che house. He insisted on the presence
Of every one before he would give US o
word Of his final summing up Of the
tragic affair. Our heads counted, he
plunged into his story.
His little game" FIique contended
had justified itself In that It had re-
Sealed the general detestation in which
Parados was held. The first clue Of Inn
portance was Johns avowal that he tele-
phoned to Parados at twenty-five min
utes Of 2.
what did It mean, that telephone
call?
Monsieur went to the patio window
There madame saw him. Madame ran
down the stair and Just before she
reached the patio window monsieur fell
with o bullet through his heart. Ma
dame departed In panic, leaving the