The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-09-05

the deV1iS 1mpS knew where. Such
birds had no marked tree to roost in;
besides, this person was probably Mad
anne Gladys by now, or Estelle some
thing or other. l could not go back
to Mason for further light. He would
stare at me and walk away. My d.
rections were accurate; find Madame
Versay first and then go to Richmond.
l turned up the collar of my great |
coat, and went down for conference |
with the omniscent Scally. l found |
him directing commerce with the ges-
lures of Roman praetor. l darted |
past the row of cabs to his island Of
safety and seized his hand. A mo-
| ment later. when the tide had passed,
| he took my bill from between the fin
| gers Of his glove and held it under his
broad thumb then he smiled benignly.
| "Misther Parks" he said, "'tis the
i speed limit you are after wishin' to
exceed?"
NO" said; Il am the King Of the
| Golden Mountain on the quest of
fairy"
Go along; you're foolin'," he said.
by no means" answered; Il want
to find Madame Versay."
He whistled softly. Madame YER
say, Is it! 'Tis only the devil that
knows where she is now, but where
she'll be at one tonight, It's Scally that
knows as we'll as the devil. In dago
cafe on the Bowery, which is next door
to Paddy Moran's dance hall, she will
be atm and drinkin' and carryin' on.
She's bad one, this Madame Versay.
; 'Tis back to the tall weeds your friend
Scally would advise you to be goin'."
At half-past twelve that night,
found Madame Versay, and the cafe
called "dago" by my friend Scally.' 1t
was a fragment of Paris, transplanted
to the Bowery by Monsieur Popinot,
an oily, obsequious little creature from
the Montmartre. He came running out
to the curb to bow me ir-the COM
ing Of a hanson was an event.
He enumerated his wares with true
3 Latin enthusiasm. His caviare had
: arrived that very day. It wcs mag
nifiQue," and his wines! ah, monsieur,
}, he alone in all this raw land had
q wines! His brother Anselem hunted
:, France, nosed it. fingered it, tasted it,
that he, Popinot, might have cham
payne, fragrant like those little mead
It ows nesting at the foothills Of the
l. Pyrenees. Burgundy, red like the pop
); pies in the wheat fields of the Disc;
and absinthe-here language failed
q him He clasped his hands, 'Ravis
- sante, monsieur"
!. Madame Popinot, who presided ove1
u the cash drawer by the door, beamet
, upon me as l entered. She was {
Is daughter of the little shops along the
~ Seine, fat and vigilant, knowing in
10 stantly If the newcomer had the price
70 Of a glass of wine in his pocket. 4
"a virtue of the highest order to her
10 doubtless the only one remaining.
~ / selected little table by the wall
and, not wishing to be poisoned, OF
bred a bottle of bass ale and and
e. plate of dry biscuits, wiping out Pc
ps pinot's disgust with generous tiI
nj The place was evidently Bohemia
X rendezvous of low order. The a
kuOSpuclC was d 6tCACA VI lOOoSSo Gal
en sour wine, the floor was freshly sprinl
e. led with new sawdust. The chair
a and tables were Of metal. Iron alon
elf could resist large primitive emotion
D. when they got in action. The cras
to of an elbow, the heave of heavy boo
10 toe, did not wreck a wire chair.
or could be Strengthened presently in th
- vi
al ing up with jetsam from the unde
BY. currents of New York. Gentlemen g
at ing swiftly down to the sill of tt
ef- world, beasts coming up from it, e
OF somehow into evening clothes, sat We
iss together under Monsieur Popirot
to many colored lights. 1t was the d
cy. pravity of Paris without touch Of i
OF seductive esprit. The naive, miachie
ult GUS greeting of the Moulin Rouge al
he the Folie Bergere, "Je vous aine, do
ey. nez-moi cinq francs" was rot her
up- This place was an oak for crows.
en- wondered on what limb Of It perch
ew Madame Versay.
'es- was about to summon the go
Inn Popinot to my assistance, when
'ur- young man, very drunk, came in, .
Will companied by a woman in a supe
ch- opera coat They took the table {
the posite to mine. The young man VIC
aey a soft SLOUGH hat, which he prompt
her threw on the floor. Then he began
hammer on the table with the ferr,
he'd Of his walking stick and shout, "He'
ong heah, Popinot. you old dog. bottle
put burgundy for Madame Versay.
liar the wine of love and laughter"
we'd My eyes went instantly to the VIC
she an She was medium-size, conspi
Gus blonde, with a rather trim f1gu
In excellent arms and throat, made
aid, most Of by low gown of black ,
eat vet Her complexion was the u.s.
by sort to be had from boxes and pa
her. pots. Her mouth was perfect cupi
ond bow, and exquisite. Her nose v
late bourgeois, but not obtrusive and
1850 bad. Her eyes. however, were ute
re- bad. They reminded me Of cold
the low. Her bright yellow hair was c
that ed on the top Of her head to give
,uld effect Of height and to lengthen
} to face. While her companion was
b to speakably drunk, this woman was CT
tire " sober. She constantly refilled
mans glass, but scarcely tasted
nee. own. l was evidently spectator at
hist epilogus Of q quarrel which MAZDA
Versay was striving to drown in
you MIXTURE of alcohol and claret that
pinot sold for Burgundy. She sp
&C. almost in whispers, but now and Il
to the mar broke out in q voice tha