The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-23

to hotel servants, cabmen and the like | earned for him the reputation of an | American millionaire.
 And it was as such I had now found | him in that bright little capital of Roumania-BuchareS town O1 pretty women and of handsome men. At the Hotel du Boulevard, one of the most chic on the continent, and | where, as the gourmet knows, the sterlet is always done to perfection, even better than at the Hermitage in Moscow, Granny Cough occupied a first-floor suite. His luggage consist | ed only of a hat box and a. couple of suit cases.
 There were rare occasions, he once confessed to me with a wink, when 1t
 became more convenient to abandon 1t Indeed, so well known was he that in many of the best hotels in Europe he had only to walk into the bureau, announce his departure, and say: "In pay when come back again" The proprietor, or manager, would bow, well knowing that if Granny gave his word to pay a bill he would do it even if years elapsed. Though an adventurer pure and simple, he was curiously enough the very soul of honor. Meanness had no place within his heart. If he pit ted his wits against sharp men of what was done in the city every day. He never took advantage of a poor man and for any one in straits he a1- ways had ready a franc or two.
 I had, however, never seen him so dejected as on this night.
 He had, 1t seemed, been in Rumania for the past six months, endeavoring to obtain from the government con- of some oil wells recently discovered at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps. By the expenditure in secret commis- sions of the greater part of the money 1,< Y, 11od hrn1 g. mess up to the point where the con cession was about to be signed by the minister of the interior.
 For him this would mean a com
 fort able income for life and what was far more, marriage with that sweet-faced girl, scarcely out of her teens, whom he loved so truly and so well. Myra Stapleton lived at home in Yorkshire, the daughter of a small country squire, while her cosmopoli- tan lover travelled constantly over the face of Europe, scheming always to obtain sufficient funds to marry and with one goal in view, Myra-and honesty in the future.
 I was one of the very few-perhaps indeed, the only person-who knew the truth of Granny's love romance; him to be wealthy man, and fear ing to lose her by undeceiving her, he had been compelled to sustain the fiction.
 Yes, he was saying III ioW, hoarse vice. in tones I could scarcely hear amid the din and chatter of the cafe and the weird strains of the Tzigane band. "this means, Phil, that I've lost Myra I must write and tell her-tell her the ghastly truth"
 "Be patient, my dear old fellow, I urged Don't do anything rash! You've been in many tight corner before, you know, and have always wriggled out. Why shouldn't you do SD a eain.o
 Because, to do this oil business I've not only spent every sou Ipos- sess, but I've also borrowed money which can't repay" was his re- sponse.
 But you'll pay it some day. All your creditors trust you.
 Not for the amount I now owe.
 ''TeII me, Granny, how has all this come about?" asked q know all that's passed between you and Myra Recollect. we were together when we first met her and her father"
 '.Ah, yes," sighed my friend. "1 re- member only too we'll. I loved her. Phil, from the very first moment we met Old Stapleton believes me veal thy, otherwise he'd never have allow ed me to pay court to his only .daugn- ter.''
 ..He doesn't know you are secretly engaged--eh?'' I asked.
 sfCertainly not. How could I. a mere adventurer. go to him.
 
 Granny" protested. 'I don't like it.
 .eWell, it's the truth-and the truth is generally uglyr'
 "But how did this fellow, Garshore, manage to get the concession over your head? Have you known him long?"
 About six months. Met him first in Berlin, at the Kaiserhof, and here, we often went out together, and in response to his artful questions l. like fool, told him what I was af- ter. He said nothing, but week lat back again. He'd been over to Amer ica lin the meantime and returned as agent of big group in New York and with a substantial credit at the my friend and going out with me every evening, he was working against me 1T. secret-working in low-down way"
 'How?"
 By bribing a lady friend of the Minister Soutzo- a lady who he found was becoming rather obnoxious to his excellency. The person in question went yesterday to the minister 1t ap- pears, and told him that if the conces- sion were signed in Garshore's favor she would sign an agreement to leave Roumania at once-and never return
 And that's what has happened?" remarked, surprised.
 "Exactly Garshore has his conces- sion and I'm left out in the cold. I suppose, Phil, Pm fool,' he added. ''I knew the woman had influence over his excellency, and I could. had wished, have acted exactly the same as he has done, and made a clear sixty thousand pounds by it-''
 "No, Granny" I said, you're not fool You tried to do the business hon. estly and uprightly. and you failed, as many a. good man fails. by endeavor- ing to run straight. But depend upon it his money won't benefit him very much"
 "No suppose it won't, after all,' my friend said effectively. ''She's clever woman is Lydia Popescu. Gar shore fancies he's played his game well. no doubt, but he doesn't know the pretty Lydia-as do"
 t.Oh! tell me about her. I'm inter ested," I urged.
 But the broken man shook his head, remained silent, and slowly lit another of his pet Bogdanoffs.