The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-06-09

for good. She'll step right into ou
net on the other side. And l hop
you'll be fool enough to follow he
in time to see how she'll squirm!
CHAPTER XII.
DOMINIC SEAGER MAKES SEW
ERAL STARTLING DIS
COVERIES.
After Dominic Seager had pait
for his passage to Paris he hat
about 5000 left of the thousand OBJ
tanned from his arbitrary confed
crate in the scene which was tt
make both their fortunes. Having
settled his Long Beach hotel bill
and entertained himself lavishly or
the eve of departure, there were
less than eight hundred to take or
board ship with him. His sporting
instincts cost him some three hun
dred during the voyage, so thai
when he at length reached Paris
from Cherbourg, he could moi
count even five hundred in his note
case.
But no such commercial calcula
lions disturbed his complacent
faith in the future. 1t would not be
long before he could sheer at such
petty sums altogether, and then he
might find means to mark his dis
pleasure with Arendson's vulgar
parsimony. The mere idea that he
had been limited, and at a juncture
so all important, to such paltry
total expenditure CALLED him when
ever he thought of it, but, as he
seldom thought of such matters
while his pockets were still suffi.
GENTLY lined for the day, he did not
suffer unduly in that respect.
All he had to do now, he thought
to himself, lying back in a rickety
f1acre on his way from the station
to that hotel which he had elected
to honor with his patronage, was
to present himself to the address
given him by the San Francisco
lawyers, to wit, the Misses Whit
ers' select pension, in the Avenue
Marceau, and there announce Il
Miles Quaintance's adopted daugh
ter that he had come thither t.
marry her. Soon after that there
would be millions at his disposal
not fewer than twelve and q half o.
them, counting in francs, and al
many more than that as he could
possibly make it.
1t would be strange If he could
not come to such terms with the
girl as should leave him his free
dom and the lions share of the
spoil. Then he would either
promptly divorce her, or disappear
as she should prefer. The latter
would probably be the more simple
method, since he could in that way
resume his former identity and Sc
effectually cover his fraudulent
tracks.
1t also remained to be seen
whether, once he had the money
safe in hand, he could not tax to
good purpose Arendsen's most
prosperous claim. The ransom he
had been forced to promise that
robber was altogether out of the
question. Any maneuver of that
sort would, of course, take very
delicate management, but million
aire might accomplish much that
would be impossible to a poor man.
His estimate of prospective profits
on the present venture had risen to
twenty-five million of francs when
he reached the Cours-la- RENE and
got out before the Hotel du Palais.
He had decided to put up there
for the twofold reason that it was
conventionally correct establish
ment and at the same time con
veniently situated between the
Avenue MarceNu and his own old
haunts in the Vile Lumiere. While
he registered he gave the uninter-
ested vestibule to understand that
he was someone Of importance.
When he arrived 1t was his firm
intention to carry out his mission
on the instant. But, by the time
he had changed his clothes and
otherwise refreshed himself, dusk
had come down. And he remem-
bered that the lights in the Rue
Royale had already begun to
twinkle invitingly as he had pass
ed the Madeleine. 1t was long
since he had set foot in the city
of pleasure, and he had lived
roughly, at hazard, since then. 1t
would make no appreciable differ
ence II he allowed himself "a
hours liberty first. There would
still be time to spare for all prac-
teal purposes.
He turned west instead OF east
as he left the hotel. in correct eve.
~. A