Putnam patriot., 1908-10-23


 chsusenet. sirpinS . cordial ~He k tor the good of Austria. Francis. as say. Is good fellow. We have hunted together. and knew him well" They fell to taking about the iosr cons of royal hcuses-and a go~>iiy mum Der there have been. even in these later centurses-and then of the latest marriages between American women and titled foreigners Chauyenet was now leading th~ conversation. IL might even have ssseused to d critical listener that he was guiding t with a certain intention.
 He laughed as though at the remem- brance of something amusing and held the little company while hs bent over a candle 10 light cigar. With all due respect to our Ameri. can host. I must say that q title in America goes further than anyw here else in the whole l was at Bar liar bor three years ago when the Baron von kisScl devastated that region. He made sad havoc among ths ladies that summer. The rest of us simply had no place te stand. You remember. gentle men'-and Chauvenet looked slowly around the listening circie-"that the unexpected arrival of the excellent ambassador of Austria Hungary caus- cd the baron te leave Bar Harbor be- tween dark and daylight The story was that he got ofY in a sailhoat. and the next we heard of him he was mas queradins under some title in San Francisco. where he proved to be dangerous forger. You all remember that the papers were full of his per formances for awhile. but he was \ lucky rascal and always disappeared at the proper psychological momeut He had. as you may say. the cosmopolitan accent and was the most plausible fel- low alive.
 "lts my experience that we never meet a person once only-there's d. 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. I suppose" ob- served some one.
 "No. That was the strangest part of 1t. He's struck . deeper game. though I'm blessed If 1 can make 1t out. He's dropped the title altogether and now calls himself Mister-rye forgotten for l the moment the rest of if. but t is All | English name. He's made stake somehow and travels about in decent | comfort. He passes now ns an Ameris can-his English is exceilent-and he hints at large American interests" ''He probably has forged securities l to seIl,e commented the German T know those fellows. The business Is best done quietly"
 Il dare say" returned Ghanvenet. | "of course you greeted him as n long | lost friend" remarked Claiborne lead. 1 ingly.
 l No; | wanted to make sure of him. l and. strangely enough, he assisted me l in very curious way" l All felt that they were now to hear | the denouement Of the story. and ses l erai men bent forward in thelr ahsorn | tion. with their elbows on the table | Ihauyenet smiled and resumed, with T | little shrug of his shoulders. | Well, I must go back q moment to say that the man l knew al Bar liar bor had real crest The ladies to l whom he wrote notes treasured them. dare say, because of the pretty In. signium He had 1t engraved on his | cigarette case. a bird of some kind tip.
 teeing on a helmet and beneath there was a motto. Eide Non Arinis. "
 "'rhe devilr' exclaimed the young
 German. Why, that's very like | Very like the device of the Austrian | Schomburgs Well. remembered the | cigarette case. and one night at Ii con.
 cert-in Berlin. you know--I chanced l to sit with some friends at table l quite near where he sat alone. l had
 my eye on him, trying to assure my.
 self of his identity. when in closing 1 his cigarette case it fell almost at my
 feet, and bumped heads with waitei
 as l picked 1t up-I wanted to make
 sure-and handed il to him. the imita
 tion baron"
 That was your chance to startls
 him q trifie. I should say" remarked
 The German.
 "He was the man beyond doubt
 There was no mistaking the cigarette
 case What l said was" continued
 Chauvenet. "-Allow me. barenr"
 "weil spokens" exclaimed the Span | 1Gh officer.
 Not % well. either" laughed Chau
 gonet He had the best Of it. He's [ ! roI.-77l 1 | IID