The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-16

am member of select and coy lit
tie club near the Boulevard Beaumar-
chais.'
II have heard Of IT, interjected NAL
pas ION the Rue St. C1aude?"
THAT indeed is it's SITUATION replied
he other. With surprise. You know
t.me one who Is mernber?''
Sir Brian Malpas hesitated for ten
seconds Or more; then. crossing the.
room and reclosing the window, he
turned. facing his visitor across the
large room.
II was = member myself during the
time that, I lived in Paris he said in
q hurried manner, which did not en-
tirely serve to cover his confusion.
u My dear Sir Brian. We have at
least one taste in common
Sir Brian Malpas passed his hand
across his brow with q weary gesture
well known to fellow members Of par
lament, for it often presaged the
abrupt termination Of q promising
speech.
II curse the day that / was appoint
ed to Picking" he said. ..for 1t was in
Picking that acquired the opium hab-
it. I thought to make 1t my servant;
it has made me-
What! You would give it upy'
sir Brian surveyed the speaker with
surprise again.
DO you doubt ft7',
my dear Sir Brianr' cried the
Frenchmap, now completely restored
Ny real life is lived in the lend OF
the peoples; my other life is but a
shadow Morbleui To be an outcast
from TINT garden Of bliss is to me tor
tire excruciating. For the past three
iiidnths have regularly met in my
frances's
Sir Brian shuddered coldly
I'm my explorations Of that wonder
land, 7 continued the Frenchman, "a
most, fascinating eastern girl. All, /
cannot describe her, for when. at a
time like this seek to conjure up
her image nom dun. nomL-do you
know, 4 can think, Of nothing but a
serpent!''
"a serpentr'
"a serpent. exactly. Yet, when
actually meet her In the land Of the
peoples she is dusky Cleopatra in
whose arms forget the world even
the world Of the poppy. We foat down
the stream together, always in an In
dian bark canoe, and this stream runs
through orange groves. Numberless
apes millions of apes inhabit these
groves, and as we two float along they
hurl orange blossoms orange bios
SONS, you understanduntil the canoe
is filed with them. assure you, mon
sieur. that perform these delightful
journeys regularly, and to be deprived
of the key which opens the gate Of
this wonderland is to me like being
exiled from loved one. Pardieu!
That grove Of the apes! Morbleu! I My
witch of the dusky eyes! Yet. as i
have told you, owing to some trick of
my brain, while / can experience an
intense longing for that companion OF
my dreams, my waking attempts to
visualize her provide nothing but. the
image,
"Of serpent" concluded Sir Brian
smiling pathetically you are, indeed
an enthusiast. M. CASTOR, and to me
a new type, had supposed that ev,
cry slave Of the drug cursed his serv
:tude and loathed land despised hin,
self"
~Ah. monsieur, to me those words
sound almost like sacrilege!'
But continued Sir Brian, 'syour
remarks interest me strangely for two
reasons. First. they confirm your as
sertion that you are or were q habitue
OF the Rue st. Claude, and, secondly,
they revive In my mind an old fancy,
superstition
What is that. Sir Brian?" inquired
M. Max, whose opium vision was a
faithful imitation of one related to
him by an actual frequenter OF the es-
adjustment near the Boulevard Beau
nlarchais.
Only once before, M. CASTOR. have
/ compared notes with fellow OPT
um smoker and he also was patron
OF Nine. Jean; he also met in his
dreams that eastern Gree in the grove
of apes, Just as r.
"Morbleu! Yesy'
''As / meet herr"
'.Hut this is astoundingr' cried Max,
who actually thought 1t So Your
fancy, your superstition, was this
that only habitues Of Rue St. Claude
met in poppyland this vision? And in
your fancy you are now confirmed?''
1T is singular at least"
1T is, more than that, Sir Brian
Can 1t be that some intelligence pre-.
sides over that establishment and ex.
ercises--shall / call it a hypnotic In
fuencer-upon the inmates?"
M. Max put the question with sin.
cere interest.
Zone does not always meet her.
murmured Sir Brian. "But-yes. It il
possible, for have since renewed
those experiences in London"
what! In London?"
''Are you remaining for some time
longer La London"
Alas, for several weeks YETI
Then will introduce you to gen.
t1eman who can secure you admission