The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-04-30
A FOOLS LUCK
lcopy,sh,. isoa. by c. D. LswIs.l ]

cash. call 1t Q business deal, but now that many years have elapsed and no harm can come of 1t may say that 1t had to do with laces which had escaped paying full duty at the New York custom house. This did not And out for myself until years afterward. I was to be allowed two weeks to sec the sights of Paris. and. being young man of twenty-four. 1t was right and proper that the head of the firm should give me lot of fatherly advice as to how to take care of myself. When l came to think it all over afterward. l could not help but see that he had been more interested fin the safety of his cash than iu my moral welfare.
 had been in Paris just one day when I made q friend. and 1t came about in q curious way. l had found my way to the Bols and taken a seat on a bench occupied by man asleep. gave him no attention. and It was while my back was toward him that he was suddenly seized and hurled across the path by young man Of about my own age whose looks proved him a gentleman. As the fellow arose and sneaked on the young man ex- plained to me in fairly good English that the canaille was trying to pick my pockets as he came up. l felt un- der obligations. of course. and as he sat down on the bench beside me and entered Into conversation found him an agreeable gentleman. He was man about town with plenty of money. and there was q time when his name. D'Arcy. had been enrolled among the nobility of France. I didn't think It at all singular that he "took" to me and hoped l would permit him to make my stay pleasant. was conceited enough to think 1t my due and to wonder a bit why the rest of Paris had not heard of my arrival.
 In the course of two or three days Gustav D'Arcy and had become chummy. He had told me all about the estates he had fallen heir to and the improvements he was making to his different town houses and country seats. and I had turned myself inside out to him. There was only one thing that kept back. and that was about the Sl0.0O0. but the week had not end cd when a glass too much made me boast of that If my father had only been Frenchman. l should have claimed Gustav as half brother or something of that kind and been proud of the tie. I think he referred to that $10.O0O on several occasions, but carclessly. as became a young man of millions. and he came to know the very hour when was to receive it l was to receive 1t at 4 o'clock of Fri- day afternoon and start for Havre the next morning at o to take a steamer for home.
 Gustav didn't go with me to get the money. but awaited my return at the hotel There was no hilarious rejolc- ing on his part when 1 exhibited the bank notes. He had paid sums of that size for hairless Russian dogs. He was pcrturbed instead of hilarious. fearful Instead of joyful. and 1t was all on ac- count of the fact that he was to lose me next day. When he could choke back his emotion. we opened a bottle of cham pagne, our last, and fifteen minutes aft CT drinking my first glass of 1t was lying on the floor fast fin a stupor. The gallant and sorrowful hearted Gustav had given me knockout drops. He had probably learned the trick from his friend Jones while taking in the Bow cry. All I remembered was feeling sleepy. The chevalicr probably lost no time in possessing himself of those bank notes as soon as I was helpless, and he had been gone twenty-four hours before I could tell my story to a policeman brought in by the landlord. That policeman was very kind and courteous. He may have called me a haysecd and a fool, but, if so. he was talking to the landlord Instead of me. He said nothing whatever to hurt my feelings, not even when it was found that Gustav had taken my tickets and my last cent. He hadn't left me watch or pin to raise the amount of my hotel bih on.
 was lying in bed. with head that seemed big enough to all the whole room, when the policeman returned after two hours absence. was routed out of bed and put fin a carriage and taken to hospital to identify my dear Gustav. There was no trouble about that. He lay there with broken leg. and his features had undergone no change. Six hours after robblng me, while on his way to the depot to take train, his cab had been upset and he had received his hurt. He wasn't bit glad to sec me. but still he carried the thing on very well. He remarked that I was the biggest fool and the softest mark be had run across during bis ca reer and advised me to accept of a le- gal guardian as soon as l returned to the United States. He had everything be had robbed me of. and when l ex- pressed my surprise that scion of no- bllity should descend to knockout drops