River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-02

k,Ns#r,,(l her. / sat up all night, and
Er&sJS4 Bruno, the dog, never left
III III off Rowling. / am certain
k...%s3e. something has happened
Two big tears ran down
her wrinkled face.
How long have you been with Nine.
ServOis?" / asked.
Twelve years. / came to her a
few days after her husband died. This
morning at ten / became so nervous
that | went down to Nogent-sur-Marne
to see Nine Meiser; and when |
learned that my mistress was not
there / called on NJ Edouard. But he
could give me no tidings of her"
Who is NJ Edouard?'
Nine. Servois's nephew, or, rather,
one Of her nephews. My dear, good
mistress! / am sure she has been
mu-mur-"
I saw the woman was becoming hys-
terical, and advised her to go home,
promising to search for Nine. Servois.
/ learned that Nine. Servois was a
widow of about forty-five, comfortably
off, living in the Rue Liable, a quiet
street leading from the Boulevard
Pereire. Her only relatives were two
nephews, the sons of her deceased sis
ter Augusta, the elder, a genuine
Bohemian, having failed in various
professions, took UP painting and
earned his living by drawing portraits
for one franc each in the cafes in
Montmartre, where he was well known.
His younger brother, Edouard, was a
ock-broker's clerk Both visited their
aunt pretty regularly, especially Au-
guste, who frequently applied to her
for small loans ] was also informed
that Nine ServOis had made a will
bequeathing them the bulk Of her
property. Nine Servois entertained
very little; but, music-mad, was seen
at every concert and matinee. Her
closest friend was Nine. Meiser, and
during the last two years the two had
been inseparable
Josephine, the woman who came to
me, had given me Edouard's address,
and / asked him to call. He was a
sickly youth, prematurely bald with
could throw no light on the affair and
confirmed Josephine's statement that
his aunt's day was regulated by the
clock. She always went to bed at
ten; and the fact of her having stayed
out all night certainly looked suspi-
ciOus.
"She may have met with an acct
-, \ 7
What makes you suppose this?"
He shrugged his lean shoulders, and
/ repeated by question
I don't know. It's presentiment
I have"
Where is your brother" / asked.
MY brother!" he rasped; che and
l don't speak His address is wher-
ever he can obtain lodgings on tick.
Youll find him any night knocking
about La Butte* You don't need a
letter of Introduction, he added, with
a chuckle
! dismissed my unpleasant visitor
and an hour later saw Nine. Meiser,
a well-preserved, fashionably dressed
woman with dazzling white teeth.
Nine. Servois. she stated, had spent
a few hours with her and had left her
at about nine o'clock, making an ap-
pointment to meet the following aft
ernoon. She was very much dis
tressed, and begged me to do all in
my power to discover her missing
friend
THAT young Edouard," I said, did
not seem very upset"
81 am not surprised" she retorted;
"he is a selfish little brute. My friend
always disliked him and preferred
Auguste vagabond as he is"
Having known Nine. Servois init
mately, can you think why she should
have gone away?"
No, l cannot IF there had beer a
secret in her life she would have con-
fided it to me- 1t seems extraordi-
nary"
/ had already sent the exact descrip-
ton of Nine Servois to every police
commissary in the metropolis; and,
that same night after dinner, went to
MCntmartre to have a talk with Au-
guste
His brother had spoken the truth.
Auguste was well known in that part
of the town, and in less than a quarter
of an hour I ascertained where to find
him. 1t was in one of those quaint.
small cabarets which abound at Mont
martre, where for the price of glass
of beer one can listen to recitations
and songs by talented, out-of-elbow
artists, to many of whom Montmartre
is the first step on the ladder to fame.
Mile. Claire, a pretty girl with Cleo
Merodic hair, who sang some senti-
mental ballads. was, I had been told
Auguste's particular friend.
It struck eleven o'clock, and there
was no sign of Auguste. I saw Claire
enter a small room, whence she
emerged with her hat and cloak and
then walked rapidly to the door.
l followed her. and asked where
could find Auguste. She replied that
she had been waiting for him since
Paris slang for Montmartre
ten. and was now going to call at an
other cafe where, perhaps, he might
have found work"
This cafe, to which she conducted
me, was filled with smoke, and the
audience roared the refrain Of a song
delivered by an elderly man with a
long red nose and laughing eyes Aft
er a quick glance through the room.
nv companion walked up to table
occupied by five art students and