The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-08

name. :. He has bulglng eyes, prom
nent forehead. and can dress Ike
gentleman on the stage!'
"Exacily!" cried the French mana.
ger. You know him! -
Not vet. smiled Christopher Poe.
the satirical wrinkles from his lips
deepening Tor the moment.
.'You have seen him then. surely'
II believe so. His act is clever, YOU
..Hc Is very wizard az both OF his
specialties / told YOU OF. replied the
manager. a. He is not well liked. He
is too cunning.
Poe waited Tor no further particu.
lars, but thanked the manager, stepped
through the door. pure hascd bag oil
lucious red cherries 'from a street
vender. got into the waiting cab. and
gave tho driver Torchc's S address.
During the two-milc drive 10 an OBJ
scure street on Rue Saint Jacques. in
the Latin Quarter. Christopher Poe
leaned back IN the cab, consuming the
cherries. and holding telegraphic con-
verse with himself II was not solllo.
guy; consisting only in parts of
phrases jcrked out as he twisted has
mobile lips with nervous hand, the
hand Of man of taste. with only
band of fine yellow gold on the fourth
finger
ECoboehou cut. he muttered. Curl
ous-whistle - trousers - sight poor =
smell-cherries- whistle. Woman! AL
WAYS woman TO steal jewels for. Good!
Very good.
or the way address. and Poe. telling the
cabby TO wait, Jumped down, and Sc
lected the handle from cord under
the painted uumeral ~ on the door
step. He ierked il down quickly, and
heard the faint jingle of bell far
above. But no footsteps came in an
swer 10 his summons, no shout OF
- Entrez,' welcomed him. so he showed
the door open. and groped his way up
rickety flights of stairs TO the fourth
floor. avoiding the debris in the dark
like a eat, and going instinctively to 4
door, through n crevice IN which dim
light shone.
He Knocked on the panel. No an
swer He raped again, The light
through the crevicc was suddenly
blotted out.
'iFrom Monsieur Fleury. about an
engagement. Gone 10 bed. Torche ~
he called in "A deep bass, the French
surred in accordance with cheap the
atrical usage,
There was a noise inside. a match
scratched. The door swung open, and
thin, hatchet face with a prominent
forehead and bulging eyes, helping TO
support thb H8DDN Dllupt u bCul
nose, peered out Seeing that the visi-
tor was gentleman, with an express
sion not unlike a concert-hall man,
Torche invited him in. with bow, and
a greeting in his native tongue,
Monsieur will be so good as TO par
don the appearances. ] was going to
bed when you knocked. II IS about an
engagement you comet He stood
dressed only In the ordinary wide -bulg-
| 80 ha nd 4.
stiff white shirt, with a narrow white
tie.
Christopher Poe had stepped in and
quickly taken an inventory Of the
room. Disorder WAS everywhere cvi-
dent, as though things had been hasti-
ly concealed. a high silk hat and the
tail of an evening coat poked from un-
der pillow in the corner. Beneath a
closet door he saw the edge of a wom-
g skirt protruding slightly.
81 am not intruding. Torchee You
are quite alone?' asked Poe, quickly
scanning the mans face.
"Quitc alone.i' answered Torche,
with evident relief, glancing toward
! the closet door.
Poe took a proffercd chair, and went
to the point at once.
81 am an Englishman, as you per-
ccive from my looks rather than my
| accent, for / have spent my life among
the concert people here. Monsieur
| Flcury was so good as TO suggest that
| YOU can do clever work. / am opcuin &
concert hall on the Clichy, and he
suggests that you do lcgerdemain for
me.
Legerdcmain. ahl' The prominent
eyes OF the other brighiened he threw
a slip of paper into the air, snatched
up keen -bladed knife that lay on a
box beside loaf OF bread, and cut the
| dropping 7aper into six clean pieces
while il was still in the air, so swiftly
| that Poe's eyes were deceived, and il
seemed to be done in single stroke.
Bravol' he cried. "You have 9th
er acts as wclli The trained pigeons
the white mice. Monsieur Fleury sug
gested.
81 have given them up. They do no,
pay now. Too many people train mice
1t is nothingl" answered the other, the
coneeitcd grim on his face giving way
to the creep Of crafty CLEAN.
THAT 8 too bad. - replied Poe. "Ani
mails amuse on the stage. / would like
such an act. could pay two hundred
francs n week for man with a tricl
dog, or monkey, sayi'
1.-Two hundred francs. II is gooC
deal said the other shrewdly, tn,
grin beginning 10 freeze.
"Not too much for tne act Mon
sieur Fleury tells me you are wonder
ful with animals. II is too bad yo,
have given them up
"All dead. / have given them up
But | may train another for you. | an
clever at il. | know the mice best. >
4 shadow shot across his face as h,
said this last. There was a creak of tn
closet door. and he suddenly glare,
defantly AT Poe
81 II tell youl Did you ever think o
training rati' cried Christopher Poe
as through some inspiration. not fail
| ing 10 note the sudden change il
Torche.
The defiant look in Torches fac
broke down a little, and he SCENE,
nervous as there came "A second warn
I ing creak from the closet door Pc
made no move, bur held his breath
feeling the air of suspicion. and read
: for the slightest surprising twist in tn
scene.
"a rat, A capital ideal" laughe
> the concert performer. ~ will trv Il.
: His tone became disagreeable an
I harsh.
? OF YOU make good with your trair
ing. come 20 me through Monsieu
o Fleury and the two hundred francs