Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-10-10
little MISS Millions
OR,
THE WITCH OF MONTE CARLO.
A ROMANCE OF THE RIVIERA.
~ ST. GEORGE RATHBORNE,
lvfhor Of Mise Pauline. Of Nt,p York." TIL
Spiders Web," "Aiss Caprice" stc., etc.
Copyright, 1890, Street and Smith. New York.
CHAPTER. Nv.
BY Wire From Paris.

Dy wire from fdTlS.
You are positive. prlncess?" he
asked hoarsely.
There Is no doubt, believe me-
This Is as serious as it is mysteri.
aus. The secret police Of Paris rare
ly come to Monte Carlo, save to make
an important arrest"
The man who had never quailed
when facing the awful terrors of jun
gle and desert experienced qualm Of
fear at thought of being convicted as
traitor to his country. for the fate
Of Dreyfus told how France would
treat her sons who turned against her
there were other prisons as terrible
as Devil Island.
fact, monsieur" she said softly, yet
eagerly.
Then tell me-"
These four men moved like auto
matte figures. under the direction Of
one master mind"
He gave quick cry as he grasped
what she meant.
''Sacre! the Americana"
Eyes, Monsieur Jones'
He Is not what he seems, merely a
lucky traveller remember now, he
speaks French fuently. A startling
suspicion bursts upon me-yes, it
must be true that he is 1eagued with
the secret police of the government
against us. Mon Dieu! 1t is a peril
ous moment"
Count Leon never spoke truer
words in all his life than when he
declared with so much spirit that
the moment was fraught with great
danger to himself and the royalist
cause he represented.
The shock was all the more severe
because he had just been congratu
lating himself, as men will sometimes
do in their egotism, over the kind fate
that had given him the power over
these tremendous issues.
A dozen suspicious took shape in
his mind on the spur of the moment
Jones assumed a malign form com
parable only with Satan himself. and
his most simple act appeared to take
on meaning that was both diaboli
cal and crushing.
It flashed athwart the mind Of oul
African conqueror that this American
must be his particular bette noir, &
figure destined to drag him down
from the proud heights to which he
had assembled, and accomplish his
utter ruin, so that, unable to longer
show his face in France, he must per
force return again to equatorial AT
RIGA and unite with bold Captains
voulet and Chanoine in their designs
Of founding an empire there.
When circumstances, aided ani
abetted by the sharp eyes of the ad
ventures, had snatched the mask
from Jones, the innocent Yankee
tourist assumed a degree of import
ance in the mind of this arch plot
ter that no one else had ever filled.
Perhaps the consciousness of gilt
had much to do with it, for it oft
times makes towards OF the bravest
He unconsciously turned his head
and looked first to the right and Their
to the left. a.
There were many people passing
hither and yon, for the crowd seemed
10th to depart after the exciting cpl
sode of the evening, so that his eyes
glanced from figure to figure, as
though searching for some dreaded
personality.
Have they returned?" he asked.
"They are all here in the gardens
l made sure of that before l addressed
you"
"And-that man."
"Oh, Monsieur Jones Is frowning al
Us even now, as he frowns at any
man with whom he sees me convers
ing" ....
The count smiled grimly, being I'M
der the impression that perhaps fol-
once the Olgavitch had overestimated
the power of her charms and had de
ceived herself with reference tc
Jones. .u.
well, this means a different scene
trom what expected. had thought
to carry out my plans without much
observation-disclosures shall be com
PEELED to bring all my force to bear
upon the matter. Yes, blood may even
@a9, M73 taeese AesMtie1D <sarJens be-
come a scene of battle"
The prospect might not seem allur
Ing to most men, but then Count Leon
had become hybrid as it were, par
takinS somewhat of tie nature Of the
hyeDa to be met with in the deserts
easily aroused by the scent of blood ;
and at the mere mention of wars
horrors his ncstrils dilated and his
eyes glowed with the fire Of slaugh'
ter.
It had been some time, you see,
since his last encounter with the
black hosts, and perhaps his good
right hand really itched to get to
work again. No French explorer who
came back from Africa was ever will
rig to remain quiescent at home.
"Bat-there is something more, M.
10 Count, something mysterious, some
thing that may even stagger you in
your plans" said the princess in her
quiet yet convincing way.
The OTTER looked at her In tro1l-
bled manner and allowed his lips to
form the words:
lie Diable!"
It fully expressed his state Of mind,
for he felt that with the passage OF
e1ery second the game was slipping
further from his hands.
Il am one who suspects, who never
take- things for granted. To-day q
letter came from a friend in Paris, q
gentleman high in the councils of the
government. One little item in 1t at