The evening times., 1899-10-13
ON THE FRENCH FRONTIER.
The English Bicyclist. the Dreyfus
Case, and Another Forgery.
CFrom the Pall Mau Gazettel

(from the rail- Mall G3Zette)
The place was a custom house on the
French frontier, and the time the morrow
OF the Rennes verdict. The Englishman
had come 10 claim refunding of the
money he had deposited when he took his
bicycles into France. The papers were in
order, the identity of the machines yeri-
fed, and while the chief went for the KEY
of his strongbox the Englishman invitei
speech upon the ''affaire''
''Ah, mais, cest une drole d'affaire; on
ne saura annals la verite," remarked the
man in a draggled uniform. One thing
only was clear-that foreign money had
done it.
-I love Jews no more than you" OBJ
served the Englishman, who felt the anti
Judaism that charged the air; but if there
had been cosmopolitan syndicate should
have heard of it in England
Then how, sir, do you explain the rage
of the foreigners, which would be laugh
able were it not so odious? The foreign
journalists have earned their money we'll"
(The man had read his Petit Journal y
"Ah, bien, sur" exclaimed the five il
derisive chorus
And why should they discuss French
affairs if they were not paid for it?''
1t was vain for the Englishman to sub
NIT that when people have had proof OF
prisoners innocence they are apt to feel
indignant at his conviction against all the
rules of evidence and equity. He was
speaking to anti Dreyfusards and readers
of the Petit Journal moreover. he was
one against five. 1t was manifestly safer
to play the indifferent spectator. and to
talk of the great exhibition. There was
proposal among certain foreign hot
hn c0t1 k.--a
nay. more, to eschew French silks and
French wines. France, remarked one
would suffer less from that than the for
eigners themselves. She was rich enough
to do without them
True; but apparently the Parisians
think otherwise, for in the morning papers
they speak Of postponing the exhibition
for year" This spiked their gun. With
exclamations Of dismay and incredulity
one reached for his Petit Journal and
ran his finger down its columns, the
others pressing on him. chin on shoulder
Their chief, returning with his key, re-
called them to business. ''Monsieur will
sign his receipt for 80 francs so centimes.
and then take the money. All, but it was
not Monsieur who had signed the original
document? 1t was Madame? Tenez, Yoila
un impasse,' The receipt and the docu-
ment must be signed by the same hand.
Madame was far away, in another coun-
try in fact, and could not come tomorrow.
nor. indeed. until next year. if even then.
Could not her husband sign on her be-
half?
No. the regulations were positive upon
! the point. Either madame must sign OF
| the deposit be forfeited Then upon the
| Englishman, fresh from the study of the
| Henrys and the Du Patys and the Merciers
! Of official France there flashed an in
| spiration. Might he not forge madame's
signature? 1t was like guiding light tc
! the lost mariner
| But can you do it well?" asked the
| chief. eagerly.
| ITO a marvel. 1 have studied the art
! for years"
"Give him a slip OF paper ard new
| pen and let him show us. And you. M
| (this to the officer who had witnessed the
| original signature), tell me IL it resem-
| bles madame's autograph. All! Does mad
anne write as large as that?'
"C'est juste.' pronounced M. al
remember well the dash and the two dot:
| underneath The chief chuckled in an
| ticipatory giee and stood over the artis
| while he executed his forgery on the orig
inal document. And while the English
man pocketed his money he felt that some
| how bond of sympathy had united tn,
! party, and that he had risen many degrees
in their estimation. IL not in his own.