Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1908-05-02
CHAPTER X

There are all kinds of men In Paris,
all kinds of failures in life and all kinds
of successes-the poor genius who dis
patches himself In an attic, and the
financial magnnte. The Vicomte de Va
lair was sone of those gentlemen who
might be placed In the latter category.
AT a bound he had risen from compare
tive obscurity to sudden wealth and such
social position as his title having Its
source in the king of the Belgians, could
insure him in society which cared rath-
er more for good dinners than old blood.
The Vicomte de Valiar's great hit had
been the successful floating of the City
and Suburban Messenger Company. Lon
don had refused to accept this scheme,
preferring TO send its servants out into
the rain and ruin its liveres, to having
little instrument in the house by which
to summon at triaing charge a messen-
ger, a doctor or a cab. De Valiar, with
an eye keen as a hawk, had watched the
career of the enterprise in the English
metropolis. He saw that 1t was insult
ed to the phlegmatic and exclusive tenn
permanent of the Briton. In the Ameri-
can colony at Paris alone was to be
found a successful field for Its opera
tons.
The projectors OF the London com
pany, Americans, were glad enough to
sell the French patents. They even
laughed IN their sleeves at the vicomte,
as they pocketed his cash, regarding him
already as a ruined man. At the same
time they could not help admiring his
audacity. The Yicomte de Yaliar was
audaclous, and he displayed consummate
tact Ia putting his scheme before the
public. He opened a large and snowy
Office. He subsidized the most venal of
the Paris newspapers; he pulled a thou
sand strings. Then, when all was ready,
he opened his subscription books. Hun
dreds came to his Office, rang up a mes
senger, and having subscribed, called up
cab on the queer little buzzing instru-
ment, and departed rejoicing in their
hearts that there were such enterprising
men in existence as the yicomte de Va
liar.
All that was five years ago. Once
foated, the vicomte had promptly with
drawn himself from the messenger enter
prise, and invested the increased capital
which that speculation had brought him,
in the Mutual Credit and Trust Com
pany. \ very limited number of shares
of this concern had been offered to the
public. Such was the prestige of the
yicomte's name that they had been sub
scribcd for over and over again In a very
few hours.
But 1t was not alone in the field of
business that de Valiar had achieved
such remarkable success. The vicom-
Jesse was brilliant, dark-eyed, handsome
woman, whom de Valiar claimed to have
met abroad during his travels in the West
lndies-Martinique rumor had il. Her
entertainments were much sought after.
and who shall say that she was not a
useful and excellent helpmeet? If a
wealthy subscriber wavered an invita-
ton to the house where they could talk
the matter over almost invariably result
ed in the closing Of the transaction. 1t
was not possible that man with such
an establishment-above all such wife
could go wrong If the vicomte's idea
of an Office was rather loud one, the
undoubted good taste of his wife cor
rected these things at home.
Those deep blue eyes of the vicomtesse
were not the only attraction at the de
Valiar mansion. There was always high
play for those who relished that kind of
thing, and a sprinkling of those ladies
whom such a woman as the de Vallar,
as she was Familiarity called at the clubs,
would be sure to gather around her. They
were women Of great personal attractions,
some of them Divorces, others on the
high road to that enyiable state, the