Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02

U
/ into the street, permit me to take you by
] the arm in order that the Official character
Of my visit may not be suspected by any
one there"
| He iaughiugly complied and we arrived
at the house arm-in-arm. We were adj
mitted by an elderly woman; aud there was
a young mana mustached clerk-seated
at a desk in an inner room writing He
eyed me for a moment somewhat askance,
| thought, but gave him no opportunity
for a distinct view of my features, aud
presently handed NJ. Bellebon a card on
which had contrived to write unobserved,
Send away the clerk" This was more
naturally done than I anticipated, and in
answer to M.-Bellebon's s glance of inquiry,
merely said, That as l did not wish to be
known there as police officer il was es-
sential that the minute search l was about
to make should be without witnesses" He
agreed and the woman was also sent away
upon distant errand Every conceivable
place did ransack; every scrap of paper
that had writing ON it | eagerly perused.
At length the search was over, apparently
without result.
You are quite sure, Monsieur Bellebon,
as you informed the superintendent that
Monsieur lie Breton has no female relations
or acquaintances in this country9'
Positive" he replied, 81 have made
the most explicit inquiries ON the subject,
both of the clerk Dubarle and Of the woman
servant
Just then the clerk returned. out of
breath with haste, / noticed, and took nv
leave without even now aifording the young
gentleman so clear view of my face as he
was evidently anxious to obtain.
No female acquaintance thought l. as
| entered the private room Of the tavern
had left an hour before. Prom whom
came, then, these scraps of perfumed note
paper I have found in his desk, ! wonder?"
/ sat down and endeavored to peace them
out, but after considerable trouble, satisfied
myself that they were parts of different
notes and so small, unfortunately, as to
contain nothing which separately afforded
me any information except that they were
all written by one hand, and that a female
one
About two hours after this / was saunter-
ing along in the direction Of Stoke-Newing-
ton, where was desirous Of making some
inquiries as to another matter, and had
passed the Kingslaw gate a few hundred
yards when a small discolored printed
handbill lying in a haberdasher's shop win
dow arrested my attention. It ran thus:
Two guineas reward - Lost, an Italian
greyhound. The tip Of his tail has been
chopped off and it answers to the name of
Fidele.' Underneath, the reader was told
to inquire within"
"Fidele" I mentally exclaimed. "Any
relation to NJ lie Bretou's fair correspond
ent Fidele, wonder9" In a twinkling my
pocketbook was out and I reperused by the
craa 1Tcritf Of Ffa arF,t
paper, the following portion of sentence,
"Ra bawvte Fidele esf per - The bill,
observed. was dated nearly three weeks
previously. forthwith entered the shop
and pointing to the bill, said knew a per-
son who had found such dog as was there
advertised for. The woman at the counter
said she was glad to hear it, as the lady,
formerlysa customer of theirs, was much
grieved at the animals loss.
What is the lady's name2" asked.
II can't rightly pronounce the name"
was the reply. 1T is French, l believe;
but here 1t is with the address in the day
book written by herself" / eagerly read:
Madame Levasseur, Oak Cottage about
one mile on the road from Edmonton to
Southgate" The handwriting greatly re-
sembled that on the scraps / had taken from
M. le Breton's desk and the writer was
French tool Here were indications of
trail which might lead to unhoped.for
success, and determined to follow it up
vigorously After one or two other aues-
tions, left the shop, promising to send
the dog to the lady the next day. My busi-
ness at Stoke. Newington was soon accom-
plished. then hastened westward to the
establishment of a well-known dog fancier,
and procured the loan, at reasonable price,
of ansugly Italian hound; the requisite loss
of the tip of its tail was very speedily ac-
complished, and so quickly healed that the
newness of the excision could not be sus.
pected. 1 arrived at the lady's residence
about twelve O'Clock on the following day
so thoroughly disguised as a vagabond
CockueY dog stealer, that my own wife,
when entered the breakfast parlor Just
previous to starting, screamed with alarm
aud surprise. The mistress of Oak Cottage
was at home but indisposed and the ser
want said she would take the dog to her.
though, If / would take it out Of the basket,
she herself could tell me if it was Fidele or
not. / replied that would only show the
dog to the lady, and would not trust il out
of my hands. This message was carried up
stairs. and after waiting outside some time
for the woman with natural precaution,
of the portable articles lying about had
closed the street door in my face 1 was re-
admitted, desired to wipe my shoes care
fully, and walk up. Madame Levasseur,
a showy-looking woman. though not over
refined in speech or manners, was seated
on a sofa in vehement expectation of EN-
bracing her dear Fidele, but my vagabond
appearance so startled her that she screamed
loudly for her husband, M. Levasseur.
This gentleman, a fine, tall, whiskered,
mustached person, hastened into the apart
ment half shaved, and with his razor in his
hand
Quest ce gull doc?" he demanded
'Mais yoyez cette horreur Ia, replied the
lady, meaning me, not the dog, which /
was slowly emancipatng from the basket
kennel The gentleman laughed and reas-
sured by the presence of her husband,
Madame Levasseur's anxieties concentrated
themselves upon the expected Fidele.
"Mais mon Dieup she exclaimed again
as I displayed the aged beauty had
brought for her inspection, why that is
not FideleF'