Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-03-10


recalling it to mind. 1t is small and
dark, with six little polished tables,
pit which you may sit and drink the
best coffee in New Orleans, and con-
coctions Of absinthe equal to SAFE
RAGS best. Madame Tibault, fat and
i%ndulgent, presides at the desk, and
takes our money. Nicollette and
Meme, madame's neices. in charming
bib aprons, bring the desirable bev-
erages.
Dumars, with true Creole luxury,
was slipping his absinthe, with half
closed eyes, in a swirl Of cigarette
smoke. Robbins was looking over the
morning Pic, detecting. as young re-
porters will, the gross blunders in
the makeup, and the e%nvious blue
penciling his own stun had received.
Hhis item. in the advertising columns.
caught his eye, and with an exclama-
ton of sudden interest he read it
aloud to his friend:
PUBLIC AUCTION-At 8 o'clock
this afternoon there will be sold to
the highest bidder all the common
property Of the Little Sisters Of Sa-
maria, at the home of the Sisterhood,
in Bonhomme street. The sale will
dispose of the building, ground and
the complete furnishings of the house
and chapel. without reserve"
This notice stirred the two friends
to a reminiscent talk concerning an
episode In their journalistic career
that had occurred about two years
before. They recalled the incidents.
went oyer the old theories, and dis
cussed it anew, from the different
perspective time had brought.
There were no other customers in
the cafe. Madame's fine ear had
caught the line Of their talk. and she
came over to their table-for had 1t
not been her lost money-her van
ished twenty thousand dollars-that
had set the whole matter going?
The three took up the lo~ng-aban-
doned mystery, threshing over the
old, dry chaff OF it. 1t was in he
chapel of this house of the Little
Sisters of Samaria that Robbins and
Dumars had stood during that eager.
f%ruitless news search of theirs, and
looked upon the gilded statue of the
Virgin.
"Thass so, boys" said madame,
summing UP. "Thass YER wicked
man, M'sieur Norm. Everybody shall
be cert he steal those none l PLACE
In his hand for keep safe. Yes. He's
'boun' spend that money, somehow"
Madame turned a broad and compre-
hensive smile upon Dumars. Il ond'-
stand you, M'sieur Dumars, those day
you come ask me TO- tell ev'ything I
know bout M'sieur NORM. All! yes,
T Lp@- ~Ocf TINA whom thncn man
lose money you say. 'Cherchez la
femme'-there is somewhere the wo-
man. But not for M'sieur NORM. No,
boys. Before he shall die, he is like
one saint. You nights well, M'sieur
Dumars, go try find those money in
those statue Of Virgin Mary that
M'sieur NORM present at those p'tite
soeurs, as try find one femme"
At Madame Tibault's last words,
Robbins started slightly and cast a
keen, sidelong glance at Dumars.
The Creole sat, unmoved. dreamily
watching the spirals Of his cigarette
smoke.
It was the 9 O'Clock in the morn
ing, and, a few minutes later, the
two friends separated, going different
ways to their days duties. And now
follows the brief story of Madame
Tibault's vanished thousands.
New Orleans will readily recall to
mind the circumstances attendant
upon the death OF Mr.. Gaspard NORM,
in that city. Mr.. NORM was an ar
tistic goldsmith and jeweler, in the
old French quarter, and a man held
In the highest esteem. He belonged
to ono Of the oldest French families,
and was of some distinction as an
antiquary and historian. He was a
bachelor, about fifty years Of age.
He lived in quiet comfort. at n of
those rare old hostelries in Royal
street. He was found in his rooms
one morning, dead from unknown
causes.
When his affairs came to be looked
into, it was found that he was prac-
tically i~nsolvent, his stock Of goods
and personal property barely-but
nearly enough to free him from cen
sure-covering his liabilities. Fol-
lowing, came the disclosure that he
haG been intrusted with the sum Of
twenty thousand dollars by a former
servant in the NORM family. M Ma
dame Tibault. which she had received
as a legacy from relatives in France.
The most searching scrutiny by
friends and the legal authorities
failed TO reveal the disposition Of the
money. 1t had vanished, and left no
trace. Some weeks before his death,
Mr.. NORM had drawn the entire
amount, II gold coin, from the bank
where it had been placed while he
looked about Che told Madame tt
hault) for a safe investment. There
fore, Mr.. Morin's m seemed
doomed to bear the cloud OF dishon-
esty, while Madame was, of course,
~disconsolate.
Then it was that Robbins and Du-
mars. representing their respective
Journals, began one of those pertina-
cious private Investigations which, OF
late years. the press has adopted as a
means to glory and the satisfaction OF
public curiosity.
"Cherchez la femme" said Dumars.
That's the ticket" agreed Rob-
bins. "All roads lead to the eternal
feminine. we will find the woman"
They exhausted the knowledge of
the staff of Mr.. Morin's hotel. from
the beIl-boy down to the proprietor.