The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-06-18
AnnLION
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] CHAPTER en-
Dominic Seagcr Makes Several
Startling Discoveries
/ After Dominic Seager had paid
for his passage to Paris he had
about $500 left of the $1,000 OBJ
tained from his arbitrary confeder-
ate in the scene which was to
make both their fortunes. His
sporting Instincts cost him some
$500 during the voyage. so that
when he at length reached Paris
from Cherbourg, he could not
count even $500 In his note case.
But no such commercial calcutta
tons disturbed his complacent filth
In the future. 1t would not be
long before he could find means
to mark his displessure with Ar
endsens' vulgar parsimony. All
he had to do now, he thought to
himself, lying back In q rickety
fiacre on his way from the station
to that hotel which he had elected
to honor with his patronage, was
to present himself at the address
given him by the San Francisco
lawyers, to-wit. the Misses Win
ters' select pension, in the Avenue
Moroccan, and there annonee to
Miles Ouaintance's adopted daugh-
ter that he had come thither to
marry her. Soon after that there
would be millions at his disposal,
not fewer than twelve and a half
of them counting In francs, and as
many more than that as he could
possibly make 1t.
1t would be strange IL 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 so
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 a mill
lionaire might accomplish much
that would be impossible to a poor
man. His estimate of prosperity
profits on the present venture had
risen to 25,000,000 franc when he
got to the Hotel du Palais.
When he arrived It 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. 1t would make
no appreciable difference II he al
lowed himself "a hours liberty
first.
A hearty supper at Maxim's In
duced added cheerfulness, and,
having learned from a benevolent
bystander at the bar there that a
Wilson resort of his was still do
ing business at the old stand, he
resolved to just speculate a few
francs at the tables on safe and
certain system he had evolved
since his last disaster In that d.
Irection. There It did not take
him long to get rid of what cash
he had with him.
1t was nearly noon next day be-
fore he awoke at his hotel, still
in crumpled evening clothes, hag-
gard, heavy-eyed, and suffering
from an unclean taste in his
mouth. He once more counted his
assets, uneasily now, and found
them sadly shrunk. And when,
after a cold bath and light break
fast, he at length started for the
Misses Winters select pension, 1t
was under the strong conviction
that he had somehow been made
a fool of by someone. He rang
with vicious emphasis the door
bell of the prim dwelling In the
Avenue Marceau, and was left to
kick his heels in stiffly furnish
ed drawing room for fully 10 min
utes while the Misses Winters ar
rayed themselves to receive their
visitor. His tone to them when
they did appear was the reverse
of conctfiAtory. 1t made the two
elderly maidsns nervous.
II told that stupid girl that I
Icame here to ses Miss Uaintance,"
be anid IN Z brusQue. quarrelsome
tone and Miss Sophia looked
b1ankly at her sister
lame. II was Miss Jane who re-
Miss Uuaintance is no longer
with us, Mr.. Uuaintance."
"The deuce she isn't!" gasped
Sea, aghast at the grave possibili-
ties opening up. Then where is
Ishe?"
"You have surely heard, Mr..
Uuaintance," she said. that Miss
lUuaintance returned to the United
States of America Immediately she
heard the sad news of Mr.. Miles
Ouaintance's death"
sThe devil she didi" he exclaim-
ed, and the two spinsters shrank
from him of common impulse.
They neither could nor would toll
crate such freedom of speech in
their presence. They arose to-
| gether and bowed together, and
would have withdrawn together at
once had not de OWNED their rea-
sons for that step and prevented
it by means of hasty apology.
Miss Ouaintance left us near
ly a year ago." said Miss Jane,
frigidly. 1--WE had a letter from
her afterwards to say she had
reached New York. She was &C
companied by her maid, most
Trustworthy person
"And now. Mr.. Uuaintance,