Year: 1877

| walking about with bundle enveloped


table-napkin, as if he were taking h


own linen to the washw


~ can't fancy it at ALL" returned OF


Corkscrew, quietly. "You will agree wit


me, suppose, that he wouldn't have bee


pray give me your most earnest attention.
| We have come to the point where the young


man has entered the cottage. How he ac-


counted for his presence at SO late an hour,


Of course, cannot tell but one thing is


very certain, he told the Widow Lerouge


that he hadn't dined The worthy woman


Immediately set about preparing repast


la repast in which she herself did not
| join, because in the cupboard there are still
the remains. of her dinner, and you will


perceive plates are not laid for two"


Here Old Corkscrew paused, elevated his
inquisitive nose in the air, and, with twink


ling eyes, surveyed the assembled COM
pany. Never was man more delighted


with.his audience. All were deeply inter-
| ested in the marvellous exposition of cause
| and effect. Attention was upon every


countenance and even those who had been


prepared to scoff, not only gave up such


absurd expectation, but were, if possible,


more eagerly curious than the rest.
The cunning old ferret had produced his
effect. His pause was the pause of the


popular speaker or the favorite actor, who,
having "struck fire" by some glowing
phrase or well-turned bit Of sensation,"
waits until the excitement has just little
cooled before he electri6es them with his
next


A murmur of impatience from every
side, and Daddy Tabaret, after shifting
thrice in a manner very irritating to the
nerves, went on. o.


"We now approach the great question Of
questions-who was this young man? It
is evident that the widow considered his
position in society to be much above her
own. In the CUPBOARD there is table
cloth, hardly soiled at all but instead of
making use of it, she brings out a clean
one, and decidedly one of her best. This
splendid goblet of cut glass was, of course,
intended for him, and displayed in honor
of his coming. And, lastly, think, it is
probable she seldom made use Of this hand
some ivory-handled knife


Gall this is very exact" murmured the
magistrate" very exact"


"Behold, then, our young man seated at
table. He began by drinking a glass of
wine while the widow prepared the ham
and eggs, and placed the frying-pan on the
fire. Then, his heart failing him, he asked
for brandy, and drank right off about four
or five iqueur glasses. After an inward
struggle Of, let US say, about ten minutes
it must have taken about that time to have
cooked the ham and eggs to the degree that
we now see them-the young man rose,
approached the widow, who must have
been on her knees or bent over the fire, and
stabbed her twice in the back. Death was
not instantaneous. She half rose, and
clung to the hands Of the assassin, while
he, starting backwards, must have dragged
her suddenly forwards, and then thrown
her on her face in the position that we find
her at present. This brief struggle is indi-
Gated by the posture of the corpse. Bent
forwards and struck in the back, it is upon
the back she should have fallen. The in
strument the murderer used for his pur-
pose was a sharp and pointed one. This
instrument if I am not greatly in error,
was foil with the button taken off, and
afterwards sharpened. He has left lis an
indication of this in wiping the weapon
upon the petticoat Of his victim. Another
fact is that he has been neither scratched
or in any way injured in the struggle. The
widow, as I have said before, clung to his
hands, but as he had not taken off his pearl
gray kid gloves"


sOh, come you're not writing novel,
Daddy Tabaret" expostulated Gevrol.


"Have you examined the finger nails OF
the widow, my dear sira"


"Well, oblige me by doing 80, and I'm
sure you'll agree with me as to the latter
detail"


aHaving thus settled" the scepticism Of
the head Of the detective force, Monsieur
Tabaret continued his discourse.


"The poor woman being now disposed
Of, the next question is, what was the mo-
live of the murderer Perhaps you have
surmised it to have been her money, or
dated bills, or some sordid meanness of
that sort2 No, gentlemen . hundred
times mop


Here Old Corkscrew, in his energy,
pounded the table and shook his fist at the
company III general, put nopouy vehtuleu
10 hazard u remark, he cleared bis throat
and went on.


"what the young gentleman wanted,
what he sought for, what he determined to !
nave, were papers-family papers which
1e knew to be in the possession OF the
widow. To become master Of these he in
,pects everything - empties the oaken
presses, unfolds the linen, smashes the old
writing desk, of which he cannot get the !
Key, and rips open the mattress. At last
success crowns his efforts-he finds what
le seeks. And do you know what he does
With these papers He burns them. Not
n the fireplace, but in the little stove in the
ront room. The end he had in view being
low accomplished, what is his next move9
70 f1y from the scene of his crime, and in