River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-01-21
You first saw him at Tumbridge2"

yes
You first saw him at Tumbridge?"
'Yes"
"You first noticed him while you
were taking some refreshments at
restaurant"
Yes"
HE came up alongside of you, hav-
ing carpet-bag in his hand, and made
some commonplace remark about the
weather."
Eyes" I continued to answer, get
ting more and more astonished every
minute.
What could it all mean? Had every
action of my life been noted, and for
what purpose? My strange interroga-
tor proceeded:
This stranger was dressed in black
co at. with black cloth buttons, striped
trousers, a parti-colored tie, white
hat and patentleather bootsP"
Yes
''He had reddish hair. reddish
whislers, a fiorid complexion. and
wore green patch over his left eye?"
Yes"
After some commonplace remarks,
he ventured 70 ask you which way you
were traveling?"
Yes"
"You replied you We're going to
Paris?''
Yes"
He was delighted to hear it, be-
cause he was going there also, and il
was very pleasant, in a foreign coun-
try, to have travelling companion
from ones native land?"
Yes"
"On the whole, he made so favorable
an impression upon your unsuspicious
mind, that you were quite pleased to
have his company"
YES"
''Gn your way to Dover, he gave you
some account of his past life-of his
trials, struggles, disappointments and
successes"
Yes"
"He was an inveptor-a man of
genius, who had lived to benefit man
kind and himself? England owed
much to him. and so did France and so,
in fact, did the whole world?''
His statements We're to that effect. +"
Very well, monsieur, as / have
shown you that / know the nature of
your conversation, il is not necessary
that | weary you with detail. This
man, this inventor, was going to Paris
to take out patent for new motive
power-one that was destined to revo-
lutionize the world. He was very sorry
he could not show it to you then; but
until his papers should be filed in the
proper department he would not trust
his own father with the secret"
IAN correct monsieur"
Now, most unfortunately, as it APP
peared, on reaching Dover, where you
were to take the regular steamer for
Calais, your new acquaintance in some
way unknown to you received the
startling intelligence that his father
was lying at the point of death. which
would require him to post to London
Immediately; and would you, in whom
he had every confidence, do him the
favor to take charge of a small box
containing some important papers and
on your arrival in Paris open it and
deliver them to the proper addresses"
Yes. monsieur" said /, becoming
most intensely interested.
Curiosity. monsieur" continued the
Frenchman, lis not one of your fail
ings, am happy to say, or you might
not now be living to hear what have
to reveal"
Good heavens" calculated l, what
is coming now?"
THAT same box, monsieur, is an in
fernal machine, intended to destroy
your life the moment yor open itl'
Can it be?'' / exclaimed, with
thrill of horror. "Can this be possible?"
81 will prove it Get it, and come
with me before a commissary of
police!"
pray, monsieur, who are you?"
"A secret agent of police
fastened to get the box, handling
it with great care, and together we
proceeded to the nearest commissary,
when. with my permission, it was split
open, and 10! to my astonished and
Mortified gaze was revealed a row of
small, loaded pistols, SO arranged that,
had unlocked and opened the box in
an ordinary way, they would have
been discharged into my body.
On my subsequently asking for an
explanation concerning this mysterious
affair-how so much connected with
myself and others had become known
to the police of foreign city was
gravely but politely answered:
1T is not allowed US, mo nsieur, to
reveal our sources of information.
We are happy to have thwarted the
plans of villain and saved your life. "
never knew who that villain was,
though / always suspected Byerly of
having a hand in it do not know
that my life was ever again attempted,
but certain il is / never again per-
mitted intimacy from an unknown
stranger.
On my accession to the title and
estates, which occurred the following
year, / did not forget to reward
Eugene St Medard, alias Henri Pou-
get, secret agent of police, as thought
he deserved to be rewarded for the
preservation of my life; and to this
day have not ceased to wonder over
the perfection of the French system of
police.
With the exception of substituting
fictitious names for real ones the fore
going may be regarded as the anthem
tic narrative of an English nobleman
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