The evening world. Newspaper, February 13, 1914, Page 21

y. February —on Sho 00 Bao poe———onor A_COMPLETE NOVEL EACH WEE ae November Joe we = =2BALAOO= * The Strange Exploits of a “Missing Link” By Gaston Leroux The adventures of a wilderness Sherlock Holmes; a backwoods guide, illiterate and without knowledge of regular detec- tive methods. By means of his forestry skill and a genius for deduction, No» vember Joe easily solves crime mysteries that baffle the whole police force. 2—oros=—— By Hesketh Prichard ti “, id a Au hor of Chronicles of Don ates 2 as | hor of ‘THE YELLOW ROOM,” Ete, _ eamettaht, 1018, ty Frank A. itunsey On.) gtmores op PRECEDING cHAPTEns. ce eae ie a ie steno Gece, nate stray CHAPTER XVI. (Oenttoued.) * The Wedding. UT, even ‘as a ray of sun- @iine will suddenly appear fm the darkest and stormiest of skies, #0 Madeleine's smile beamed from ynder the hood, while the cloak parted to reveal the prettiest little e€ride thet Patrice could have imag- fmed tn his fondest dreams. ‘At the same time a delicious smell ‘df watural orange blossoms—a present from Gertrude, who had crowned her mistress’s brow with it—per- waded the room. ‘w Patrice fell on his knees before vMageleine and kissed her dear little feet, which, shod in white satin slip- ‘pers, were hidden in ugly rubber ga- 3 The poor young man sobbed. 4, CoMolis raised bim and pressed him te his heart. “Why,” he asked, arild his tears— “why do you hurt me so? Will you “aver tell’me why?” “Madeleine will tell you, my boy,” “gala tho old man, whose agitation eathed to have reached its height. “Yea, Madeleine will tell you; and you will forgive us. Come, kiss your wife. Peeride, and lot us hurgy to the q@Mayor's. You are quite right, we are ay Let's get it over. ~ mi { want it over,” whis- “pared. diddciaine, herself: ntotstening LPatrice's kind cheeks with her tears, it it all over.” juite agree with you,” said Pa- all sincerity, blowing his nose, ef added cynically: “It would been over quicker with a car- obama « But already Madeleine was 4: awing to the staircase. She had paeken his arm, and with a swift emovament wrapped herself once more the folds of her ill-fitting cloak.’ ‘His uncle slipped on an old, worn frock coat which Gertrude handed bim. The old servant was the only one who appeared dressed for the oc- had induced her to take off, four of them were going down the stairs when a door above their opened and Patrice heard hur- Tled footsteps, He turned round and saw Mile. Zoé “cltement that fluttered ber shapely olpeast, to utter words of which Pa- + talce vainly strove to discover the full gen: +ésamatio » "He is at the window! wer ) on the other hand, the mo- ment he heard them, cried: “Ob, dash it all—dash it all! Let's ge by the back stairs!" At last they reacned the town hall by strangely circuitous roads, If Pa- trice had not taken care on the pre- wlous' day to remember the mayor's poor that functionary would certainly have waited for him eo long. ed through, as ged. And the cobbler, the por- ! @nd the commissionnaire from corner duly put in an appearance As soon as they arrived Madeleine ‘tbrew off the dark outer garment that gencealed her fresh and youthful a, and Patrice might have @bought that she had dressed only for an ragamuffins, had he been cap- ‘abi of thinking of anything what. cover at so impressive a moment, #%o go from the town to the a@ghtirch they took a closed cab, Their whoeblack friends followed in an open , Coriolis was beginning to do foe handsomely. “*& low mass was quickly said, and 8 woon as the register was saned in ‘the sacristy, tho witnesses pi young couple lawfully married tn sight of God and man, thelr ‘thoughts turned to breakfast, * Coriolis took his party to ited little riverside ich ho used to visit In the days of is youth, Thé old servant had previ- fy taken a bag there containing an jary walking dress for Madeleine, trunks, it appeared, had been ‘nent on to the station. the uncle asked for a private room, k Patrice by the arm and want Piped him into the passage. “."TLet's leave the women,” he wald ‘Madeleine is going to change her 5 Patrice objected, here, unere 4 must admit that T ha what you wanted, but any Gear Madeleine In ‘gor a few minutes longer. It will be brighteat memory of my life.” Coriolis grunted a few words which trice did not catch; but he dared thwart the young man, and Mad- kept on her beautiful white ‘and her wreath of orange blos- for the wedding breakfast, 1s ‘trice sat beside young wife. "8 80 pretty, ong could eat her, ‘he said. * y we * able of anything!” was ea) d with Mad bridal dress g OOH time!" Bore Cortolta to his jove- lorn solicitor’s clerk of a nephew, while Gertrude, who was im a melt- ey eons shed tears, en Zoe made her entrance. She was bareheaded;. her hair had come und and she tried in vaip with a feverish movem to twist and put {t up again. He CS expressed the most intense anguish; the dark rims round her eyes told of some great sorrow and the corners of her mouth gracious! What's the ked Coriolis, Madeleine and Gertrude in one bi td matter is that t escaped! He knows bag 7 nd He ran out of the house Il Take care! He ts cap- An Zoe, panting dropped into Gertrude's lap. But who—who?” shouted Pat failing to understand the terror 0! thoso around him, “Who? Noel, if you want to know! Noel!” roared Coriolis, who was hold- ing his head between his hands as though he were afraid of its drop- ping off. “But perhaps he will come here,” said Gertrude, “Let us fy!" “But where, papa? Where are we to fly to?” moaned Madeleine, ,“It would be better not to go down to the street if he is on our track.” “Ho has lost the track!” gasped Zoe, who was atifiing, but who dared not bag hag to loosen her stays bet ice. ‘Al has lost the track! But hasn't he followed you? Are you quite sure of that?” “I followed him. I took @ cab. Oh, awful, awful! He's quite mad!” jut mad about what?" trice, whose irritation was its height. “Mad on Madeleine, if on knowing! Yes, he is madly in love with your wife. He Ihre F all to her. Now are you satisfied “And you ali in such @ state because yntleman chooses to write poetry to Madel-ine? Let the chap come here, ores 1 to him, A indec i!" insiet An: showed his fists. Coriolis shrugged his shoulders and Gertrude shook her sad and obstinate old pate. “Poor Noel, he will never get over iti” she said. “I fear,” sighed Zoo, “that he was pretending to be Wead drunk for two days on purpose, so as to be left alone; he was up so quick this morn- ing, suddenly, and so soon dressed. And the noisc ho mado--bang, bang! A kick in the cupboard! A kick at the chest of drawers! Kicks every- «uere!, Bang, bang, bang! A kick at the door when I asked him, out- “side. the door, what was the matter, “He went straight to the drawing- room, where Madeleine had wat wait- ing for Patrice, When he came out again his face was terrible to see. had the strength to ask me a few questions with his trembling ‘lips. Where was Madeleine i that she had gone owt, Then ‘wanted to know about M. Patrice and you, sir. e “[ aid not know. what to answer, story, saying that you would all soon ‘be home, when he put on his terrible Bandong gong-voice. “The scent of orange- blossoms {8 what. people wear at monstour le maire’s!’ he said, And, with that, he rushed down tho stairs ‘ad and into the street, and I after him. “He went along at a mad rate, with his nose still in the alr, pushing © against the people, the horses, the iages and ¢ven stopping the amni- buses, I saw him, from the distance, go into the town hall and come out again almost at once. Knowing that you were going to take a cab at the town hall, I said to myself, ‘Perhaps he'll lose the scent because of the ‘You are safe for the moment. But the poor fellow is of his senses. IT never saw him like {tt before— trembling from head to foot and roll- ing his eyes. Look!" she broke off, glancing through the window, “There he te!" ‘Oh, what a flight! Cortolis dragged, or rather carried in his arms, the fainting Madeleine, Gertrude hustled Patrice, pushing him in front of her, digging at him with her fists. At the corner of a little staircase which Cortolis seemed to know of old, Corio- lis turned and, tearing the fatal wreath of orange blossoms from Medeletne's forehead, in spite of Pa- trice’s yapping 6x: ulations, flung it ia Zoe: and stop ‘Here, stay pore. you, him! Lock him tn!" ‘And roughly thrusting Zoe back, he shoved the rest of the little band down the little well of the staircase. ‘Meanwhile, M. Noel, with quivert nostrils, was climbing the main stall case of the famous restaurant. Patrice and Madeleine, accompan- fed by Coriolis and Gertru: arrived at the Gare d'Austerlits in time to see the Auvergne express steam out of the station. The next a slow train, stopping at every little sub- urban station, Patrice declared that his wi nd he would go by it, Hoe to leave Paris, to be alone jeleine and question her and get rid of all the horrible thoughts that oppressed his heart. ‘Then suddenly Madeletne, who had not spoken a word since their head- long departure from the restaurant, closed her oyes and fell in @ dead faint on the platform, . Fortunately, Madeleine opened her eyes and gazei at the young man with a look of fond affection that contained as it were an entreaty that he would pardon her for the cous wedding day which they had given him. And Madeleine's lips also parted tq emit a word that gave page, Patrice the shudders: Ho: Coriolis, who was face as his daught who seemed threat plectic nso “let was pale, and ened with an I can't 6 of weal As the cab tur! into the Rue de Jussieu, Madeleine said: ‘Don't be frightened, papa. He is no longer @ wild beast. I shall talk to him and he will understand. Our mistake was to run away from him, aa toteh he were a wild beast, and that is certainly what he resents. But i¢ T speak to a8 one should speak to a man he will act !ike a man. Gertrude ead amply: hes Wes AY J ‘ “Yes, he will kill himself like a man.” Madeleine, Gertrude and Cortolis sat and looked at o1 other, Pa- trice saw that the same inexplicable anguish united them id Noel, in the young man’s startled brain, began to assume the figure of a monster. was al- Ine seemed to have’ recovered all her strength, Lnpdiiokid the firat to alight, entirely uni 5 Patrice stared at her in be- she was as white as her fter listening to ce of the house: “He is not here.” “They have not come in. Perhaps Zoe had made him listen to reason. Oh, dear, if only Zoe has persuaded him to go for a stroll! in the Jardin d’Acclimation!” Exploring further, they discovered, lying at the top of stairs, with her arms outstretched and her face coyered. with blood, Zoe. They cried out with terror. Cortolis fang him- self upon the inert bod: 4 raised a seared face. “She has received ‘on the head,” he satd; killed.” They carried her to her room ler} laid wer on, her bed. ‘oriolia held some/amynoain to her nostrils, opened her eyes, At the sieht of the young woman fn the bridal dreas who was tending her she was convulsed as though with electric shock. 'm not dreaming?” she cried. “It's you. Madeleine? You here? Oh, go away! Cy away! Go nway! Made- loine, darling, 69 away!” They tried to silence her, to calm her, but in vain. Sho seemed en- dowed with an incredible strength to push Madeleine from her, “Go away! He's coming! He's coming, and he will kill you!” ‘They could see that she was doliri- ous, but the words of her delirium terrified them. “Yes, he will Kill you! When he saw that you had gone off with Pa- trice, that you had run away from the restaurant, there was no holding him, T locked the door of the private room moment he was inside and hid the key, He struck me, dragged me by the hair, weeping all the time, saying that he hated me; that he would kill me if I did not at once tell him where you were. I gasped that you were at the Gare de Lyon. “Then he gave one bound to the window. He went out by the window, 6 back—he will come back! 5 I have told him a le, he will kill me! I don't mind; I only came back for that. But my strength —my strength failed me at the top of the atairs—and I fell on the stair, “I thought I was going to die want to! I want to, because he wil never, never love me!” And Zoe, who had half raised her- self, fell back upon the pillow and closed her pretty eyes. Madeleine wiped the blood tenderly from her little friend's young and so! rowful face, kissed her on the for head and,wept bitterly, z “Let us fly!" said Patrice, “Let us fly from that monster whom you have taken into ‘your house, and who has notbing human about him!" “Yes, go!" commanded Cortolts' gloomy voice. “Go! You see, Ma Jeine, what he has done to Zoe. Go! “But, father, you know that he won't mind Zoe's voice, but that he has always obeyed mine,” take away your wife!” no faith left in asked Madeleine, .peretite blow jut she is not Coriolis stalked across the room, a prey to some mysterious agitation; but suddenly he stopped opposite Madel and, looking her straight in the eyes, said: if we have not killed the beast?" Madeleine did not lower her eyes. “I swear to you that the beast is dead, Why would you not believe me? All this would never have hap- pened. He has the right to be apoken to Nke a man.” voice was raised in fren- Go! do murder! with his tremendous hands!'/ “Go! He will come back and He will commit murder “No,” said Mad » sitting down by Zoe's bedsid ‘he will not com- mit murder, because I shall remain and speak to him.” But Zoe, avoiding the arms that tried to restrain her, slipped from the ‘bed and on her knees entreated Mad- eleine and Patrice to flee without jelay. arate wy, murder you. both!” she erted. fou or know all—you LEROUX<) dont know all! It is not Ms fault that Patrice is not dead already! He will kill yo is he killed Blondel— as he killed Camus—as he killed Lombard—and—and another—another whom you know of! “It was he—it was he who killed them all! TI lied to you, Madeleine; it was no. Elie who cried in the night, ‘Pity! Pity In the man’s house!’ It ‘was—it was Balaoo!" And Zoe’ Patrice’s hands, Gertrude's hands, all pushed Madeleine out of the old house. The newly maried couple fied, fied through the darkling night, through the storm that burst over Paris. Leaning back in the taxi, Patrice eeemed to hold a dead woman in his arms, while through the hum of tho motor tha throbbing engine seemed to repeat everlantingly: ! Balaco! Balacel Ba- “Balaoo: \ of his tragic memory. He thumped at the window; the, cao pufled up outside a shop. Five minutes later Patrice stepped in again, “Where have you been?” asked Madeline, who had come to herself at the sudden atop of the taxt. “I have been to buy a revolver.” “What for?” “To kill your Balaco.” “That was unnecessary, You can't Kill @ mag-ape with what you have bought.” “A what?" \. “A man-ape—a pithecanthrope.” Seated at last along with Madeline in the train that hurried them south- ward, Patrice listened to her story. Bhe told it to the end, with a white, scared face, and Patrice now knew all, Stooping over nis hands, which clutched his poor head and hid the shame upon his face, he let bis words slip through bis fingers, words that came and struck at her heart like the taps of a tiny “We shall ell ha stand our trial. Your father is a murd”— Bometing rolled between his legs like a bag that might have fallen from the rack. It was Madeline's white body, tossed about by the jolt- ing Auvergne express. “Dinner in served,” said the restau- rant-car attendant, fortunately with- CHAPTER XVII. The Flight. HOSE three syllables—Balaco —roused the utmost depths T out looking into the compartment, As the man had seen nothing, Pa- trice was able, without scandal, to proceed with the various experiments calculated to restore her, who, since that morning, was bis wife: air, salte, a window let down, a bodice unlaced, kisset ’ a fel! it between his arms the ador- and throbbing burden which it was his mission to defend against the gavage enterprises of @ pithecan- as able thrope—a missing Mnk, And when Madeline began to return bis kisses he felt that there would yet be hap- piness for them both on earth de- spite that dire adventure. A quick wash, @ brush-up; noon they were laughing at their ap; pearance, at their swollen u wedding dress which Mad had been obliged that cloak of Zoe's which was much too short for her and which covered the dress without concealing it. They laughed at rything, at everything; they laugh wn foars, and they went to the dining car to make a hearty meal. “Oh, Madeleine—if you could only weo—it's tuo funny. No, don't turn round—you can look presently, Over there at the end there's a lady in a uch a hat Suddenly he d. Madeleine asked: hat's the matter, Patrice, what it? Are you going to faint now?” "Madeleine," he said in a hollow voice, “I believe that person next to lady in the hat—is Balaoo!" ht" ‘Don't turn around, Don't turn ground. He's bending forward. 1! can't see plainly, his felt hat is over his eyes. Ah, he's raising them! He's looking at us! It'a he!" Madeleine could not heip turaing round, Watrice was right. It wus Balaoo, He lowered his head as soon as he saw Madeleine look at him. She made a sign to her husband to chango seate with her. As he did'ao her fin- gore met Patrice’s band was ate, hands, hands, and Coriolis's > and &, ALL Begin Next Monday moist and shaking. She tried to give him confidence, “Don't be fr'ghtened,” le Is tamod now, He ts lowering dare not look at me.” Pi pr] who had turned extremely , eald: “The reason I’m trembling is that { want to polish off that loathsome brute for goott and all.” “Ohl” exclaimed Mad lously but dignified, up, he’s going, he'll eaca: can see he's afraid. him, I must speak costs; I must know what be wants!” “Yes,” repeated » “we must know—know what he wants. We "t continue this journey with that ry ney et00d up. ey up. Patrice tried to pass in front of Madeleine, but she pushed him behind her with some violenco, and they hastened through the two compartments of the dining car with the staggering gait of tipsy people quarrelling. They were the object of eral curlosity and of some laughter. folning the dining car to the. next ing the car u it coach, turned round angrily, thinking that the people wee laughing at him. Pat ‘was almost blinded by those flerce and flashing eyes, and he shu dered to the marrow of his bones. He had recognised *he eyes of the monster in the black mask, who had nearly peaked mag read ron top of the dili- ce, ne, eMedelcine hurried after Balaoo, who had now reached the corridor. Patrice, behind her, cocked his revolver, an the three ran ono after the ot Madeleine called “Balaco! she sald. violent fit ts head. He in a faint voice: Balaco! ‘The other must have heard, but no longer Ligon niga) Ler fg vel Aphel a jong the cor- taor hi oe | a shadow ot car te as in vain adopted a tone it , Uke that of a lion tamer of auanerity, tea his in ah r no longer obeyed. en, was gaining ‘eround. Madeleine's voice became gentile and hing, and she uttered the “Balaoo!” that had always brought him back, moaning, to her feet at the worst and most rebellious hours of his savage brain. But Balaoo seemed not even to hear, and rushed into the corridor of the third carriage: When they arrived he was gene, a! they rar sacked the whole train to no purpose in a (ot faaias anxiety. Balaco Patrice. and Madeleine retreated, half dead, to their compartment, leck- ing and bolting it though that ’ but w poor defense against un en 4 prising Balaoo. fone bot ite wi 1 powerleemey wire at the monster’ 4 going to befall them, with tat nateful Thought of the pithecan- thrope around them? ‘They sonia that bated | one of their move was 8 upon, from somewhere, hey could not discover, Te anthropold ‘malice had found % refur 4 rice deleine cast haggar: Patrice and Nojow, around | them. 8 eo ine? Tt was frightful not TS eow where he was, for they could feel his eyes. ‘The train w that would pee hav bed moments of Bigtvn toh them. ay tinct! they sat closer they embraced each other with tim under the eyes ¢ ‘The th whistle that rent “gs pe the night like silk. the train made 4 noise like 1 train rushed ita again "Then the —then—they saw ate nem behind the sles, u e black frame for oe geeriele head ning Beatrice, made the movement ou would set them free. His Me a Tenly, darted former or and Made: 1 . set red ‘one last cry of pity and eyes be of 1" med between the two eyes and fired, The train made thunder in that tun! heard the foee that salad. fo one, Bie to disturb them in thelr murder of & poor man-ape who had strayed from the Forest of Bandong. But Wad they murdered bim as much as all that? Did not Made- leine say that you can't kill @ pithecanthrope with a revolver? Madeleine looked out with every air. She made @ rush at tried to open the door being smashed to pieces in the tunnel. Patrice had to use all his strength to hold her back. And now, pantin; they watched the drama enacted be- hind the pane. The bullet had made a very clean little hole in the window pane, and such a noise of that they alone meant to kill therefore, would iB eyes; and r ba Madeleine see a more human look, at the moment of deuth, even in the eyes of the tamest beasts, even in the eyes of sporting dogs when they die in the arms of their masters who have hit them through awkwardness, And Balaoo let go the carriage win- dow and disappeared in the black, rumbling hole. “Balaoo! tn Patrice’s arms. Poor Balaoo must be in a thousand bleces by now, ‘There is nothing like train in a tunpel tu kill even a mirsing-link, Madeleine wes stifling, But Catrice vegan to besathe ‘They left the train at Mowtina and drove to the old "Hotel dota G: Here Patrice cngayvd 4 suite of 4 edition rooms of witich he had Preciate the full comfor went downstairs to some orders to both heard not time to ap- rt, for when he to the ‘office to sive or ey pal tr Madelein oe eo “Help All the terror that a cry can express was contained in that one cry, The hotel-keeper and Patrice felt their hair stand upon end. They flew to the unhappy girl's room. She was no longer there, but the wiadow wan wida open on the night. Madeleine must have made a au- preme effort to defend herself. She ‘was gone. A trail of blood led to the window. CHAPTER XVIII. Panic-Stricken. shall see now the memo- rable circumstances In which the private misfortunes of the Saint-Aubin family as- public calamity. ‘The newspapers promptly jumped to the conclusion that all the queer things that had happened in Parts for some months past must be put down to the score of a mysterious acrobat whose eccentricities, pointing to a mind tainted with madness, threat- ened to endanger the safety of the inhabitants, An article was headed: GIRLS, DO NOT QUIT YOUR PARENTS’ SIDE! This was followed by an account which stated that the mysterious acrobat who walked tn the trees had been seen in a chestnut-tree ih the Tulleries Gardens, and that there wae Treason to believe that he was not alone. Persons whose words could be trusted declared that they had seen him carrying a young ¢irl in bis arma like a savage. But this first scare-head, which caused excitement, was nothing com- pared with the second, which caused absolute terror: : DISAPPEARANCE OF FOUR GIRLS sumed the proportions of a 4, A Mol » Unworthy of the Name of Man, Orage Them by the Hair Threugh the Trees, Then Carries His Prey Over the Reefs of, the Metropol ‘This was the als’ sing and tragic © heading that uppy’ ed in the 4 o'clock fp edition arle en of the Danger. The new! st venders, who excited 1 the crow: nM their mad rushing and shouting? sold their copies up to five ‘Tne fabers aad mothers, conte @ ‘anted to be informed, and above al zed Cid not Jook at the gost that day, Peopje stopped drin::ing outside the cafes, pped walking even. They read Instead. Everybody read or lis- toned to others ing. ‘The story was simple enough: since that morning tour trie had disap- peared, carried of the monster, One had vanished at the corner of the Rue de Medecis and the Rue de Vau- girard, another in the middle of the Boulevard Saint-Germain, @ third near the Square Louvois, while the fourth was picked off the top of a tramcar going along the Qual du Louvre. Note tbat all four had disappeared in placos where there were trees. ‘Tho monster hid himself in the trees and suddenty put out his hand, pull- ing the girl's hair with Irresistible force. The girl followed, loudly screaming, and so rapidly that no one had time to hold her back, A young person who had just been discharged from hospital, and who was resting on a bench in the Square Montholon, owed her safety to tne fact that her head had been shaved during her iliness. Only her false chignon remained in the monster’ ands. As for the monster himself, endowed with infernal spoed d peo le would still be looking for him int rees, when he appeared on the other side of the street or boulevard, on @ roof, to vanish then and there with his prey. In conclusion, the Patrie en Danger advised ladies and young girls not to walk under the trees. And in @ mo- ment the pavements of the boule- varda were emptied and the roadways crammed with a crowd that blocked the tra Mic, all walking with their noses in the air. On ing of that memorable afternoo! infortunate lamp-lighter who was cleaning lamp, stand- ing on @ ladder u t the trunk of @ tree, was nearly torn to pieces by a was + ans wild mob that stupidly took him for 0 the mysterious acrobat who walked in the trees, The prefecture of police was on ten- terhoo! ‘The municipal council was called upon to take exceptional measures. Certain tdiots, of the class that always turns up at dificult moments when people are not inclined to make fun of them or any one—certain idiots con- tended that the only way to get rid of the mysterious acrobat who walked tn the trees was to cut down ail the trees! The families of the girls who had disappeared were interviewed by the newspapers and photographod down to the fourth eneration. Tho Ville Lumiere wan lowing ita head, But the incredibie scandal fell in all its horror on the panic-astricken city with the famous headlines in a late of the greatest paper for news in the world—the Epoque, Here is the gruesome heading: PARIG A PREY TO THE MINOTAUR The Monster Is Known, Animal_ with a Human Brain—A Talking Pithecanthrope. And here is the J inte every he world aril new hich was all over pl ave mysteries the Epoq tty news nervice, which Unidae iy the teurnalintic world, already eaabled it to render the most ne to al services to the cause of hu- manity, ‘History repeats itself. At the crit- teal hour, when lis ta liv- ir wha seems to have established his empire pn the roofs of Paria, the Epoque hag eeded ft to ture of the enomy to be vanquisl will soon be able to rid us of tis horror, “It was by following, step by step, the fantastic appearances ‘of the crea- ture who was long taken for hall acrobat gone mad that we were bled gradual to ascertain the area to which the monster usually confined his evolutions, We were thus led to the Latin Quarter, and thence to the Rue de Jussieu, where we knocked at the deserted house of his owner, @ man whose name will ring through the ages—M. Coriolis ussve Saint-Aubin, “In this house, which we entered by « window, everything was in the Greatest disorder. The building seemed to have been hastily abandoned. We ‘were received, however, by a parrot, which, for more than ai , never ceased screaming out a word, or rather a name, which at first con- veyed nothing to us, but which also will remain famous in the racial his- tory. This word was: “‘Ralaoo! Balaoo! Balaco!* ‘Balaoo is the animal-name of the monster who, in the life of Paris, has his man-namoe Noel, Balaco is % ol the name of the first monkey— Uivat ‘upe—to speak the language 4 known in the hborhood, where his odd ways, curious ugliness and his charac- teristic waddling it did not pass unperceived, whi the’ faces which he was in th his eyeqigan bi cited the lauwhter and witticiama of the little ragamuffing in the streets. “But no ohe ever suspected that this somewhat eccentric but, until re- cently, Javanese pithecanthrope or man-ape. For M. Noel was a oomomer of the Amedeo. M. No tures at the law courts, M. Noel be- ionged to the Conference Bottier, M. Noel dressed like a respectable man. oi Noal apoke French It @ anybody else. “And yet, O unfathomable mys- tery of the races, M. Noel in not 4 man! M. Noel ts only an anthropoid ape. He has four hands. te die rectly related to the orang-utan and ape of the forests of Java, etype it the Jardin des Plantes, in the ape is mystery which will throw all our readers into commotion? How did we succeed @ secret? How did we find Balaoo’s master? “It all happened very simply, but atill it had to be thought of. We be- gan by selzin: files filled with papers in M. CortOlis Saint-Aubin's study. Here we discovered the most curious documents imaginable relat- ing to the transformation of Balaco into M, Noel. “We at onca ombarked upon @ close inquiry into the last public acts of M. Cortolis Saint-Aubin, and we learned that a few days ago he married h daughter to his nephow, M. Patrice Saint-Aubin; that the performed in the strict almost incognito; that not present, und that the young couple hurriedlf took the train for Auvergne. “ “Au M. Noel wili/pursuing the bride we considered that the father must be chasing M. Noel with » view to suving bis daughter, Did he arrive in time? Had he come up with them? Wo hastened on his tracks, and wo are now unfortunately in a position to say that M, Corlolis Saint-Aubin arrived too late, He found only bis son-in-law, under lament condi- so to crimes groaning to-day, Tesponsibility of that madman is really terrible-—terrible yes of history, In the eyes of science, and in the eyes of the law, ‘e'are not using this last word he- use we think that it behooves us to draw down the vengeance of justice upon @ man who believed that he was ccomplishing @ great work; we are simply conveying a picce of news, M. Coriolia Baint-Aubin this mo- ment in ¢ustody, He gave himself up two hours ago, By his own request we ourselves took him to our new prefect of police, M. Mathieu Dela- 2. ‘All these incidents, occurring at the moment when we are about to go to press, cannot be related with all the desired detail; but we shall publish in & few hours u special edition, in which we shall continue to expound to our readers the formidable racial mystery in the Rue de Jussieu, “For the present we shall consider that our work has not been in vain if we have helped, in any degree how- ever small, to dispel the morbid ter- ror that was beginning to overcome the bravest of us, and if we have atored some little peace to family lif ‘The wild beast {s known; the tamer ts known; it i# only a question, let us hope, of bringing them face to face. But let the cage be prepared tn which to shut up the new minotaur, who, since he speaks French, will perhaps consent to tell us what he has done with his living prey. “We will conclude by saying that we discovered M. Cortolls Saint-Aubin on a Bourbonnais road, hunting with his son-in-law for the traces of his child, who had been kidnapped by the monster. He thought that he was his pupil's only victim. He did not know that there were other fathers groaning, mothers in tears, sisters tremblin brothers thirsting for vengeance; con- Perned only with his private tragedy, he know nothing of all these tragedies, “When we informed him of what was happening in the capital he was thunderstruck, for he had no idea that the pithecanthrope, for whom he was ge ‘aa back in town. ee “Two of our reporters phone hat they have just. found the mon- ater's en the. in The Evening World] de Ville, where he walke about security as though at home. Our ‘will organize a pursuit without CHAPTER XIX. Besieged! HIS was the article that all the journaltats. of capital Gying to the of police, only te learn Delafonse, f called an urgent meeting of the Cabs | inet. 1 cannot do better than publish he | oficial statement dictated after the Cabinet Council to all the journalists present: al “The prefect of police made a state~ ment yesterday to the ministers bled in Cabinet Council. He as present: “‘A man of whom I had never heard, M. Coriolis Boussse Galnt-Aus ‘Din, sent in his card to me, me to see him at once, his business, but he would only speak in my that there must be no was a question of life had him shown tn, “‘He did not strike Before 1 had time to A woll-behaved person was & ha Brasserie ded the lec- mind. of whieh can be 8808 civitized being, ape talk! J have made an like a man; but, for all my Rave not succeeded in gi: But the prime minister's orders were formal: ‘i pital must be rid of the monster at the earliest pos. sible moment by any and every © The town, pending the discovery of the mysterious hiding-place where ‘ new minotaur had secreted his * tion of girle—the town, I say, ‘ more than ever with its nose iy air, The monster was tracked the roofs of the Hotel de Ville by journalists, the firemen, the clerks. also by the members of the central visions of police — the ‘who were called into req tion because of their well-known teal streneth, thetr brord chests their powerful wrists. The police instructions to capture the alive; and for a moment they ¢ that they had him. t As a matter of fact, the chase ucted with an energy that " of beth anger and despair, earret-window to window, from chimney to chimney, the roof of a little outhouse the Conerae Lobeau. a central police, equipped ropes and lassoes that seemed much in thelr way were ready spring upon him when Professor tie! self was brought out oi id perceived that, in . the horror of that tragte stru monster had retained a little veneer of civilization which he heen at such pains to bestow upon ‘The pithecanthrope, in fact, ¥ himself for @ second between hI teal Sune, ean aaa r ee ‘ 2 +