Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-08-29


haps, for your mother appears to
have imbibed the infatuation for
methods and systems. ,"
eyes, that is the Comtesse dam
giere's doing"
''The Comtesse gambles?"
"With the most consistent good
luck. She takes mothers money and
plays with it. There, I oughtn't to
have let on about that, but l know
you'll not give me away, Mr.. Give.
You see, the Comtesse begged mother
to trust her with pound just to try
her luck-for the Comtesse goes to
the tables every day-and she won.
Then mother trusted her with two
pounds, then five, ten and twenty, al
ways winning. Now"
"Please go on" said, as Bertha
paused.
''There can be no harm in telling
you the rest, Mr.. Give. Mother has
raised every possible penny-pawned
her jewels even-and tomorrow the
Comtesse is going to play with the lot.
There, don't look as if were to blame
I've argued and protested, but where's
the use? The Comtesse wins every
time"
She had; but would she win this
time? The stake was high. Would
she play with it? That was the ques-
ton. Was the whole thing scheme
"a common confidence trick-to get
hold of the American dollars and bolt
with them?
1t goes against the grain to expose
woman, however deserving she may
be. concluded to give Iris chance,
and wrote short letter stating that l
would keep her identity secret if
she would return Mrs. Endcot her
money and leave Nice early the next
morning. Omitting either condition,
1 declared I would hold her up to rid
icule and scorn.
left the note with the porter at
the hotel where Iris was staying, and
then walked away to ponder alone
upon fate, condolences and the like.
I found solitary seat upon stone
boulder, with only thes esdreariness of
some attempted excavations, which
had ended in failure, to greet my
eyes or impinge upon my thoughts.
sat there and smoked, and mental
ly surveyed my entire world, from
London to Nice, from Bob Pallant to
Norton Scrubbs, from Iris to Bertha.
Suddenly, without warning, figure
stood beside me and said, inquiringly:
"Reggie Give |"
The silence of his approach and the
aggressiveness of his bearing startled
me. However, / admitted my name.
"You wrote letter to-day to n
friend of mine, tho Comtesse dan
giere," continued the man.
"You are mistaken" l replied.
"Mere cavilling!" he said, with a
sneer. "You wrote, then, to Miss Iris
Maypel."
"If that is more truly her name,
yes.
"You threatened her."
I stood up. The mans bluntness OF
speech and scowling brow looked
ominous.
"Call it that, if you will, I replied.
81 tried to do her good turn, and to
save her from herself"
"Bahl Mere qnibbling! You
threatened to expose her if she failed
to return certain money to that
bumptious old American woman or to
leave Nice in the morning. Isn't that
o threat?"
"Call it SO if you like" returned.
EfCn,uar1 ha ,,o11a1
"Thank-you," 1 said. "If you will
give me your card shall know better
to whom am indebted to that pseu-
donym."
"Hound!" |" he said. 'If you want
to know, my names Norton Scrubbs,
which, until your villainous friend,
Pallant-whom I'll be on level terms
with yet-ruined it, was a fourishing
name in London. All you shrink, do
you? Here's something that'll make
you shrink into still narrower COM
pass"
He pulled revolver from his poe
ket, and cooked it. / showed as bold
face as l could muster.
"Don't forget that you'll have to
answer for this" | said.
His hoarse laugh echoed all around,
and intensified the utter desolation of
the place.
"Answer he sail. 'To whom
shall I answer?" To these stones? To
the night? TO whom, lrepeat? There's
not soul within ear shot, and not
likely to be this side of morning."
realized the truth of his bluster.
The day had died suddenly, and the
mists were growing uncomfortably
dense.
"Comel" continued Scrubbs, "well
strike a bargain, you and l. Swear
and mind you stick to it-that you
will leave Nice to might and not return
or communicate with any one in this
town for three months from this
moment The alternative is"
lie explained the unfinished SEN
tence with an emphasized movement
of the pistol.
am not a brave man, yet am not