The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-02-05

MIN at LQe uedQ u du elOluOuS ml1-
ing syndicate whose chief Offices were
located at Sacramento, and his ex-
cellent administrative ability enabled
him to hold his ground. At thirty
years of age, he was power in the
West, and his name was known from
Vancouver to Los Angeles.
A Year or two afterward he re-
crossed the Atlantic to personally
superintend the establishment Of for
eign offices at Paris and Madrid, and,
having successfully concluded these
transactions, made arrangements for
his return to California. Profiting by
the rude experiences Of his former
voyage, he chose another route, and
shipped in a vessel bound directly
for San Francisco, via Cape Horn.
He was in the prime Of life and at
the height Of his career. Hazard
willed that a certain Spanish priest,
Jesuit, had engaged passage on the
same vessel, accompanied by raw
ishingly beautiful young woman,
whom he introduced as his niece. For
ty years ago, it was long, long way
from the English Channel to Golden
Gate, and time hung heavily upon the
gallant young Frenchman's hands;
| the inevitable happened; he became
violently enamored with the church
mans charming niece. His courtly
flattery and respectful attention were
: tolerated, but one beautiful moonlight
evening he overstepped the bounds of
propriety: The young woman, blush
ing with indignation, repulsed him
violently, ordered him instantly to
leave her presence, and from that
moment refused to recognize his ex-
istence The following day, when he
offered to apologize, she turned her
back and walked away.
Now the handsome financier's su-
perb egotism and his eharacteristical-
ly French idea of feminine morals
suggested to his mind only one expla-
nation Of the younk woman's atti-
tude,-the role which he had aspired
to occupy was already filled. Angry
and jealous, he sought a quarrel with
the priest and one day, at the dinner
table, forgot himself so far as to hurl
into the Jesuit's face the bald accu~
sation:
"Your pretended niece is not your
niece"
The priest bit his lips and respond
ed not word. The affair made quite
a scandal on board the ship; the priest
and his companion moved to another
table; the accusation formed the
principal subject of conversation for
week, and was eventually forgotten,
apparently the incident was closed.
Certainly the Frenchman, who, I'M
mediately upon his arrival at Sacra-
mento, plunged into his accumulated
office affairs. forgot all about it.
A wear passed. The mining syndi-
cate had, to all appearances, become
solid as the rock Of Gibraltar, and
Monsieur X, who had been made its
president, was rated mItl ltl-mll-
lionaire. But in the midst Of this in
creasing prosperity, he and two or
three of his confidential aides sud-
denly realized that something was
wrong; certain speculations which
seemed bound to succeed fell flat;
certain mutually advantageous offers
for purchase or sale Of property were
refused for no apparent reason; IN
brief, some powerful enemy was
Unlocking their game Successive
efforts to recoup were inexplicably
disastrous; months passed, and one
fine morning came the crash. The
Frenchman was ruined. Not only was
the syndicate insolvent, but his per-
sonal fortune was engulfed.
And behind it all was the pale little
priest. He too was the son Of noble
parents, he too had inherited a for
tune. In addition, and above all, he
was a Jesuit.
Monsieur X, the ruined financler,
returned to his native country, opened
life insurance office in Avlgnon, and,
| from that moment until the evening l
met him at the club. he has been lead
: :ng the peaceful existence of a mod
est, well-to-do bourgeois. His disas-
trous reverse has not left him crushed
or broken hearted. He is not even
sad. Let the socialists and demo-
crats scott as they will, | maintain
that it is worth something to be the