The Indianapolis journal., 1889-06-02

in this career, as in every other depends on
good luck. And after all, my position was
not such very brilliant one. 1 know sew
eral chefs who would turn up their noses at
my income, and as to fame, the name of the
smallest manufacturer of patent medicines
in England is twenty times better known
On my third visit the magistrate received
me with much greater courtesy than before
He said:
Il have examined your statements and
find you have spoken the truth. The Of
ficial record of the Mont -de-Piete makes
mention of yOur having pawned your
watch. The hOtel-keeper of the Quai des
Grands-Augustins remembers you as q
quiet and industrious young man; and,
finally, one of my agents has succeeded in
discovering the bookseller who sold you
the Memoirs of Able de Croisy.' This per-
son remembered the circumstance all the
more distinctly that he had discovered. al
most Immediately after he had disposed of
the book to you, what a treasure he had let
slip out of his hands. He said he hoped
you had got into trouble. as You must be a
bad character to have paid two francs for
book worth five hundred. The only cir
CumStance now against You Is that OF the
possession of the pin"
And that. am sorry to say, cannot
explain. | can positively not remember
how got it, nor can imagine how and
when it got into my trunk"
''On the other hand" )" continued the mag
istrate benevOlently, "Our inquiries in Lon
don have produced satisfactory results, as
far as your character is concerned. You
are hOnorably connected. and appear to
only you could explain that one obscure
point, l could proclaim you innocent: Nay,
do not start-you will be set free in any
case. but unfortunately only under an
order of non lieu. or nOlle prosequi, which
is equivalent to Scotch verdict of Not
DrOven' II is repretable Won have such q
bad memory"
The same evening, after various fOrInali-
ties, had what the newspapers called .'the
extraordinary good fortune" to be set free.
returned forthwith to London, besieged
all the way by the enterprising gentlemen
of the press, and went straight to the house
where my fiancee lived. / was received by
her father. who said under the circumstan-
ces lie could not think of letting me marry
his daughter until had completely vindi-
Gated my character. i turned on my heel,
indignant at this injustice. and wrote to
Clara; but the young lady left my letters
unanswered. and when called to see her,
during the absence of her father In the city,
she refused to receive me.
Apart from this, my sudden nOtOriety did
me more good than could have hoped for
from years of industry and success. / have
on my table now before me seventeen let
ters from hitherto obdurate publishers.
offering me my own price for any MSS.
may have in my drawer. forty letters from
newspaper editors, inviting the contribu-
tion of my experiences IN the French
prison, as many letters and kilograms from
lecture agents, and two requests from the
atrical managers, who want me to turn my
trivial adventure into five-act drama and
three-act comedy, not TO speak of hun
dreds of letters of sympathy or abuse from
all parts of the country.
What commercial age is the one in
which we are living. that find myself con-
graduating myself on having had my name
SO splendidly advertised for nothing. / am
advised to make hay while the sun shines
and may add that / have made a good
deal of hay already.
1t was only three days ago that some
solution of the mystery Of tho amber pin
presented itself to my mind.
/ was in Berlin, and was walking down
the Behrenstrasse, when l passed a man
whose face seemed to remember. without
being able at all to recall when and where
had seen it for tho first time. Suddenly,
and l should be puzzled to say by what in
spiratiOn, turned round and called out
Hi Pierre, Pierre Bastide"
The man stopped as If struck from be-
hind, and looked around at me; the face
was very pale. and he was trembling in
every part of his body. After q seconds
hesitation he started off running like q
madman, as if his object was to put great
distance as possible between us two.
He was not however, destined TO run far
his haste was so blind that he did not
notice the close approach OF a heavy omni-
bus From where / stood i could see his
peril and dashed forward instinctiyely to
help him. The same moment heard cry,
and then the man went down under the
horses feet and the great wheels rolled
over his body and crushed the life out of
him. He presented such a horrible specta-
Gle when he was lifted mp by the crowd
which had collected that l could not stay