The L'Anse sentinel., 1904-12-24

so forth.
Il locked at his ugly face, his great
pendulous cheeks, the puffy mounds
of flesh under his beady eyes; and then
thought of NADIA. delicate, innocent,
childlikc..
"In the end told NJ. Ionides eau
tiously that to my extreme regret the
matter could not be arranged.
He smiled and shrugged his fat
shoulders; but as he went out he re-
Harked softly that In his experience
he had always found 1t possible to ar
range such matters.
"A few days later had to leave
Paris on business. l was away about
As hours. When l returned r was in
formed that Nadn had disappeared.
Immediately l suspected the fat
Greek and decided to call upon the
| gentleman when had dined.
However, l had just finished the
meal in my own house in the Rue Bar
bet de Jouy, and was slipping my coffee
alone, when the door of the room was
unceremoniously flung open.
Il sprang to my feet and confronted
wild, mad looking creature. Her
| hair was disheveled, her clothes torn
and wet, her face distorted. her eyes
fixed and glaring. Nevertheless, 1t was
| NADIA.
"The girl was quite mad. At times
she would fall on the ground at my
feet Roaming piteously, then in fren-
zy of hysteria she would rave at me,
and then again she would turn shiver-
ingly from me, and, crouching in a
corner, would srAk in silence. No con-
nected story. hardly an ineligible SEN
tence, could get from her. | sent for
assistance. and she was put to bed.
| The good woman whose services | had
requisitioned came to me in about half
an hour, and her face was grave. She
told me that the girl had been terribly
| ill-used. She was mass Of bruises,
and across her shoulders were the livid
marks made by the lash of a whip
when | heard that | gave instruc-
| tions that she should be properly
cared for lit cigar and walked across
| to the hotel of M. Ionides.
"I found him alone in his magnifi-
cent apartment, seated behind rich
ly inlaid oak table. | thought | de-
| tected amused expectation in his tiny
eyes, but there was certainly no shad-
ow of fear in them. Evidently the fat
| rascal felt secure behind his rampant
of gold. Evidently, too, his creatures
were near at hand to protect him from
present violence, perhaps crouching be-
hind the heavy curtains which hung
at his side.
Indeed, as l drew near to the table
his great puffy right hand rested on 1t
within an inch of button of an elec-
trio bell.
81 took all this in at glance, and be-
| tween the door and the table, a matter
Of FIVE PAGES, l had made up my mind
how should kill this oily, SNUG faced
villain, for / knew that If challenged
him he would not fight.
81 apologized for the lateness of my
call. The fact is,' said, laughing, 1
am devoured by curiosity. You kept
your word and have got the girl; but
how the dickens did you manage it?"
"He was taken aback little, | think,
but he readily fell into my humor. He
laughed and chuckled over his achieve
ment till his great sides shook. Then
| he offered me money. | would not lis
| ten to this, assuring him that | con-
sidered myself fairly beaten, and con-
graduated him on his adroitness.
"He was delighted. You are man
after my own heart he declared. But
you need not congratulate me. The
business turned out most unfortunate
ly. The girl was a fool. Why. my dear
sir, she tried TO kill me. OF course,
had to give her q lesson. but II did
no good He raised his fat, beringed
hands In a gesture of disgust. You
know my little place on the Seine? She
was locked up in room high above the
river, but she jumped out of the win
dow and was drowned
From that time," went on Munro in
his queer, emotionless monotone, 81
cultivated the acquaintance of NJ lon
ides, and we became inseparable. Do
you know found him an amusing COM
panion?
"One forenoon we were drinking
wine together in famous cafe-he ate
and drank at all hours-and he hap
pened to turn his ponderous bulk away
so as to stare in comfort at a pretty
woman at q distant table. I took the
opportunity to drop little white pei
let into his glass. ~
"You know have made study Of
poisons. In this country there is a
prejudice against them nowadays.
know, but 1t was not always so. The
drug used was an old Italian poison.
I believe originally 1t came from the
east, but 1t owes It's fame to the ex-
tensive use OF 1t made by the Borgias
in Italy. Its popularity, which is also
Its great virtue, is that It does not kill
its, victim until the expiration of 80
days or thereabouts.
II stayed with M Ionides until he
had drained his glass. Then left him.
my next step was to persuade NADIA
to write letter to her countrymen in
which she prophesied his early death.
The girl was still quite, ou, of her
senses. but with me she was submis-
sive and obedient.