The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1915-07-22

| are you coming over? ALROsE
By the most extraordinary coinci
dpnce a curt. businessIike letter arriv
I'd in the evening post from Maris Tar
nowsy postmarked Paris. Its contents
staggered Inc.
! John Bei,amy Smart. ESQ:
Dear MIR. Smart-WNl you put a price
on Schloss Rothhoefeny | am DESTROYS
Of purchasing the castle II you care to sell
| and we can agree upon fair price for
the property Sentiment moves me in
this matter, and l earnestly hope that
you may be induced to part with your
white elephant. II you will be so kind
deeply grateful and at the Ritz for the
ensuing fortnight. Faithfully yours,
MARIs TARNOWsy.
My white elephant" was 50 ca.
ger to get rid of it that would have
wired at once, naming figure proper
tiolately low had it not been for the
united protests of my four friends and
the canny advice of Mr.. Poopendyke.
Soak him. said he, and arose to
the occasion.
| waited for three days and then tel
egraphed him that would not take
heller less than $25O.OOO, more than
doubling the price I had paid for the
property. was prepared. however, to
come down paItry hundred thousand
or so If he revealed signs of reluctance.
We built another bonfire that night
and danced around it like so many
savages
Terms acceptable. Will come 10 schloss
Rothhoefen at once to complete the trans
fer TARNOWsY.
Accompanied by Hazard and Smith.
went over the castle from top to
bottom in quest Of the reason for Tar
uowsy's prompt acceptance of my de-
mand. We had no doubt that he had
Il good and sufficient reason for want
ing the place, and but one thing sug-
gested itself to our imagination; his
absolute certainty that treasure was
hidden somewhere about the venerable
pile. treasure Of considerable magni-
tude, you may be sure, or he would
not have revealed such alacrity in &C.
cepting my terms. Sentiment had
nothing to do with this surprising
move on bis part. That was all bosh
He had an Interior motive, and it was
for me to get the better Of him at his
own game ii could. While l was
eager to get rid of the castle at any
price. did not relish the thought of
being laughed at for fool by Maris
Tarnowsy after he had laid his greedy
hands upon treasure that had been
mine without my knowledge.
He was no fool. The castle meant
nothing to him as home or as an in.
vestment. No doubt be would blow it
to pieces in order to unearth the thing
he knew its walls secreted.
We spent two improbable days in
going over the place. and in the end
sank down tired. defeated and without
the slightest evidence in our possession
that so much as half crown lay hid
den there as treasure trove. gave in
and announced that If Tarnowsy could
find anything worth having be was en-
titled to it 50 far as was concerned,
and | wouldn't begrudge him farth.
ing's worth.
He telegraphed that be would arrive
Oh the morning of the third duy. &C.
companied by his lawyer, notary and
an architect. My four guests departed
in haste by the late night train after
extracting promise from me to join
them in Vienna when was no longer
the master of Schloss Rothhoefen.
rather relished the thought of brief
vacation.
Then, like the spider, crept back
into my web and waited for the fool
ish fly, knowing all the time that he
would have the better Of me in the
long run.
confess to a feeling of sadness in
parting with the place, after all, ele-
phantine though it was in every sense
of the word. Within its gray and an
cient walls that beautiful thing called
love had come to me to live with me
forever 1t had come unbidden, against
my will. against my better Judgment
and in spite Of my prejudices. but still
it was thing to cherish and to bold
in its virgin youth all through the long
years to come. 1t would always be
young and sweet and rose coIored, this
unrequited love of mine. Walking
through the empty, dlsmantled rooms
that had once been hers. grew sick
with longing and in something like
fear fed downward, absurd tears blind
ing my eyes. Verify, was fool-a
monstrous, silly fool!
Tarnowsy was as bland and smiling
as May morning as he came jauntily
down the great hall to where l await
ed him.
II am here incognito, my deal
Smart" he said, extending his glovei
hand, which l took perforce. sui
rosa, you might say" be went on
with wry smile. "A stupid. unchiv
alric empire has designs upon me. per
: functorily perhaps. but it's just us vel
not to stir up the monkeys, as yol
5 Americans would put It,"