The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-09-09
Copyright, The Frank A Munsey Co

about, and with Cat Island Light 10
staTboaTd, SKINNED past Isle q Pitre
INTO MISSISSIPPI sound. shaping their
des RigOlets. And the first dun sheen
of dawn Of the 10Th. stealing grayly IL
over the shallow waters Of Lake Pont-
ch6rtrain, discovered the Colleen head
Ing Tor the lighthouse Of Spanish Fort
At sunrise she was a. anchor. At S
o clock CadOSan was breakfaSJing at
The st Charles and frOWui1C over two
letters from Loiuaxs Of which 5he one
bearing the earlier date advised him
nat delay was possible. and the
other received at the hotel the previous
day, postponed indefinitely the day he
would join the Colleen
DisgrUntled. for the trip 10 the city
had proved 10 be time wasted Cadogan
paid his reckoning ard sailed forth.
with two words repeating themselves
over and over in his brain ''LesaSe''
'-Poydras street
His first errand vas 10 the New or
leans correspondent Of his New York
bankers. where he presented his creden-
tials and learned. somewhat 10 his dis
E1st. that through an unexplicabie mis-
understanding an error, presumably on
the part Of some addle-brained clerk in
New 1OTk, ms entire cash balance had
been transferred 20 his credit with the
New Orleans bank StilI, II was no
great matter, since il could be re-
transferred
Cadogan drew a modest amount peck
eted- il, and turned his face toward
POydras street.
Patiently he searched the length of
agent named Lesaze- but with no fur
Their satisfaction than 10 determine be
yOnd doubt that no person named I.e-
sage had ever lived OF transacted bust
ness on that street
Disheartened, he turned TO go, ana
there confronted him an inCOnspfC-
uous door which he had passed no
less than a dozen times in the course
Of his search. a door which bore in
uEassumin6 black letters the simple
legend
Dominique Francois Lestrange-
Attorney at Law
This was ChsnCe-blind- laundering
luck The reSt was intuition Cado-
gan did not hesitate an Instant FOR
It was Immediately made clear to his
understanding that he had rnisread
the name upon the SiEnboard He
grasped the knob with a resoIute and
assured hand and thrust open the
door. faint tinkIinE Of a distant
bell sounded simultaneously.
He found himself in a Iow-ceiled
fee, furnished with Spartan simplicity
and an eye to economy of space with
a fiat-tOpped desk Uttered with Da-
Ders. two decrepit chairs. q letter
press, rows of shelves saggins with
the weight OF Calf-bOund volumes
and Monsieur Dominique Francois
Lestrange himself
He maJeriaIized from IN inner room,
simultaneously with the ringing Of the
hell III the shape Of a withered little
Creole gentleman with a lace as vel
low as parchment and as Wrinkled as
morocco leather golden setting for
two hlack-diamoned eyes. Scantv
strands Of hair Ike silver framed his
head below a black skull cap. lie wore
the clothing Of shabby centility with
the air of an emperor and spoke with an
accent indeScrfhabIy aIIuTinC
ATsieu' would prav be seated and ac-
cept assurances that N'SieUS' LeStrange
placed himself, with his time and his
services. wholly at m sieu'S command
Am 1 mistaken IN believing that Won
are the agent authorized 10 sell the es-
state on Ceda- island asked Cadogan.
and was aStOnished 1T the effect his
words produced upon the worn and
shriveled face that peered so earnestly
into his own.
It was as II he had unUittincIv lighted
a IRE within the head. causing the pale
IN excess even Of their ordinary luster
NJ sieu was interested with q view to
purchasing2
1t was possible. Cadogan admitted.
Then heaven would witness this mir
acle- Hands as transparent and fragile
as porcelain we're lifted and let fall in
admiration of it
Msieu' would be pleased to believe
that for thirty years this property had
been in the hands of his informant. TO
be sold at the best obtainabIe price, and
in all that time not one application had
been made until within the last week: I
N Sieu's made the second within eight |
daysI
And the other?' demanded Cadogan,
anxiOusly.
Lestrange shrugged inimitabIy. The