Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-31

'sWarn the United States? l tell you, 1t will not matter. All Russia would need would be dissatisfied clerk. What could he not do with half a million francs?" The diplomat blew a cloud of smoke through his nostrils and filliped the end of his cigarette. "A hundred thousand dollars?" The diplomat glanced amusedly at his American friend. T suppose that sounds small enough to you rich Amer jeans. But to clerk it reads wealth" The American was silent. A terri ble thought flashed through his brain, a thought that he repulsed almost i'm mediately.
 "Of course, I am only speculating; nothing has been done as yet.
 "Then something is going to be | done?" asked the American, clearing his voice.
 "One day or another If we can not find the clerk, we shall look higher. We should consider million francs well invested. America is rapidly be- coming a great power. But let us drop the subject and turn to some thing more agreeable to us both. Your daughter is charming. I honestly con- fess to you that l have not met her equal in any country. Pardon my presumption, but may ask if she is engaged to be married?" Motto my knowledge, vastly sur l prised and at the same time pleased. Are you averse to foreign alli- 1 ances?" The diplomat dipped the end of his fresh-lighted cigar into his cof- fee. My dear count, am not averse to l foreign alliances, but rather suspect i that my daughter is This aversion might be overcome, however" What vista was opened to this wretched father! If only she might marry riches, how easily he might con- i fess what he had done, how easily all I this despair and terror might be dis 1 persed! And here was man who was known ill the great world, rich, young and handsome.
 The other gazed dreamily at the ceiling; from there his gaze travelled about the coffee-room, with it's gath ering of coffee-drinkers, and at length came back to bis vis-a-yis.
 1 You will return to Washington? he , asked
 l .''I shall live there for the winter; that is, expect to-"
 Doubtless we shall see each other this winter, then,"-and the count threw away his cigar, bade his com panion good night, and went to his room.
 How adroitly he had sown the seed! At that period he had no positive idea upon what kind of ground he had cast it. But he took that chance which all far-sighted men take, and then waited. There was little he had not learned about this handsome American with the beautiful daughter. How he had learned will always remain dark to me. My own opinion is that he had been studying him during his tenure of office in Washington, and, with that patience which is making Russia so formidable, waited for this opportu- nifty.
 shall give the Russian all the jus tice of impartiality When he saw the girl, he rather shrank from the affair. But he had gone too far, he had promised too much; to withdraw now meant his own defeat, his gov- lernments anger, his political oblivion. And there was zest in this life of his. He could no more resist the call of intrigue than gambler can resist the croupier's Make your game, gentle men," I believe that he loved the girl the moment he set eyes upon her. Her beauty and bearing distinguished her from the other women he had met, and her personality was So engaging that
 her conquest of him was complete and
 spontaneous. How to win this girl
 and at the same time ruin her father
 was an embarrassing problem. The
 plan which finally came to him he re-
 pelled again and again, but at length
 he surrendered. To get the parent in
 his power and then to coerce the girl in
 case she refused him! To my knowl-
 edge this affair was the first dishonor-
 able act of very honorable man.