Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-10-05

parted He wrote me twice, and the fol-
lowing year I returned to Europe and
met Amstel at Brussels. We had very
delightful time together, during which
he told me the sequel Of the Van Tromp
episode Instead of one, the countess
had two husbands living, hut the Van
Tromps preferred to buy off the woman
at a good round sum rather than have a
public scandal.
Amstel interviewed the countess and
gave her the choice between arrest and
full release of all claims on the Van
Tromp property for the sum of 100000
gulden. She made hard fight, but at
last gave in gracefully. But my chapter
has grown too long already, and will
close it with the remark that l myself
met the lady at Wiesbaden in 1871 and
became acquainted with the brilliant
adventures. She will appear again in
the sequel.
The last face that saw at the Cologne
station was that of Amstel, lit up with
smiles as he waved his hand IN adieu.
Sitting cozily in the corner of the car
riage. eager to see all that was to be
seen, / found, as all tourists do, much
to charm and delight. But my thoughts
We're ON the bonds 1 had to sell, and
was glad enough when at 3 O'Clock our
train drew into the depot at Frankfort
My reader will recall that payment
upon all United States bonds payable to
bearer, as miro We're, could not be
stopped, and so far as the innocent hold
l,1 1x-c
cure But the custom among bankers
was, whenever any bonds We're lost by
theft or fraud, to send out circulars con-
tanning the numbers, asking that any
parties Offering them might be ques
toned and held. But as American bonds
We're sold in millions all over the con-
tinent, and We're passing freely FROM
hand to hand, as a matter OF fact little
or no attention was paid to such circu
lars; but, of course, had strangers Of
disreputable appearance offered bonds
i'll large sums the lists might have been
scrutinized and awkward questions
asked. Therefore felt Il trifle nervous
and determined to run no chance of los
ing my bonds, at least not all of them.
So l resolved to go to Wiesbaden, some
10 miles away, stop at some hotel under
q different name, leave the bonds there,
and take the morning train for Frank
fort, conduct my negotiations, and re-
turn to Wiesbaden every evening. 1t
was at this time easy to lose ones iden-
tity in Wiesbaden, for the town then
was, along with Baden-Baden, the
Monte Carlo of the continent, and adj
venturers, men and women, from all
over Europe fiocked there in thousands
to chance their fortune in the gambling
halls. Although little i'll advance of
this portion of my history, l will here
relate an adventure of mine there some
years after the period of which am
speaking.
Twill, however, preface my narrative
with a brief account of the history of
the place. The city of Wiesbaden, pre-
vious to the Franco-Frussian war Of
1870, was the chief town of one of those
petty principalitics which We're plenti-
fully sprinkled over the face of Europe.
Since the old Roman days the town had
been famous for its hot springs, and con-
seGuently for it's hot baths, and good
many people-during the winter par
ticularly-resorted there to battle and
to drink the waters. As matter of
course, the townspeople, as the custom
of such places is, have recorded many a
marvellous cure, ranging all the way
from headache to hydrophobia. But still
the town was of little Importance save
locally. The petty ruler, with a title
longer than his income, lived in the pre-
tentious castle, beguiling the time by
smoking cheap cigars or ordering on
banquets whose piece de resistance con-
sisted Of gebratene gans und kartoffeln,
the unlucky bird being tribute in kind
from the farmyard of some peasant sub
jcct living III miserable hut on blacl,
bread.
But change was impeding A
mighty wizard had visited the place,
with an eye quick to see the possible
ties of the situation, with a brain to
plan and hand to execute. His name
was Francois Blanc, the head of the
great gambling establishment at HON.
burg. Vast as We're his ambition and
achievements, he was man Of the sim.
| plest tastes.
To see him-as often have-;A his
seedy coat, his old fashioned spectacles
on the tip of his nose, one would have
taken him for a country advocate whose
| widest dreams We're of a practice OF
1000 thalers year, with an old gig
| and Il whcezy mare to haul him around
the countryside from client to client.
Before his Wiesbaden days he had been
the guiding spirit in the direction of the
splendid gambling halls, the Casino al
| HomburS. Blanc was .impervious tc
flattery-a hard headed, silent man, q
man without enthusiasm and without
| weaknesses, who kept Il lavish table and
ate sparingly himself, who had wine
cellar rivaling that of the autocrat Of
all the Russias and yet contented him
self with slipping harmless minera,
water, who kept and directed huge
gambling machine-a mighty conglom
GRAFTON of gorgeously decorated halls
wine parlors and music rooms, crammed
day and night by giddy and excited
| throngs, but himself never indulging il
! anything more exciting than an aftel
| dinner ,ra,,-A Of 10,