- ~ I
[ " The I
DESTROYER
By BURTON E. STEVENSON
1 11 «■ — 1 -
CHAPTER II CONTINUED
Pigot, meanwhile, had spread
his men out along the docks, where
they listened to every one, asked
questions of every one. Not a ru
mor escaped them, but, alas, for
no rumor could they And founda
tion. The wreck in the harbor was
illuminated by the searchlights of
the other battleships, and Pigot
caused himself to be rowed out to
it, introduced himself to Admiral
Marin-Dabel, maritime prefect of
Toulon, who had taken personal
charge of the rescue work, and
spent half an hour inspecting the
melancholy scene. Then he landed
again and listened for a time to
the reports of his lieutenants.
There was among them not a sin
gle ray of light—not the slightest
evidence to show that the disaster
had been anything but an acci
dent. The fire in the store room
had, it was whispered, been much
mora serious than the officers
would admit.
Pigot made his way slowly to
ward the hotel to report to his
chief, but as he crossed the Place
d'Armes, a hand was laid upon his
sleeve. He turned, expecting to
see one of his men. Instead, he
found himself looking into a face
he did not know.
“Pardon, sir,” he said. “You
are, perhaps, mistaken.” i
“Oh, no, Pigot,” said the
stranger, with a little smile, “I am
not mistaken. It is you whom I
wish to see.”
“I do not remember you, sir,”
said Pigot, looking at him more
closely. “Have we met before!”
v “Many times.”
“Many times!” echoed Pigot,
incredulously. “Surely not!” and
he looked again to make certain
that the stranger was not intoxi
cated. “Where have we met!”
“We met last,” said the stran
ger, smiling again, “on La Savoie,
in the harbor of New York city. To
be sure, I was not in this incarna
tion, but I am sure you will recall
the incident.”*
•See "The Mystery of the Boule
Cabinet.”
Pigot drew a deep breath, and
his face flushed.
“Ah,” he said quietly, after a
moment. “I remember. I wish you
good eveuing, M. Crochard.”
“One moment,” Crochard com
manded, his grasp tightening on
Pigot's arm. “Forgive my re
calling that meeting to your mem
ory. It was indelicate of me.
Nevertheless you would do well to
listen to what I have to say. ’ ’
Pigot stopped and turned.
“Well,” he said, after gazing
for a moment into Crochard’s eyes,
“speak quickly. What is it you
have to say!”
“I wish to say to von, Pigot,
that L have come to offer you my
help.”
“Your help!”
“In solving the mystery of this
disaster.”
Pigot looked at him cofilljf.
“We do not require your help,”
he said, at last.
“Perhaps not; and yet you
would be mistaken to refuse it. I
was at Nioe; I have been on the
ground since morning; 1 have dis
covered • • •”
“Well, what have you discov
ered!” asked Pigot, as Crochard
hesitated.
”1 have discovered,” Crochard
continued slowly, “what I ean re
veal only to M. Deleasse himself.
1 demand that you cause me to be
introduced to him at once.”
Pigot shrugged liis shoulders
impatiently.
“Impossible!” he said, and
started on.
“Wait!” said Crochard stern
ly. “Consider whether you are
willing to take the responsibility
of this refusal!”
“Responsibility!” Pigot burst
cut, his anger getting the upper
hand at last. “Responsibility!
Yes, 1 take it! Who are you! A
notorious character—a thief • • • ”
CrocharU’s eyes were blazing,
and his hand grasped Pigot's arm
with a vise like grip.
“And with it all,” he sneered,
“a better man than you Pigot! Is
it not sot A better mau than you!
How often have I proved it!”
Pigot’s hand turned and closed
like a flash upon the other’s wrist.
“You will come with me.” he
said.
The anger faded from Cro
ehards face, ami an ironic amuse.
ply*.
—
4
me?" he asked.
"To the prefecture!"
"You are mistaken. You will
conduct rne to M. Deleasse. You
cannot conduct me to the pyefee-j
tmv, Pigot; 1 will not allow it!"
"Allow it!" sneered Pigot, and
pressed forward.
"Fool!" hissed Crochard in his
cur. "Thickheaded fool! Have
von learned no wisdom yet? 1
would smite you, Pigot, but that I
have need of you. Listen! 1 and
only I can save France! I demand
that you take me to M. Deleasse."
Pigot felt, himself waver; a
vague uneasiness stirred within
him as he met his companion’s
flaming gaze.
"On what pretext can I intro
duce you to M. Deleasse?" he
asked at last.
"You will leave me outside the
door," said Crochard rapidly, al
most in a whisper. "You will go
in to AL Deleasse alone; you will
sav to him, ‘Sir, I have outside a
man who asserts that La Liberte
was blown up by tin; Germans, and
that he cun prove it!’ Then let M.
Deleasse decide whether or not he
will receive me!"
Pigot was staring at the speak
er with distended eyes.
"By the Germans!” he repeated
hoarsely. "By the Germans!"
Crochard answered with an im
patient pressure of the arm.
"You are wasting time," he
said.
"You are right," Pigot agreed.
"Come with me," and he led the
way across the square.
CHAPTER III.
TWO GREAT MEN MEET.
M. Delcasse and M. Lepine were
still in conference when Pigot was
announced. Ho was admitted with
out delay, and made his report
briefly and clearly. It could have
been i summed up in a sentence:
neither by him nor by bis agent
had anything been discovered to
indicate, even remotely, that the
catastrophe had been the result of
intention; every rumor to that ef
fect had been sifted and dis
proved; La Liberte had been de
stroyed from within and not from
without.
“Another ‘ accident,’ then,”
grunted Delcasse gloomily. “But
I do not believe it! Something—
something here”—and he smote
his forehead — “tells me that it
was not an accident 1 ’ ’
Pigot, as a practical detective,
had no faitiL in intuition; but
whatever hib*ftioughts may have
been, ho managed to mask them
behind an impenetrable Counte
nance.
“Our investigations have but
just begun,” Lepine pointed out.
“They will be continued without
pause. I will conduct them in per
son. No circumstance, however
trivial, will be overlooked.”
“I know you are a good man.
Lepine,” said the minister wear
ily; “1 know there is none more
clever. But something more than
cleverness is needed here—we
need genius, inspiration. He
stopped abruptly and rose from
his chair. “1 am sure you will do
your best. Remember, if there is;
any discovery, I am to be told at!
once,”
Pigot, who had been standing!
with lips compressed, undergoing I
a violent inward struggle, at last!
managed to open them. i
“ l have a man outside,” he said,
as though repeating a lesson,” who j
requests an amiicnc* with M. Del
easse. He asserts that La Liberte
was blown up by the Germans,
and that he can provp it.”
Delcasse whirled as on a pivot
and stared at the speaker.
“But, name of God!” he stam
mered, barely able to speak for ex
citement, “why have you not in
troduced this man at once? Why
have you wasted our time • • •”
He stopped and took a rapid
turn up and down the room. When
lie spoke again, his voice was
I quite composed.
“Introduce the man at once,”
! he commanded.
“I think it would be well,” said
Pigot tonelessly, “that M. I>p1
rnsae should first be informed as
to the name and character of this
man.”
“What were they!”
Again Delcasse stared.
“Explain yourself!” he eried.
“Who is the man t"
“His name is Oochard, sir,”
TV - gffifo.- ~ »»>;!■» e* *4
Delcasse evidently did not rec
ognize the name, but Lepine's face
was suddenly illumined.
“Crochard,” he explained, “is
the most adroit, the most daring,
the most accomplished scoundrel
a ith whom I have ever had to deal.
Surely Monsieur remembers the
..ffair of the Miehaeloviteh dia
monds?”
“Ah, yes!” cried Delcasse, his
face, too, lighting. “So that was
.Crochard!”
“Crochard the Invincible, he
calls himself,” growled Pigot. “He
is a great braggart.”
“And with some reason,” added
Lcpine. “ We have never yet been
able to convict hint.” «
“lie restored the M&zarin dia
mond to the Louvre, did he not?”
queried the minister. “And also
the Mona Lisa?”
“The Mazurin certainly,” as
sented Lcpine. “As for the Mona
Lisa, I have never been quite cer
tain. There is a rumor that the
original is now oevned by an
American millionaire, and that the
picture returned to the Louvre is
only a copy—a Avonderful one, it
is true. Where did you meet him,
Pigot?”
Pigot related the story of the
meeting, while Delcasse listened
thoughtfully.
“ Is he to be trusted?” he asked,
when Pigot had finished.
“In this affair 1 believe so,” an
sAvered Lcpine quietly. “He may
be as good a patriot, as you or I.
If be is really in earnest, lie can be
of immense assistance. He lias ab
solute command of the under
world, and a thousand sources of
information Avhicli are closed to
the police. At least, it can do no
harm to hear what he has to say.”
Delcasse agreed with a nod, and
sat (ioAvn again.
“Bring him in,” he said, and a
moment later Crochard entered.
If M. Delcasse had expected to
perceive anything of the criminal
in the man who bowed to him re
spectfully from the threshold, he
was most thoroughly disappointed.
What he did see was a well built
man in the very prime of life, with
clear and fearless eyes of greenish
gray flecked with yellow, a face
singularly open and engaging, and
a manner as easy and self pos
sessed as Delcassee’s own. The on
ly sign of approaching age was the
sprinkle of gray in the crisp,
brown hair, but this served rather
to accentuate the youthfulness of
the face, covered now by a coat of
tan which bespoke a summer spent
in the open. In any company, this
man would have been notable.
“M. Crochard, I believe,” said
Delcasse, and involuntarily the
groat minister arose and returned
his visitor’s bow. “Be seated,
sir.” ’
Thank you, said Crochard,
and sat down. “1 see that we abe
going to appreciate each other,”
he added, and looked at Delcasse
with a friendly smile.
That gentleman’s eyes were
twinkling behind his glasses, and
his lips twitched under his heavy
moustache.
“It always pleases me to meet
a distinguished man,” ho said, “in
whatever lield of endeavor. M. Le
pine tells me that you are most dis
tinguished.”
“M. Lepine has every reason to
know,” agreed Crochard, and
glanched smilingly toward the
prefect.
“Though, since I have eyes, I
can see that for myself,” added
the minister. “ Why did you wish
to see me?”
“I wished to see you, sir,” an
swtred Crochard, suddenly seri
ous. “because I have long recog
nized in you the only man whom
France possesses who sees cUarlv
the struggle which is ahead of her,
who prepares ceaselessly for that
struggle, and who is strong
enough to guide her through it tri
umphantly.”
“To what struggle do you re
fer?" inquired the minister, but
his shining eyes belied his care
less tono.
“The struggle to regain posses
sion of Alsace-Lorraine and to
avenge ourselves upon the nation
which once humiliated ns.”
A slow flush crept into Del
casse s cheeks, and his lips tight
ened.
“You foresee such a struggle?"
he asked.
“As clearly as yon do yourself,
sir.”
“Well, yes;” cried Delcasse,
and smote the arm of his rhair a
heavy blow. “I do foresee swh a
struggle—I have never denied it;
i and for 20 years I hare labored
; to prepare for it. You can under
stand, then, what a blow it is to
me -how terrible, how dishearten
ing—to have all my calculations
1 blasted by such accidents as that.
; of today!”
“Pardon me, sir,” said Cro
|chard, in a low Tone, “but the do
i struetion of La Liberte was not an
I accident!”
I “You assert that?”
” 1
“I <lo. And furthermore, I as
sert that it was the work of Ger
man y!”
Delcasse sprang from his chair,
his face livid
“The proof!” he cried. “The
proof!”
“The proof, sir, is this: at five
'minutes before dawn, this morn
ing, two strangers, attired as pe
destrians, with knapsacks on their
W 'm, stopped in the recess of the
doorway of Number Ten, Quai de
Gronstcdt. They stepped well
within the shadow, as though not
wishing to be seen, and stood gaz
ing out on the harbor. Directly
before them, at a distance of not
i. ire than :JOO yards, La Liborte
was moored. It was at her they
stared, with eyes expectant and
uneasy. At dawn, La Liborte
blew up, and one of these men
cried out some words of German.”
“What were they?”
“ f Unfortunately the person who
overheard them doe: not know
German. lie understood only the
first two words, ‘Aeh Gott!’ ”
“ And the men?” cried Delcasse.
“What became of them?”
“They strode rapidly away
along the quay, and wefe lost to
sight.”
Delcasse dropped into his chair,
his face dark with passion.
“What do 3’ou infer from this
circumstance?” he demanded.
“There is only one possible in
fereenoc,” answered Crochard.
“At five minutes before dawn this
morning, there were, in this city of
Toulon, two Germans who knew
that La Liberte was to he de
stroyed.”
A moment's silence followed.
Those words, terrible as thy were,
astounding as they were, carried
conviction with them.
“Toll me,” said Delcasse, at
last, “how you discovered all
this.”
i nave been spending the
month at Nice,” Croehard ex
plained. ‘‘1 learned of the disas
ter as soon as I was up this morn
ing, and I came at once to Toulon.
Monsieur will understand that, in
the many years during which I
have been at variance with society,
1 have made many friends and
gained a ceretaiu power in quar
ters of which monsieur knows lit
tle. One of these friends is the pro
prietor of the cafe which occupies
the ground floor of tin; house on
the Quai de Cronstadt. I stooped to
see him because his house is close
to the scene of the disaster—so
close, indeed, that all of is win
dows were shattered. It was he
who gave me the tirst cine.”
‘‘Go on,” said Delcasse, who
had been listening intently. ‘‘I
need not say how deeply all this
interests me.”
‘‘My friend had arranged to go
to Marseilles this morning,” Cro
ehard continued, ‘‘to make a pur
chase of wine. The train, he tells
me, leaves at 6 o’clock. It was
about 15 minutes b/fore that hou*
when, as he started to open his
door, two men stepped intv the
little vestibule, as though to screen
themselves from observation. He
peered through the curtain, think
ing they might be friends, and
found that he dd not know them.
Gazing from the darkness of the
interior, he could sec them very
well. They were staring at La
Liberte, ns I have said, their faces
rigid with emotion; and then came
the explosion, which, without
question, they anticipated.”
‘‘Yon have a description of
them?” broke in Delcasse.
“An excellent description. Thev
were men of middle age, heavily
built and clean shaven. Their
faces were deeply tanned, as with
long exposure, arid had that ful
ness about the lip? which bespeaks
the German. They wore eaps and
walking suits vv:th knee trousers.
Each had strapped tqwn his buck
a small knapsack.”
Lepine, who had been taking
rapid notes, looked tip with gleam
ing eyes.
“Wc shall find these men,” he
said. "It will not be difficult.”
“Mote difiriiby than you sup
pose, M. Lepine,” said (Yoebard
drlv.
Lepine looked at him.
“What do von meant” he
asked.
(‘roc hard tv rued to JVleasso
with n little «K predating gesture,
i ‘‘ Before 1 pro* ce 1,” he said, *‘ f
I must to certain of my position
I hare. With you. vr, no explana
tions are r.< "y; we under
Istand oHeh other and we have no
■ past to prejudice ns. But M. lo
1 Prefect and I ;>•<■ old enemies. We
j respect each o 1 or, but we always
i welcome an qpiwtunity to try
j eoiudn-ion*. t’ntil this affair is
tcoded. 1 precti’se a truce.”
| *‘1 will co fun her than 1hat,"
| retorted 1 “and tall it nil
: alliance 1 slnd' welcome your
help. 1 have r ready to'd M. Del
l eaase :hat ' > ir e probably as
g'Hv! « pntr -. as he or 1."
tVwCr,.UbvU .VtAi ^ t«ILI
(PPWpPfPjW'IWI'li^'HrWH b * > 1 i _*>■****.*»
INTRICACIES OF TOUCH.
Most of us hate been taught th»4
there are five special senses—sight,
hearing, sinei), taste and touch. W*
kniw now that there are many others
besides. Among the better recognized of
these other special senses are the sense
of hunger, of thirst and the muscle
sense. Among others that are still less
well known and still less clearly recog
nized are the sensations of equilibrium
and balance tvom the internal car and
certain sensations from the visceral ur
ga ns.
The sense of touch is by no means a
simple sense. It is commonly divided
into temperature, pain and pressure
sense. Each of these in turn is further
subdivided.
By cutting the nerve fibers and test
ing the skin as the fibers regenerate
physiologists have, grouped the fillers
which, carried sensation into the spinal
cord—the posterior root—into three
(groups: the skin sensory fibers, tha
deep sensory fibers and certain inbound
fibers which do not carry sensations.
The skin sensory or touch filers,
Howell divides into two groups. One
carries pain sensation and sensations
stimulated by high and by low temper
atures, but not by temperatures in be
tween. This set of sensations, called
protopathic, are not closely discrimi
nating. Another set. called epicritie, are
sensitive and critical. Those nerves dis
criminate nicely between delicate
shades of hot and cold, between light
pressures and between the locations of
of touch impulses. x
The deep sensory fibers carry to the >
brain impulses which are regarded as
pressure pain or what is known as :
muscle sense.
We note that there is a difference he- 1
tween touch and pain. Also between
touch and temperature. The sense
which tells us just how hard to hit and
just when and just what muscles to use
when r.e hit a golf ball or a baseball is
tied up with what we call muscle sense.
The capacity of feeling hot or cold is
not painted smooth over the surface of
the skin. The skin is mottled with hot
and cold spots. In certain spots only hot
can he felt and in others only cold.
Physiologists make use of delicate ap
paratus to locate these hot and cold i
spots. For instance, when they have '
located the hot and cold spots on the
face and dotted each with red ink the
skin looks as if it were affected by
scarlet fever.
In general there are more cold spots
than warm ones and they react more
promptly to stimulation. A cold spot
can feci nothing but cold. Anything hot
applied to a cold spot gives a sensation
of cold. If there is no touch or pain in
the spot any normal touch or pain im
pulse would be registered as coid. As
lias been said above, certain nerves of
touch can fed high temperatures or low
temperatures,' but nothing in between.
Others can feel delicate shades in tern- ■
perature.
The pain nerve and nerve endings are
widely distributed throughout the body.
The skin is abundantly supplied with
them. Certain of the internal organs
arc fairly well supplied also. For in
stance, the stomach cannot fee! hot or
cold, can only feel pressure or touch
very imperfectly, but it can fed pain.
The gall bladder and ducts are weil
supplied with pain nerves. The iiver is
but poorly supplied. The intestines
cannot fed much except pain. , or at
least not much registers at the brain
except pain. The kidneys are almost
free from pain nerves, but Ihe ureters
ate well supplied. The lungs are al
most without pain nerves.
The pain nerve endings are dis
tributed in the skin in the same pain
point arrangement that prevails with
the temperature point nerves. When a
pain nerve end-mg is stimulated it
registers pain. The stimulus may be
due to change) in teatperatuia, pres
sure. chemical stimulus, or traumatic.
Whatever the stimulus njay be the
nerve registers pain.
Peter Pan.
fThe boy for whom Barrie wrote Peter
Pan—the original of Peter Pan—has been
killed in battle).
And Peter Pan is dead? Not so:
When mothers turn the lights down low
And tuck the.r little sons In bed.
They know that Peter is not dead.
That little-rounded blanket-hill:
Those bedtime eyes, so deep and still—
However wise and great a man
He grows, be still is Peter Pan!
And mothers' ways are often queer:
They pause at doorways, just to hear
A tiny breathing: say a prayer.
And theh go tiptoe down the stair.
—Christopher Morie.v.
“SLEEPING BEAUTY”
OF THE PRESENT DAY
Compare fhc "sleeping Prenty" of
the fairy tate with this photograph
an« then admit that the girl of today
with the novel pajama makes the
prettier of the two. The pajsuas
ut mad# of oink satin combined
with georgette. The jacket is alas
«f georgette.
Is Your Work Hard?
Work which brings any unusual
strain on the back and kidneys tends
to cause kidney ailments, such as back
ache, lameness, headache, dizziness and
distressing urinary troubles. Kidney
complaints make any kind of work
doubly hard and if neglected there is
danger of gravel, dropsy or Bright’s
disease. If your work i3 hard on the w
back, keep your kidneys in good condi- i
tion with Doan’s Kidney Pills. Thou
sands rely on them. I
An Iowa Case
O. W. Emery,
farmer, Decorah,
says: "My back got
bad I couldn't sleep,
liad to put pillows un
der my back to get any
ease at all. The pains
were awful and it seem
ed as though my kid
neys were being torn
loose. The kidney secre
tions became painful in
passage and I lost
weight until T was but a
shadow of
Doan's Kidney
stored me to good „
and X have not had any since.
Get Doan’s at Any Store, 50c a Boa
DOAN'S VRSV
FOSTER-MILD URN CO.. BUFFALO. N.Y,
WAS OVERRULED BY HIS SON
Sir Edward Carson Tolls How the
Young Man Got Into the Brit
ish Army.
Sir Edward Carson introduced a
personal note into a speech which he
made the other day when he was the
guest of the British Empire Producers’
organization, at the Savoy hotel, say Si
the London Chronicle.
“I remember,” said Sir Edward,
“when a little son of mine came to me
and said ‘Father, I want to join the
navy class at school.’ I said, ‘What
rubbish! You are going to be a law
yer.’ He told me plainly that I was
wrong, and I explained to him how
much better it would be to make money
In (lie Temple than lose it at sea.
He said, ‘You don’t seem to recognize
the importance of the navy; it is the
great connecting link between the
mother country and the colonies.’
“I replied, ‘Well, if you put it on
that high plane, I must alter my views.’
He is now commanding a submarine,
and only yesterday, in my capacity of
first lord of the admiralty, I lmd to
read an account of an attempt of one
of our destroyers to sink bis sulima.
rfne.”
DANDRUFF AND ITCHING
Disappear With Use of Cuticura Soap ^
and Ointment—Trial Free.
The first thing In restoring dry, fall
mg hair is to get rid of dandruff and
Itching. Rub Cuticura Ointment into
scalp, next morning shampoo with'
Cuticura Soap and hot water. Prevent
skin and scalp troubles by making Cuti
cura your everyday toilet preparation.
Free sample each by mail with Book.
Address postcard, Cuticura, Dept. L,
Boston. Sold everywhere.—Adv.
Causes of Nervousness.
i There is an article on the care ot
children in the Woman’s Home Com
panion in which the writer says;
“Nervousness sometimes is the re
sult of some personal defect. Malnu
trition, anemia, defective eyesight, bud
teetli or adenoids may lie the predis
posing cause. Nature offers the best
cure. Plenty of nourishing food and
wholesome outdoor life are essential,
and these children should be encour
aged to play and to take regular ex
ercise, such ns walking, rowing and
swimming. Real country life is always
the best, and camping is a cure in it
self. first for the outdoor life and
healthful exercise, and, second, be
cause the nervous child needs the com
panionship of other children.”
Value of Deep Breathing.
1 Every man can live five years longer
if he will take from twenty to fifty
deep breaths of fresh air every day.
Not the way we usually breathe, but
real deep breaths; counting ten as you
take in the breath through your nose;
ten more while you hold it, and ten
i -while you are letting It out. No sin
gle rote is so infallible for good health.
> know this from itersonal experience;
‘ for the moment I feel “stuffed tip" and
1 realize a “cold” is coming, 1 breathe
i deply and almost Invariably kill the
| ewld. Deep breathing starts the circu
lation, and where good circulation ex
ists there can be no “cold."—Ladies’
Home Journal.
Self-Evident.
“Please, lady." begged the very dirty
tramp at tin* back door, “can you help
a poor man that lost his job three
weeks ago and ain’t been aide to find
no work since?”
“Whitt sort of a job was it?" asked
1he lady.
“1 was workin’ in a soap factory.”
“Weil, it’s plain to lie set'll that you i
were not discharged for dishonesty.”
William Fleming of St. Patti has
taught ills fowls lo answer to Individ
ual names.
I “Give all the kids 1