Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-12-02

to assist her =? "0h. no." she timidly an.
swered, yet she evidently looked forward
SO nervously to the approaching ordeal that
felt instinctively her refusal was only
mechanical one
Have you any baggage?" l asked.
"Only this valise and small trunk"
she said; "the check for the trunk is
here, and she produced it from her pocket.
book and hesitatipgly held it out toward
me, WHAT made me take it? l
don't know, really, but this l
do know, that it came very near costing
me dear, that same bit of paper which
| took from her little gloved hand, for five
minutes later madam and l were under ar
rest In the wsiting.room with file of
gendarmes standing guard over us. In
vain l protested and demanded an ex.
PLANTATION. The guards spoke only Spanish,
and scarcely vouchsafsd word at that.
What does this mean, madam ~ /
asked, turning to my companion. She was
an iceberg. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Je men sails rien, monsieur" she an
swered "Mais nous verrons."
Do you speak Spanish % l asked her.
eyes"
evil you be so kind as to explain to
these people that there must be some mis-.
take, that you and | are merely chance
travelling acquaintances They cannot
certainly wish to detain both Of US, for we
| have nothing in common. Please to speak
quickly, madam, for the train will be leav-
| ing In very few moments now, and can.
not be thus unwsrrantably detained"
1t would be useless, monsieur" she
1 sh,,N
to the gendarmes she pointed to me and
said something in Spanish. They looked
at me. merely smiled, and did not reply.
| You see, she said, 1T is useless !"
and SO 1t was. l was powerless in the
presen;e OF these grim guardians, and when
the train went on without us saw through
the waiting room windows the commits.
yoyageur looking unconcernedly out of the
carriage door. He didn't seem to miss us
in the least.
| The situation was certainly not pleasant
A clear conscience under such circumstan-
ces may be all very nice, but should have
appreciated its practical value at that mo.
ment much more had it been coupled with
an ability to assert itself in the Spanish
language. [ was sure that l hadn't ever
conspired against the peaceful sway of His
Majesty tie King OF Spain was certain
that | had no diamonds or other dutiable
valuables hid away in my luggage knew l
was no absconding financier, or chevaher
d'industrie and was ready to bring indis-
putable proof that l was simply an inno-
cent American tourist making my first
and ferventiy hoped my last-visit to the
stored land of cloud castles and dons.
Evidently there was mistake then some
where, but the thing was to prove it. l
began to be suspicious of madam. A lively
conflict between gsllantry and mistrust vas
going on in MY mind, when the door
opened and a busy, bustling little man in
a cooked hat and a uniform plentifully dec
GRATED with faded gold lace, came in,
bowed with the greatest courtesy, and,
after inspecting both of US from head to
foot, made US sign to follow. The gen.
darmes solemnly brought up the rear. 1t
was all so surprising and ludicrous to me
that in spite of the seriousness of the dilem.
ma could not repress a smile at this my
first entry into Spain.
But it was no smiling matter, | soon
found. Madam and l were escorted to the
police office, few streets away from the
railway station. A crowd of young raga.
mullins and other idlers, attracted by curl.
osity, followed us thither, and the bustling
little official in gold lace led the way, and
finally ushered us into the presence OF q
small but ferocious looking individual,
whom l rightly coniectured to be the Com.
missary or Chief OF Police. He, too, was
in uniform. He wore an immense mus
tache, had an enormous nose, behind which
glittered pair of piercing black eyes the
top of his head was bald, and his long,
bony fingers, as he nervously drummed on
the desk before him, reminded me of the
oyster tongs used to see down at Blue
Point, in the happy days when l never
dreamed of making trip into Spain.
"And you, madam" he began, speaking
in French, "do you speak Spanish ?"
81 dc" she answered, adding some
words in that language.
"Ah," continued the Chief, turning to
me, and monsieur does not. them"
"No," L replied "only French
Your name, madam"
" Maria Francisco Motte."
"Age?"
"Twenty-four.
Nationality ,"
French"
"Married or single ?"
Married. My husbands name is
Henri Jean Motto, negociant.
"Your residence ?"
"Paris."
Destination p
Madrid"
"And you, monsieur ?"
l gave him my card and answered all his
questions, which were identical with those
he had propounded to my companion.
| !" Were you travelling together ?" he
asked.
NO." 1 said. Madam did not answer.
Where did you first meet"
% at Lamothe, where madam entered
the train. l left Bordeaux this morn,
ing"
'Never met before p
"Never."
| "That is all for the present, he said.
&c should like to be allowed to inquire
the ground of my arrest" interposed.
He looked at me, not unamiably, but
without replying.
81 am an American citizen, continued,
travelling for pleasure. | have committed
no crime, and | demand to know why am
thus detained"
The chief shrugged his shoulders. "I
am sorry" he SAID, "but there is no help
for it. See here" and he threw a paper
carelessly across the table to me. Il was
a telegraphic dispatch, and read:
PARIS, October 9tb.-Arrest Nine Motto and
male companion on train 5,
| BAUVAIN, Commissaire.
The mystery deepened, and | no longer
felt like smiling. "Mme. Motto and male
companion read strangely. had scarcely
been her companion long enough for a dis
patch to travel to Paris and back vet
since she entered the tram she had had nc
other companion than myself What could
it all mean? Madam meanwhile had picked
up the telegram and read it. Could | be
mistaken in thinking l saw faint smile
fit across her pretty but now pale face as
she threw it down again on the table.
g But l am not this lady's companion"
said :" never saw her until few hours
ago, and twas only politeness and the fact
OF her being without other escort that
prompted me to assist her with the inspec.