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Show Mardi Gras Mystery 1 By ' M H. BEDFORD-JONES M DOUlLtOAY.fACI AND COMPANY fYf" , , I lie' " "" !! II ! ! ! II III "'" "L ! CHAPTER X Continued. 16 Whatever had huppened, Hammond had evidently not been easily captured. cap-tured. Ills countenance was somewhat some-what battered, and the one enptor who woro a collar was bleeding copiously from a cut check. The three turned as Gramnnt's car drove up, nnd Hammond Ham-mond gave an ejaculation of relief. "Hero he Is now " "Shut upl" snapped one of his armed captors tn an ugly tone. "Hurry up, Chachcrre get a rope and tlo this gink I" Gramont leaped from the car and strode forward. "What's been going on here?" he icmanded, sharply. "Hammond" "I found a dead man over In them bushes," shot out Hammond, "and LitlllfA?yl4vi tM9F(9VDiV4fl Bfei3 Bff a3tBay MBBlSm- P ilWllil trivflVBlJ(n' 9&t 1 Vl- l Found a Doad Man Over In Them Bushes," Shot Out Hammond. (, these guys Jumped me before I seen em. They claim I done It" r MA dead man!" repeated Gramont, and looked at the three. "What do c you mean?" r "Give him the spiel, Chachcrre," d growled ooe of them. Ren Chacherre stepped forward, his bold eyes fas- c tcned on those of Gramont with a look r of defiance. r' "The sheriff was hero some time ago, looking for a stolen boat," he aald, "and went off toward tho Lcda- nols place. Wo were following. In or- dcr to help him search, when we came ' upon this man standing In the bushes, over the body of the sheriff. A knlfo was In his hand, and the sheriff had been stabbed to death. He drew a pis- ' tol and shot one of us" ' Gramont wus staggered for a mo- ment. "Walt I" he exclaimed. "Ham- ' mond. how much of this is true)" ' "What I'm tellln' you. enp'n." an- i swered Hammond, doggedly. "I found a man layin there and wns looking nt ' him when these guys Jumped me. I shot that fellow In the arm, all right, then they grabbed my gun and got me down. That's nil." The sheriff murdered I Into the mind of Gramont leaped that brief conversation which he had overheard between lien Chacherre and the sheriff; the strange, unnatural si-lenco si-lenco which had concluded that broken-off conversation. He stared from Hammond to the others, speech less for the moment, yet with hot words rising Impetuously In him. Now ho noticed that Chacherre and his two companions were watching him very Intently, and were slightly circling nut. He sensed an acquaint anco among all these men. He saw that the wounded man hod finished his bandaging, and was now holding his unwouuded hand lu his pocket, bulk-lly, bulk-lly, menacingly. Danger Unshed upon Gramont flashed upon him vividly and with startling clearness. He realized that anything was possible In this Isolated spot this spot where murder hail so lately been consummated I lie checked on his very lips what he bad been about to blurt forth; nt this Instant, 1 Hammond voiced the thought In his mind. , "It's a frame-up 1" said the chauffeur, chauf-feur, angrily. ; "That's likely. Isn't Itr Chnchcrre flung the words In a sneer, but with a l covert glnnco at Gramont. "Tills fellow fel-low Is your chauffeur, ain't he? Well, we got to take him tn to llouma, that's all." "Where's the sheriffs body?" demanded de-manded Gramont, quietly. "Over there," Chacherre gestured. "We ain't had a chance to bring him f back yet this fellow kept us busy. Maybe you want to frame up an alibi for him?" I i Oramont paid no attention to the '' sneering tono of this last. He regard ed Cliaclic-re fixedly, thinking hurd, keeping b'.msetf well In hand. "Ton say the sheriff was here, then went over toward the Lednnols land?" Ihe asked. "Did he go alone, or were vou with him?" "We vcr nxln' to follow him," asserted as-serted Chacherre, confidently. This was all Gramont' wanted to know t that the man was lying. "We wero I trallln along after him when he v stepped Into tho bushes. This man of c yours was standing over him with n t knife" 1 "I wns, too, when they found me I tl was cuttln' mo a lishpolc," sntd Ham mond, sulkily. He was plainly begin t ntng to be Impressed and alarmed by i the evldcnco against him. Gramont I only nodded. "No ono saw the actual murder, i then?" i "No need for It," said Chacherre. brazenly. "Whoa we found him that I way I Wi?" "I supposo not," answered Gramont, nls eyes fastened thoughtfully on i Hammond. The latter caught the look, let his Jaw fall In astonishment, then flushed and compressed his lips nd waited. Oramont glanced at Chachcrre, Cha-chcrre, and launched a chance shaft. "You're Ben Chacherre, aren't you? Do you work for Mr. Fell?" The chance shot scored. "Tea," said Chachcrre, his eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here, then?" For an Instant Chacherre was off guard. He did not know how much or little Gramont knew; but he did know that Gramont wns aware who had taken the loot of the Midnight Masquer from the luggage compartment compart-ment of the car. This knowledge, very naturally, threw hlra back on he defense de-fense of which he was most sure. "I came on an errand for my mas-I mas-I ter," he said, and with those words gave the game Into Gramont's hands. There was a moment of silence. Gramont stood apparently In musing thought, conscious that every eye wns fastened upon him, and that one false move would now spell disaster. Lie gavo no sign of the tremendous shock J that Chachcrre's words had Just given I him; when he spoke, It was quietly and coolly: "Then your master Is evidently as-; as-; soclated with Memphis Izzy Guroberts, who owns this place here. Is that right r Both naramond and Chachcrre's two friends started at this. ( "1 don't know anything about that," returned Chacherre, with a shrug , which did not entirely conceal his un easiness. "I know t'int we've got a , murderer here, andthat wo'll have to ( dispose of hlra. Do you object?" "Of course not," said Oramont, calmly. "Step aside and give me a , moment In private with Hammond. : Then by all means take hlra In to Houma. I'd suggest that you tie him up. or mako use of handcuffs if the sheriff brought any along. Then you'd better take In the body of tho sheriff also. Hammond, a word with youl" This totally unexpected acquiescence acquies-cence on the part of Gramont seemed to stun Chachcrre Into Inaction. He half moved, as though uncertain whether to bar Oramont from the prisoner, pris-oner, then he stepped aside as Gramont Gra-mont advanced. A gesture to his two companions prevented them from Interfering. In-terfering. "Keep 'em covered, though." he said, shifting his own rifle slightly und wutchlng with a scowl of suspicion. Gramont Ignored hlra odd went up to Hammond, with a look of warning. "You'll hnve to submit to this, old man," he sold, In a tone that the others oth-ers could not overhear. "Don't dream that I'm deserting you; but I want a good look at this place If all three of them go away. They must not suspect" sus-pect" "Cap'n, look outl" broke In Ham-mond, Ham-mond, urgently. "Tills here Is a gang the whole thing la a frame-up on mel" "I know It I wns present when the sheriff was murdered; but keep quiet. I'll come to Houma later tonight nnd aee you." He turned away with a shrug, as though Hammond had denied de-nied him some favor, and lifted hW voice. "Chacherre I IJow are you to tuke this man Into town? How, did you get here? Will you need to use my car?" "No." The Creole Jerked his head toward the barn. "I came In Mr. Fell's car It's got a sprung axle and Is laid up. Wo'II tnke him back In another an-other one." "Very well," Gramont paused and glauced around. "Tills Is a terrible blow, men. I never dreamed that Hammond waB a murderer or could be ono I You don't know of any motive for the crime?" They shok their heads, but suspicion suspi-cion was dying from their eyes, Gramont Gra-mont glanced again at his chauffeur. "I'll not abandon you, numraond," he said, severely, coldly. "I'll stop In at Houma and see that you have a lawyer. I think, gentlemen, we had better attend to bringing in tho body of the sheriff, eh?" The wounded man dodged Into the bnni nnd returned with a strip of rope. Chacherre took this and firmly firm-ly bound Hammond's arms, then forced him to sit down and bound his ankles. "You watch him," ho ordered the wounded member of tho trio. "Well get the Bhcrlff." Allowing Chachcrre and his companion com-panion to tuke the lead, Gramont wont 1' with them to the place where the murdered mur-dered ofllccr lay. As be went, the urn-vlctlon urn-vlctlon grew more sure within him that, when he lay there by the riva- TOt let, he had actually heard the last ifjiSr: words altered by the sheriff; that Cha MmE: cherre had committed the murder la IflV-S that moment a noiseless, deadly stab I an That Hammond coald or would have 'W" done It he knew was absurd. iMr- They found the murdered man lying mm among the bushes. He had beea jHg stabbed under the fifth rib the knife 1M had gone direct to tho heart. Cha- ml cherre annouueed that he had Ham Si mend's knlfo ns evidence and Gramont jH ' merely nodded his head. jD Lifting the body between them, if they bore It back to tho barn. "Now," said Gramont, quickly, "I'ra M off for Houma If 1 don't miss my M road I You men will be right along?" mm "In a Jiffy," said Chacherre promptly. ME Gramont climbed Into his car and mm drove away. He had no fear of any ? thing happening to Hammond; the m J evidence against the latter was damn Hill lag, and with three men to swear him jpfr. Into a hangman's noose, they would OJ bring him to Jail safe enough. Wmt "A clever devil, that Chacherre 1" ml he thought, grimly. "We're up against a gang, beyond any doubt. Now, If M& they don't suspect me" Vf He turned In at the Lcdanols gate, Ell knowing himself to be beyond sight or mil hearing of the Oumbcrts place. He mi drove the car away from the house, ! and Into the thick of the densest 1 bush-growth that he could find, where It was well concealed from sight MJ Then, on foot, he made his way along WJ the bank of the bayou until he had Kn come to the rivulet where oil showed. , Here be paused, concealing himself y and gaining a place where ho could ' get a view of the Gumbcrts land. He I; saw Chachcrre and Hammond there be- side the body of the sheriff; tho other two men were swinging open the bara m door. They disappeared Inside, and ! 1a moment later Oramont heard the W whirr of an engine starting. A car jfj backed Into the yard and hatted. t The three men lifted the body of the th sheriff Into the tonneau. Chacherre ij took tho wheel, lltinmond being bun II died In beside htm. The other two men I climbed tn beside the body, rifles la 11 hand. Chacherre started the car te- , ward the read. "All flncl" thought Gramont with a M thrill of exultation. "They've cleared I out and left the place to me and I m want a look at that place." ' Suddenly, as he stood there, he re- membcred the slight "plump" that he H had heard during that Interminable H silence which hnd followed the con- l versatlon between the sheriff and Ben 1J Chacherre. It was a sound as though , ,w something had fallen near biro in the soggy ground. fl The remembrance startled him i fl strangely. He visualised an excited , II murderer standing beside his victim, knife in hand ; he visualized the abhor- ID renco which must have seized the maa A Low Exclamation of Satisfaction wj Broks From Him as He Found What Wml He Sought Ui for a moment the abhorrenco which Igj must huve caused him to do some- K thing In that moment which In a cool- iv er time he would not have done. I Gramont turned toward the little JJA marshy spot whero ho had lain listen. 11 Ing. He bent down, searching the wet I , ground, heedlirss that the water soaked 1 1 Into his boots. And, after a minute, a ', low exclamation ot satisfaction broke u from hlin as he found what he sought nX (TO DB CONTINUED.) ' |