The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-17
Fcopyriuht, 1910. by sebbs-Merri company.I

studies, or, better still, does he hide a great and singular patriotism under butterfly wings? Patriotism? More and more it becomes self interest. It is only when a foreign mob starts to tear down your house that you become a patriot"
 Now the subject of these desultory musings went directly to the Biblio- theQue Rationale. The study be pur- sued was of deep interest to him It concerned a butterfly of vast propor- tions and kaleidoscopic in color long ago pinned away and labeled among others of lesser brilTiancy. It had cast a fine shadow in it's brief flight. But the species was now extinct At least so the historian of this parttcu- lar butterfly declared. Hybrid? Such a contingency was always possible.
 Suppose it does exist, as I and a few others very well know 1t does. What a fine joke it would be to see 1t fly into Paris! But no. Idle dreami StiIl I shall wait and watch. And now suppose we pay a visit to Berlin and use blunt facts in place of diplo- macy2 It will surprise them"
 Each German chancellor has become in turn the repository of such political  predecessor, and the chancellor who walked up and down before M. Fer raud possessed several which did not rest heavily upon his soul simply be- cause he was incredulous or affected that he was.
 "The thing is preposterous."
 "As your exceIlency has already de- clared."
 "'what has it to do with France2'',
 AlMuch or little. It depends upon this side of. the Rhine"
 "what imagination But for your credentials, M. Ferraud, should not listen to you one moment"
 '1 have seen some documents"
 "Forgeriesr' contemptuously.
 'fNOt in the least," suavely. "They are in every part genuine. They are his own"
 The chancellor paused, frOwning.a 'sWeil, even then?'
 M. Ferraud shrugged
 ''This fellow, who was forced to re- sign from the navy because of his tricks at cards, why doubt if he could stir up a brawl in tavern. Really, if there was a word of truth in the affair, we should have acted before this. It is all idle newspaper talk that Germany wishes war: far from it. Still, we lose no point to fortify ourselves against the possibility of it. Some one has been telling you old wives tales"
 "Ten thousand marks" almost in- audibly.
 What was that you said?'' cried the chancellor, whirIing round abruptly, for the words startled hina.
 Pardon mel was thinking out loud about sum of money
 "AhY' And yet the chancellor re- alized that the other was telling him as plainly as he dared that the German government had offered such a sum to forward the very intrigue which he was SO emphatically denying. why ambassador here7"
 The secret agent laughed. Publicity Is what neither your government nor mine desires. Thank you"
 +T am sorry not to be of some service to you.''
 "I can readily believe that, your ex- ter of duplicity. 'T thank you for your time''
 'I hadn't the least idea that you were in the service; butterflies and diplo- macy~ with hearty laugh.
 'It is only temporary"
 "Your Alpine Butterflies compares favorably with The Life of the Bee "
 '.That is very great compIiment!'
 And with this the interview, ex- traordinary in all ways, came to an end. Neither man had fooled the other, neither had made any mistake a. way, both were satisfied. The chan eellor resumed his more definite 1abors, and the secret agent hurred away to the nearest telegraph office.
 ''So I am to stand on these two feet?" M. Ferraud ruminated, as he took the seat by the window in the second class carriage for Munich "AlI the finer the sport Ten thousand marksI He forgot himself for a mo- ment And might have gone further and said that 9O.OOo marks would be added to those 10000 if the bribe was accepted and the promise fulfilled"
 An, it would be beautiful to untangle this snarl all alone. It would be the finest chase that had ever fallen to his lot. No grain of sand. however small. Should escape him. There were fools AA DpAAAA cAo nrlA HI aAo hO knew what he knew. Never a move shall he make that I shan't make the same, and In one thing l shall move first. Two million francs! Handsomei It is I who must find this treasure, this fuIcrum to the lever which is go- ing to upheave France. There will be no difficulty then in priclking the pretty bubble. Tn the meantime we shall pro- fn nd Iu m into the affairs of the grand opera singer, Hildegarde von BIitter."
 He extracted a wallet from an inner pocket and opened it across his knees It was full of butterflies.
 CHAPTER III.
 4 PLASTER sTATUErrn