HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1930-06-26, Page 7$•*A T
THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE
WT
tfemple ^otiferj
by »
3
THE STpRY SO F£B ‘ '
Hugh Drummond and Peter Farrell
are interested in Mr. Granger, Wbo
lives at Temple T°wer, which is
strongly fortified. Miss Verney
accepts a position as private se-
• cretary to Mr. Granger and her
- friend (Freckles) Tom Scott is
'Staying with' Hugh, John, an old,
friend of Hugh’s, has the plans of
- Temple Tower but someone stole
' them out of his room, A boarder
' at Spr-agge’s Farm hides a rope
ladder near the tower and. at night
F uses it to climb the wall. Hugh
land his three friends also ,gp. in
to find the big dog poisoned and
the servant Gaspard choked to
-death. They ' meet Victor Mat
thews, a member of the New York
• police, who retuns with them and
ijgives the historjf of this myster
ious person in black. . ;
WW GO ON WITH THE STORY
"“What is the result, Mei’ely that
Time becomes all important. He hears time that disadvantage is gone. We
the map belonging to Sir Johnr he know exactly,, and all, we have to do 1 cs if ^ NTni* ‘V’ftnwinff Wf Um « r. »_ M i _ ««
“My dear old- lad,” laughed
Freckles, “we haven’t get a blink
ing bean between us, if that is what
you mean.”
“Then there is an unprecedented
opportunity of getting fifty thousand
of the best,” sajd ^Iattheivs,
“Be mere explicit,” said Hugh
after a pause.
“Le- Bossu will' return to ’Temple
Tower,” said MattHews quietly, “You
disturbed him last night, but there
is no power in Heaven or Hell that
will deter -that man from doing what
he has come here to do. He may or
may not kill Le Crapeau, according
to the mood he is in: but he has
come to get the stuff stolen twenty-
five years ago-—the stuff which, as
Captain Drummond says, Miss Ver
ney has been engaged to sell. Well, gentlemen, my suggestion is this, [
Let us lie up and wait for him. In
the past *we have always laboured
under the disadvantage of not know
ing where he would turn up:' this
sSl-eals. itZ'Not knowing of the verse
iiehind, he thinks that he has solved
fthe method of getting into Temple
‘Tower,;,. And^ was" looking for the en
trance to-niglit when the dpg found
Saiin. Probably alarmed at the din
dilie animal made, he hid for awhile
%3iear by, and it was then that Gaspard stumbled on him, o'nly to be j_ __ _ ____ __ ___ _
sfcrangl’pd. Who‘knows why he <did j anion *’of a"couple of policemenWisn’t
fthat? It is possible he did not. know [going to help much. I’m all for Mr.
won were in the grounds, and thought. Matthew’s Suggestion.”
Sxe might gain,^access to the house ....... ...... ____
gjy pretending to be Gaspard: it is that. What do you want, Denny?
possible he had no alternative. But1 ‘ — ..... .....
of one thing, gen tiemen,;I am very [ house in an obvious state’of sup-
rare: time is now even more impor- pressed excitement.
jtant to Le Bossu' than it was a few
.ghoxiTS ago.
'^‘jn view of the fact that he
hot gain access to the house,
Jillling- Of Gaspard .was an error-
ibafi error. But it is done auid can
snot be undone. And of another thing
I am very sure, too.” His voice grew
jgiave and he stared over the Marsh,
thoughtfully, “f
trails’ programme, M_. ------- —
he. And I do not think it would find1
Savour .in his eyes—far from it. I
hold no 'brief tor either of them, but.
He said no more, but the little
ShTug of his, shoulders ^filled in the
salience myope .,omi?JQu?U’‘ than any.
spoken word. . !W , f ,
“Had he got info the,, house to-(
foisght the Vandalia Wpiilcl not’ have
spattered. F t Lz
iffifey- do. HoweveV, they can look
after themselves: 'the point we can ' after all. His dead body must have
decide is what we are -going to do.1 been quite close to us during the
Shall we .-call in the police, or shall hour we had lain up waiting, before
-n nt 9 Th ora cm.-it aooms. tn mn ' we found that the ladder had gone.
And- horrible and repulsive as
he had been,, I could not help -feel
ing a twinge of pity for the poor
brute. I could imagine him there in
the darkness of the wood search
ing for the rope ladder he had made
so labouriously, and then suddenly
feeling the grip of the silent strang
ler on his throat. Perhaps that same
chocking cry that Gaspard had given
—and then silence.
“Your friend,” said Hugh grimly,
when the butler had gone, “is evi
dently no believer in half measurers.
Matthews was silent: this new de-*
velopememt seemed to nonplussed
him. He paced up and down with
quick nervous steps, and a look of
frowning concentration cn his face.
“This alters things, getnlemen,”
he said at length. “Now the police
must conie into tlio uEfuir
“True,” remarked Hugh. “At the
-''-’A time. I-don’t see why we should
rurtoaround _telling 'them .what we
know^ In 'fact, • *.it niafc.es .it' even
more difficult to do”*so, hecaitse.we
lay oufoplves .open to grave blame'
for- not haying informed them 'afrbut
wli’a-t we knew about. the Nightin
gale’s intentions.”
“That is /so,’
thoughtfully. /As.
ft is even worse
speaking', if only as a
courtesy,/-I am passing as an ordin
ary tourist..
Dr u mln oh d.
ing'abotit'it.
tire road, .if
local Inspector.”'
-Hugh started to fois feet. . ,
•“I’ll get him ,ih,” he exclaimed,
gojng towards the gate. * - ■
.^.‘Please don’i mention Who-, I^am,
called Matthews after him, and Hugh
nodefod in Answer*
“Htil,loL 'inspector
“what’s /illis ■.Iv hear
being murdered?” .
"Quite right, Sir1,
gravely, haltfog by’
come from there myself.”
“Come in and have a spot of ale,”
said Hugh, “ and tell us all about it,
I think you know Siif John, don’t you
And these three other friends of
mine.”
“A bad business, gentlemen,” said
the Inspector, putting down his glass
“Very bad. And as far as I can see,
at present, there is no trace of a
clue.“What ’ happened?’* said 'Hugh.
I‘V6„ heard vaguely from the butler',
who had heard vaguely from the
is to wait for him. And this time,”
he added softly, “ we are going to
catch him. What do you say,”
Hugh glanced around at all of us.
.“It, seems to me,” he.said, “that
Scott must decide.”
“Well, old birds,” answered Freck
les, “it seems to, me that if five or
us can’t tackle this bloke, the ad-
“Good,” said Hugh. “Then that's
?”
The butler had come out of the
| .“Have you heard sir, what they
’v'e found in the wood opposite Tem
ple Tower?” .
“ No.” said Hugh quietly. “What?
■ “A dead man, sir. Hidden in the
bushes. A terrible looking thing he
was, sp the postman told me-—more
a great monkey than a man.
iLvou heard the’van-: They say that lle has been stopping
z, Mr. Darrel so did at sWaSge’s farm.”
For a moment or two there was
silence; then Victor Matthews spoke.
“How was he killed?” he asked.*
And I think all of us knew the
answer before it Came.
r, “Murdered, sir, so I hear. From
j the marks around his neck they' say'
, ’ he .was strangled.”
did
the
—a
| postman.” «.
» “Jt was Joe Mellor that found him
1 sir—him^that keeps the dairy farm
along the road there. .Found him
quite by accident,, he did:’or rather,
not him but his dog. He was walk
ing past Temple Tower, and his dog
i was in the wobd opposite, Suddenly
;dt began to bark and make rather a
-.blather, and Joe went in to see what
was happening, He found the dog
standing by some bushes, and, when
lie looked closer he saw a man’s lea
sticking out. The rest of the body
Was carefully covered, and Joe tells
me that he’d never have seen it but for the dog, He gives a- pull on the
leg and hauls put the body. Well,
gentlemen, in the course of my life
I’ve run across some pretty queer
customers, but I give you my word
that the dead man js. the queerest./
He don’t look like a man at all; he
looks like a great ape. A terrible face
he’s got, and not improved by- the
manner of his death. He was strang
led, and the face is all red and puffy.
“You’ve got no clue at all?” asked
Hugh. “No idea who the man is,”
“None at present, sir,” answered
the Inspector, “But I .shall soon, Bill
Matcham, who works down on the
Marsh, happened to be passing, and
the instant he saw him he recognised
him as a man who had been lodging
at Spragge’s place,- Maybe you know
the farm, sir?”
“Vaguely,” said Hugh casually,
Somewhere down there, is’nt it?”
He waved a comprehensive hand
at the Marsh.
“That’s right,z sir. And Spra-gge
himself is a queer .customer. Well, I
don’t mind if I do, sir,” He took the,
refilled glass from Hugh. Hot work
this morning.”
“By the way,”
speaking for the ..............
how long had this man be'en dead?”
“The doctor said somewhere about
twelve hours, sir,” answered the In
spector,
“So it happened last night,” cried
Hugh, in affected surprise.
“That’s .right, sir; last.night some
where around about ten o’clock this
man was strangled and his body
hidden in the wood by Temple
Tower.
“You’ve got something in your
mind, Inspector,” said Hugh quiet
ly.
“Well, sir,; we’re all of us entitled
to our .thoughts, and maybe I
mine. Ever see anything of
Granger, sir?”
Hugh smiled slightly.
“So- that’s how it is, -is it? I
“May I ask whu this, young lady
is?” said the Inspector.
“Miss Verney was engaged to do
secretarial work for Mr. Granger,”
answered Freckles. “And her
gagement Is now terminated,”
concluded firmly.
“This is most extraordinary,” said
the inspector, scratching his head
,with a pencil. “I must go buck
!there at once. One inside——
“Quite so, inspector,” interrupted
Hugh with a warning sigh, “But
Miss Verney is a bit " tired at the
moment, I’ll stroll with you to the
gate. Come along, Peter. There is
no good upsetting her any more,” he
went on as we got out of earshot,
“by telling her about the other.”
“What
said the
the road.
“Well,
r/'
en-
he
do you make of it, sir?’’
Inspector as we came to
r
lieviug that he would be able to get
into the house—-this time by the
front door. And what defeated him
was your sudden -appearance. I know
I’ve said much the same before, but
when one is dealing with a man. ov
his calibre there’s no harm in being
clear in one’s hand- He didn’t mind
in the slightest if ^lese twp murders
were discovered afofo he had settled,
things with the Toad: but mow the'
discovery was made before the settle
ment. And that is why I say matters
have come to a head and there won’t
be much staying before the epc?
combs, We are going to find things
moving at breakneck speed, and. the
only comfort is that even Le Bbssu
can’t do anything. by day. But I
think yon can dismiss the idea of
sleep at night for the next day or
(To be '.Contiaued)
***,
J
Mr. James- JR. Edmonds, of the To
ronto Dentrf College, son of Mr. and
Mr#. wBHIam' ^Edomde, Seaforth,
graduated with” Jj&tors m the head
-of a class 4£'61 and fofo been award*
ed the MCAslY'Scholarship ‘of $150,
-■A very pretty wedding took place
at the home *9# Magistrate and Mrs.
Andrews, Clipton, wh$n their young*
hsf daughter, Marion,t was united in
’marriage to* Fergus, second sun p£
Mr. and Mr$r Jafoes Van Egmond,
all. of Clinton; Refo J. E. Hogg, of*
flciated an,d*Miss Amy A. Andrews,,
the bride’s cousin was bridesm'aid
and Mr. Scott Hawthorne, the bride*
groom’s ^cousin, groomsman.
said Matthews
first time, “for n f
have
Mr.
can’t
say I do, Inspector. I’ve met him out
walking once or twice, that’s all.”
“A queer gentleman, sir: very
from what Miss Verney
said,” remarked Hugh, “it would ap
pear as if the servant Gaspard had
also been strangled. And if thht is
so, the strong presumption, and then
lowered his voice impressively,
“What did I tell you, sir; what did
I tell you? Mr. Granger is a queer
customer,”
“Queer customer he may be," an
swered Hugh. “But one thing is
certain as that gate in front of us.
He had nothing to do with the two
murders. With his physique, he
could no more have strangled Gas
pard than he could have .strangled
me.”
“I don’t say 'he did it, sir,” said
the other, “but mark my words, he
could tell a lot about it if he chose
to.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you
are not right,” said Hugh gravely.
“Drop in on your way back and let
us know it ydu find out anything.”
For a while we-stood leaning over
the gate, watching his retreating
back.
“What uo you make of it, Peter?”
said Hugh suddenly.
“It is oue of the most extraordin
ary affairs
answered,
explanation
without it,
wonder he
It’s a mig:
'Bossu missed him
“Mighty lucky,”
ing a cigarette,
being an extraordinary
of bloke,
he repeated, as we started to waiK
back to the house. “In fact, I was
proposing to ask him to come and
stay here.”
“Not a bad idea at all,” I agreed.
“Then we’re all on the spot together.’
We found him alone with John,
the other two having disappeared
I've ever heard of,” I
“Even with Matthews’
it's amazing enough:
as the Inspector is, no
is scratching his head,
hty lucky thing that Le >»
he agreed, light-
“He strikes me as
sound sort
Extraordinarily sound,”
But he didn't, and now, In Which fMeet “Le Bossu Masque”
I So Le Rossignol had been there
w.e not? There arefit seems to me,
ttwo main objectioins. The first is
This.: What are’we going to tell them
Nothing that we can do' -can bring
The man Gaspard back to' life, and
we tell them anything, we must
them all. And frankly, gentle-
aheii, though you are, of course, the
foest judges -of that, I think an ac-
icouut of*, your recent doings, told in
mold hlobd. at a police station, might
Strove a little awkward.”
“I know the Inspector pretty well,*
.isaifl Hugh, but perhaps you are right
“The other objection,”, went, on
Matthews, “ is this. And to. me it
as a far bigger one. If we tell them
^anything arid they take the matter
we drop out, or at any rate you
stoi. Atj-d-,-” —he thumped his fist in
to his oppn palnv—“for the loefal 1
■police ,to. try "and tackle le Bossu Is
about equivalent to asking a board
■school child- to' explain Einstein's
Theory. They are naturally
■Sviammelled by the law, and Le
SSossu would laugh at them. No,
gentlemen, the only way of catching
Sfim, if you are prepared to do it, is
Jtor ns to join forces, and act' outside
The law .on our own. Keep the police
<mTt of ?it> and We will catch hinu
thbm in and our hands are tied.”
“My dear fellow,” said Hugh With
m ■grin, “no one loathes the idea of
Setting tile police.-, ju more than I do
aBht do not forget thht there Is a lady
anv-olved.”'
. *T don’t,” remarked Matthews,
gravely, and turned to young F.rec.kf-
'Tes.. “I quite , appreciate yoqr
^position, Mr. Scott. BUt I am going
$.0 say soipetlting which I hope you
will not consider impertinent. There
.aS a reward of fifty thousand po'unds
sa'tkthke. Wait, please,,— he held up
2dS hand as Freckles started to speak
—- ’and- then bite nfe afterwards.
iCaptaia Drummond, if I^may say so,
shardly seems the gentleman in need
mf money, i- am in this show for one
Reason only-
Je .BO&sti.
•property,
^pounds. And, do- not , be under any
^fusion. -Cbiriit Valditnai’ dan pay
dhat Sum withdpt feeling it.' Which
hvhigs hip to my'ipojiit,’. -Your fiancee
■nan be of invaluable assistance to
ms in finding it, aii$ as a natural re-
sssilt would kb ‘»pii tied ..to’ the whole re*
wArtl
SWtt,
•svMea robbed his words of any of
fence. “But young Jadies do not a^ a
general rule thke oh jobs, of that sort
their futhre husbands’'nre« Wealthy
to get to grips With
If between us we find that
we get fifty thousand
•Count Valditnai’ dan pay
Withdut' feeling it.' Which
Please understand me, Mr
lie . pOitifided'with A smile,
i
I
said Matthews
a matter of fact,
for me. Strictly
matter ■ of
You al’e tight, Captain
We pnist still say hoth-
. 'And'"there», going1'along
I’m .not mistaken;' is-the
„ he hailed,
about someone
said the
the gate,
other
“Just
queer. Who ever heard before of a [ somewhere, and Hugh at once pro
man .coming to live m a place like pOsed it.
this'and fortifying his house with all I “That’s very good of you, Captain
*^inSS’ to sayj.Rrunrmond/’ he said. “But, frankly' n-otltuig of the bars over the 'wIhrfSiyqakingr I'dQ.n’t'think there will be
much staying.”
“What do you mean?” said Hugn,
looking puzzled. g
“Simply that masters have come
to a head,” he answered. “I am as
certain as I can be of anything that
Le Bossu never intended to be in
Rye to-day. He murdered Le Ros
signol, and then got into the grounds
, by the ladder, believing that, once
^.sir>” j he was inside, Sir John’s plan would
en-'
dog
the
and
be-4
dows?”
The worthy officer put down his
glass and wiped his lips on the back
of his. hand.
“Well, gentlemen, I nfost be go
ing. This affair is going to keep" me
busy.” ;
“But surely you don’t ‘suspect
that Mr, Granger had anything to' do
with lit?” said Hugh.
“I don’t suspect no
answered the Inspector.
is that Mr. Granger is a queer cus- __ _
tomer, and this is a -queer affair.” came for him and' disturbed
A most sapient conclusion,” re-(household. Then Gaspard came,
marker! ivrnHhew«, win, a FninF lie murdered him, once again
Z ’ ] llvJ VV C-l-O IXiOlvlV/j kill V Uli 1a 55 W
“All I say enable him to find the secret
* —* trance. It didn’t. Then the
“A most sapient conclusion,”
marked Matthews- with a faint smile
as the gate shut behind the Inspect
or. “'One* wonders what the worthy
man would think if he knhw that a
precisely similiar corpse lay inside
the fortifications.”
“One also wonders,’’ said Hugh
quietly,, “what steps our Mr. Granger
is going to take over that similiar
corpse.”
But any surmises on that point
proved unnecessary, ,fbf at that mom
ent who should appear .at the gate
but Miss Verney. Even at that .dis
tance one could see that she was in ’
a state of great agitation, and she
had left Temple Tower in such'a.
hurry that- she had come without a’
hat. And as she stood for a moment
the Inspector returned aryd joined
her. Then they both came towards
Us.
f
Then they both came towards
“She’s found Gaspard’s body,’’
said Matthews with quiet conviction.
■”Be very careful what ail of you say
And he proved to be right. It ap
peared that, going .out after break
fast the first thing that had struck,
her was the, dog’s kennel was empty/
jA ’ll fl t ll <hIV 1 TV 4" /I i >*» —» ftl-i 1-4 ft
seen the’ brute, lying asleep as. she
thought. For a time she had watched
it, ready to dart back the house if
it moved. But after awhile it had
struck her that from its attitude that
it couldn’t be asleep: one hind leg
was sticking-straight up in the air,
and she Had approached it cautiously
to find that it was dead.
“I was sov am&zbd,” she went on,
“that for a moment or two I just
Stood there staring at it. There was
no sign of blood,\or any wound, so I
guessed it must have been poisoned.
But, who by? I had heard it baying
furiously in th0‘ middle of the night,
and then 4t suddenly
there wasn’t another
trying to puzzle it out,
into' the undergrowth,
found”—she grow a little white at
the recollection, and her voice
trembled—“the body of the servant
Gaspard, He looked too awful, with
his face all ;red and horrible. And
I simply lost my head and flew to
the gate and came here.”
7 Ah extrapfdiiihriy wise proceed
ing, Miss Verney,” said Hugh quiet
ly.
- '
And then, ,in the distance, she hadV^xi < ? i* j x . ..............v 7 . t
stopped and
sound. Still
I walked on
And there I
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