Evening star., 1912-09-10
ties and contained no return address. but
It sent Norvin Blake homeward on the
shin
CHAPTER VIII.
Old Trails.

| Mr.. Bernard Dreux was regarded by his
/ friends rather as an institution than as
an Individual. He was a small man, but
he wore the dignity of senator, and he
possessed pride Of that intense and fas-
tidious sort which is rarely encountered
outside the oldest southern families. He
was thin. with the delicate, birdlike man
nerisms of dyspeptic and although he
was nearing fifty. he cultivated all the
airs and graces of bear,lless youth. His
feet were small and highly arched, his
hands were sensitive and colorless. He
| was an authority on art, he da,bbled In
music, and he had once been a lavish en-
| tertainer-that was in the early days
| when he had been social leader.
Now. although harassed by a lack OF
money, which he considered degrading,
he still mingled in good society, he still
dressed elegantly, his hands were still
with his conscience, which had become
slightly discolored and caloused In
| spite of adversely. he remained the gen.
| tie. suave and agreeably cynical beau.
Young girls had been known to rave over
| him, despite their mothers frowns;
fathers and brothers called him Bernie
and greeted him warmlf-at their clubs.
| But aside from Mr.. Dreux's inherited
right to social recognition, he was marx
| ed by another and peculiar distinction In
| that he was the half brother and guard
ian Of Myra Nell Warren.
| While it was generally known that OLD
Capt. Warren. during short and riot
Gus life, had dashed through the Dreux
| fortune at a tremendous rate, very Few
people realized what an utter financial
wreck he had left for the two children.
| There had been barely enough for them
J to live upon after his death, and, mas
| much as Myra Nells extravaganza stead
| lily increased as the income diminished.
| her half brother was always hard pressed
to keep up appearances
| The situation would have been far SIM
pier had Bernie lacked that particular
| inborn pride which forbade him to seek
employment. Not that he felt himself
above work. but he recoiled from any
occupa ton which did not carry with It a
! dignity matching that OF his name. Since
| the name he bore was as highly honored
as any in the state, and since his capa-
! bilities for earning living were not
greater than those of an eighteen-year-
| old boy. he was obliged to rely upon his
| wits. And his wits had become uncom-
monty keen.
The winter climate Of New Orleans
I drew thither a stream Of northern tour
| lists, and upon these strangers Mr.. Dreux.
] in a gentlemanly manner, exercised his
versatile talents. He made friends cas-
/ lily; he knew everybody and everything.
and. being a man of leisure, his time was
at the command Of those travellers who
were fortunate enough to meet him. He
understood the good points Of each and
every little cafe in the poorer quarters.
| he could order a dinner with the rarest
taste, it was due largely to him that the
fame of the Ramos gin fzZ and the
| Schazerac cocktail became national. He
| exhaled the atmosphere Of southern aris-
tocracy which is SO agreeable to northern
| SenSibilities: he told ininitable stories,
e-I,x
| and bargain in the city. He was liberal
moreover, nay. ingenious in sharing this
knowledge with his new found friends,
even while admitting that he coveted GER
| tain Of these bargains for his own slender
| collection. AS a result Of Mr.. Dreux s
knack of making friends and his init
mate knowledge of art, he did a very
good business in antiques
1t was at best precalious means of
livelihood and one which he privately de-
tested. However on the particular day
i'm the summer of 1890 on which we first
encounter him, Mr. Dreux was well con-
tented; for lumber man from Mime
apoiS who had come south with no ap-
preciatio whatever of colonial antiques,
had just departed with enough worm
eaten furniture to stock a museum, and
Bernie had collected his regular commits
sion from the dealer.
Now that his own pressing necessities
We're taken care of for the moment he
began, as usual. to plan for Myra Nelrs
future. This would have required little
thought or worry had she been an or
dinary girl but that was precisely what
Miss Warren was not. The beaux of New
Orleans were enthusiastically united. in
declaring that she was quite the con-
trary, quite the most extraordinary and
dazzling of creatures. Bernie had led
them to the slaughter nethodically, one
after another, with hope flaming in his
breast, only to be disappointed time after
time.
tTo be continued tomorrow