The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-06-28
AnnLION.
81 HudsoND ouelas'

Quaintance recognized his own
namesake, the man he had first
seen in Cornoyer's company at the
Cornucopia club in New York. He
was dressed for motoring and
looked more prosperous now that
he had at that date.
who's your friend, ]. J.?" he
demanded, but Cornoyer was con-
veniently deaf, and shook his
head.
"Oh, come on. fill up!" the 9TH
er insisted. Just this one round.
And maybe you won't have an
other chance, for I'm going to get
j. j., my boy! You
never saw such a peach of a girl
as I've got on string upstairs,
both be rolling in
Quaintance saw that he was not
as sober as he might have been,
and paid no attention to what he
said further. He was in the midst
of some huskily confidential COM
to Cornoyer when an
misunderstanding man with a big
black beard and moustach bore
down on him from the doorway,
reproached him holly for wasting
his time thus. He rose, sulkily
querulous but obedient, once
more shook hands, and departed
unsteadily in the wake of his
companion.
Cornoyer scowled at his back as
he went.
II wish they had kept that fell
low in Jail in New York." he NUT
tered. Let us go home now,
They passed through the
dserted brasserie, and stepping
into the alley, Quaintance looked
right and left to see how the land
lay. Standing there while Cor
noyer went back to buy cigarets,
he caught sight of two dim figures
at the blind end of the Impasse,
recognized in them his unworthy
and that individuals
black-bearded friend. They seemed
to be engaged In angry argument.
They turned away from the low
door at which they were stand
ing, passed rapidly, without no.
ticing him in the shadow,
and turned the corner into
a cross street. Quaintance
lit a cigar expeditiously, and
started with Cornoyer to find a
cab.
How is the sorehead now?"
asked that astute gentleman as
they drove across the silent Isle
de la CITE. 81 saw a duchess at
the Blue Rabbit. but not the
Duchesse des Reeves. There are
plenty of peaches in Paris, New
man, and even that first-water cad
of a Quaintance has found one to
marry him-the same girl he made
to kiss him before he would
mend her automobile.
Who asked Quaintance
1.-THE one that he told us about
at the club in New York-when
you and O'Ferral were so cross
with me-"
Quaintance stared at him
through the darkness, unable to
But how the devil can he
marry her IL she's the Duchesse
des Reeves already?" he demanded
explosively, forgetting in his own
bewilderment that Cornoyer knew
nothing of her. 81 bought the
car from her before
she left the other side" he ex-
planned rapidly, "and that's how l
came to know that 1t was he who
held her up in it. But she didn't
kiss him."
"Of course not" Cornoyer re-
marked cheerfully. 81 did not be-
lieve him. He's always too soused
to know what he says. Forget
him."
"Tell me all you know about
him, j. j." Quaintance begged,
his mind full of dark and deadly
"Who is he? Where
does he hail from? What did he
tell you tonight?"
ellis name is Quaintance," Cor
noyer replied readily, Stephen
Quaintance. He told me when /
first met him he had just come
from Africa to New York to marry
his cousin because she was a mil
lionairess. He told me a lot of
hot air about his travels-where
he could get lot of rose-dia-
monds whenever he wanted to,
and so on. Tonight he said he had
found her and she was a peach
the same one he told US about at
the club. And SO he is going to
marry her.
But how is he going to do
that, IL Des Reeves has married
her first, eh?"
Hes damned imposterl"
cried Quaintance, his mind made
up on that one point at least, and
quite unable to contain himself.
Cornoyer looked at him in sur
prise.
chs a damned imposteri He's
impersonating another man. /
must do something to stop it.
81 knew Stephen Quaintance,"
he went on excitedly, land that
scoundrel's trying to pass for him.
If you see him again, Cornoyer.
find out where he lives and let me
know without moments delay.
It's matter of the most urgent
to me. I'll tell you
the rest of the trouble some other
time. Here's the Rue st. Roch. l
won's ask you in--I must talk it
all over with O'Ferral first,
and
He shook hands hstily, jumped
out as the cab stopped at his door.
He ran upstairs, his mind in q
frnzy. Could 1t be possible that
Miles Quaintance's adopted
was now the Duchesse
ies Revesl That were surely too
cruel an irony of blind fate, and
yet--tudging by all he knew, ii
seemed but too probable.
He clattered into o'F'erral's
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