The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-09-10

HE was surely mad" remarked
Chauvenet. slipping cordial. HE If
much better dead and out of the way
say, is good fellow. We have hunted
together, and know him well''
They fell to talking about the lost
sons Of royal houses-and goodly mum.
ber there have been, even in these
later centuries-and then of the latest
marriages between American women
and titled foreigners. Chauvenet was
now leading the conversation. 1t might
even have seemed to critical listener
that he was guiding it with a certain
intention.
He laughed as though at the remem-
brance of something amusing and held
the little company while he bent over
a candle to light a cigar.
with all due respect to our Ameri-
can host, l must say that title in
America goes further than anywhere
else in the whole. l was at Bar Har-
Dor three years ago when the Baron
Won Kissel devastated that region. He
made sad havoc among the ladies that
summer. The rest of us simply had no
men''-and Chauvenet looked slowly
around the listening circle-"that the
unexpected arrival of the excellent
ambassador of Austria Hungary caus-
ed the baron to leave Bar Harbor be-
tween dark and daylight. The story
was that he got off in a sailboat, and
the next we heard of him he was mas
querading under some title in San
Francisco. where he proved to be q
dangerous forger. You all remember
that the papers were full of his per-
formances for awhile, but he was a
lucky rascal and always disappeared at
the proper psychological moment. He
had, as you may say, the cosmopolitan
accent and was the most plausible fel-
low alive.
Its my experience that we never
meet person once only-there's al
ways a second meeting somewhere
and I was not at all surprised when
ran upon my old friend the baron in
Germany last fall"
AT his old tricks, suppose" OBJ
served some one.
mo. That was the strangest part of
it He's struck deeper game, though
I'm blessed if I can make it out. He's
dropped the title altogether and now
calls himself Mister-Pve forgotten for
the moment the rest Of it, but it is an
English name. He's made stake
somehow and travels about in decent
comfort. He passes now as an Ameri-
can-his English is excellent-and he
hints at large American interests"
"He probably has forged securities
to SELL" commented the German 81
know those fellows. The business is
best done quietly"
II dare say" returned Chauvenet.
"Of course you greeted him as long
lost friend" remarked Claiborne lead
ingly.
mo; wanted to make sure Of him,
and, strangely enough, he assisted me
in very curious way"
All felt that they were now tu hear
the denouement of the story. and sew
eral men bent forward in their absorp-
tion, with their elbows on the table.
Chauvenet smiled and resumed, with
little shrug of his shoulders.
say that the man i knew at Bar Har
Dor had a real crest The ladies to
whom he wrote notes treasured them,
1 dare say, because of the pretty in
signium. He had it engraved on his
cigarette case, bird Of some kind tip,
.toeing on a helmet, and beneath there
was a motto, Eide Non Armis.'"
1.-The devilv' exclaimed the young
German. "Why, that's very like
Very like the device Of the Austrian
Schomburgs. Well, l rememb bered the
cigarette case, and one night at con-
cert-in Berlin, you know-I CHANGED
to sit with some friends at q table
quite near where he sat alone. had
my eye on him, trying to assure my.
self of his identity, when in closing
his cigarette case it fell almost at my
feet, and bumped heads with waiter
as picked it np-I wanted to make
sure-and handed 1t to him, the imita
ton baron" >...s
'"That was your chance to startle
him trife. l should say" remarked
the German.
"He was the man beyond doubt
There was no mistaking the cigarette
case What I said was" continued
Chauvenet. "'Allow me, baronr"
"Well spokenw exclaimed the Span
ish officer
"Not so well, either" laughed Chau
venet "He had the best Of 1t. He's
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