The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1913-02-20

-
my medical adviser and
friend. fearing / might not
obey his intunctions. took
1 the trouble to escort me TO
- q small watering-place In
the Dauphine. whence. he
assured me, should
emerge perfectly cured.
| I did not at all relish the idea Of be-
Coming-even for a short time-a
fashionable idler. But afterward
had reason to be thankful. for the
adventure / met with added a curious
chapter TO my experiences
I went to that little place few
weeks after the execution Of Eyraud.
khe murderer Of the luckless Gouffe.
most sensational crime. which for
peverA months kept the whole Euro
pean press at fever heat. And, In Or
der to escape interviewers and ko-
OAK fiends. decided to travel incog-
Rito, ent6ring myself In the hotel
books as M. Guilbert; a wise precau-
ZION. as soon discovered.
1, The most important guests In our
hotel where Count M, a Russian, a
6ne-looking man of about sixty-five,
and his wife, a pretty woman quite
forty years his junior. The countess,
y restless young creature, was con-
Btantly organizing excursions In the
mountains, leaving her husband at
home to amuse himself
Two days after my arrival / noticed
, newcomer at our table d'hote, Mile.
EEugenie Arco, an attractive young
woman with dark eyes and jet-black
hair. Her hands were small and aris-
tocraac, and her appearance would
have been in every way refined but
FOR her ears. These were too large
and stood rather far from her head.
The girl fascinated, yet at the same
time repealed, me.
1t had been raining all the morn
tng. and l was in the reading-room
glancing at an illustrated paper when
a voice near said,
Pardon me, monsieur, I see you are
"a Russian"
1t was Mile. Arco. mo-" 1 replied.
RI am not"
! Il thought you were," she contin-
ued. because l saw you reading a
Russian PERIODICAL
Il was not reading it," l retorted,
RI was only looking at the pictures"
/ ooh, l see!" she explained. But the
look she gave me said she did not be-
aieve me.
I did not care to continue the con-
Nersation. and she soon left the room.
From that moment, however. I no
ticed she never ceased to observe me,
and many time when pretended to
be asleep in one Of the armchairs in
the hall her large black eyes were
fastened on me as IL they were trying
TO pierce my thoughts.
With the officials in the hotel Mile
Arco was q persona grata, for, unlike
most women, who in money matters
are inclined to be niggardly. she
tipped the walters and chambermaida
most literally. The manager Of the
hotel and his wife had also taken q
great fancy to her. and she was al
ways warmly welcomed by them In
their sanctum, where she would sit
and smoke cigarette after cigarette.
Feeling myself closely watched by
her. I returned the compliment. and
Noticed that she would repair to the
bftice at those hours when the pos,
came in, and look over the clerks
bhoulder at the letters he sorted. And
khen 1t struck me that no missive ever
tcame addressed to her. although one
Afternoon. happening to pass her room
ht the moment the maid opened hel
N0or, I saw her deeply engaged In cor
fespondence. with several letters in
'front.' Of her.
! The next morning. when Mile. Arcc
left the hotel I went out at the back
made quickly for the post ONCE by an
other road, and hid myself behind the
hedge Of an empty cottage opposite
b saw her enter the post Office and
leave It q few minutes later. Sht
looked up and down the road. and
nobody being In sight, she took q let
Ter out of her pocket, opened it, and
read It eagerly.
"Bah," I said to myself. "you arr
not clever, my girl. A child coult
have seen through your game. Nov
I'VE shall have some fun"
That same evening after dinner rail-
Tell In torrents. and most Of the guests
were in the drawing-room. A few wert
INDUCING In a harmless game o
cards; two girls were at the plane
singing sentimental songs. and Mile
Arco reclined in q rocking chair, [
book In her lap. The count very re
jserved man. with whom I had thu
TAR exchanged only q few words. wa
kalking to a retired naval officer wh'
had spent some years in Russia.
eyes," heard the count say. wv
want a thorough change. It is dis
graceful state Of things. These gran'
hukes-"
stalking Of Russia" / cut in, "a
low me to read to you something
That Just happened in Paris"
I took a paper from my pocket, an
h I unfoided 1t noticed the count
whom I had Interrupted in the middi
OF his speech, gaze at me with any
kenfr~ ht,f ysloa Sllre