Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-09-14

Will uOu, pTOCSeueu dlOuS UIiShly,
hailed the first taxi we met. gave a
brief direction, and we were whirl-
ed away to street in the foreign
quarter.
The taxi halted in front Of row Of
old buildings. Their occupants were
incongruous. One little store bore a
window full of more varieties of sau-
sages than l expected to exist in the
entire world. There was store given
over to Hungarian wines, Japanese
restaurant and two curio shops.
These were reminders of worlds
fair years, of stranded importatlons.
and Marvel seemed to know them
like book. 1t was not five minutes
before he reappeared from one OF
the curio stores. A swarthy man in
fez was with him. We were again
whirling along to our terminus. the
hotel.
1t was all so swift, SO silent, so i'm
pressive-Marvels resistless rush or
ideas and events, carrying me along
irresistibly-that it reminded me OF
the changing scenes of motion pic
ture film The curio man was usher
ed into the room where we had left
Lott and the other. He viewed the
foreigner with measuring glance
and spoke half a dozen words in
tongue-twisting dialect.
In an instant the foreigner was
transformed. Eyes, frame and soul
seemed to awake. He uttered JOY
full cry and flung himself on his knees,
clasping those of the curio man, Jab-
boring away twixt sobs of delight and
tears of relief.
Marvel softly rolled a cigarette
with those deft hands of his, which
with equal facility could slip ring
upon the dainty finger of debutante
or snap a pair of handouts around the
brawny wrists of a burglar. l knew
he OWNED the end of circumstance
and the beginning of coherency.
There was a rapid colloQuy between
the foreigners. Then there was
whispered conversation carried on by
Marvel and the curio man in a corner
of the room. The latter returned to
the prisoner. Some animated discus
sion ensued. And then the foreigner
did quite remarkable thing.
He removed his shoes, and for the
first time noticed how broad and how
thick were the soles. Their owner
looked appealingly at the curio man.
who nodded reassuringly, as though
promising protection. The former
took a shell-like article from his peck
ct, stripped back the edge of each sole,
tore them lengthwise, and from those
hiding places produced two oblong
rigid articles cased and encased in
cushions of the softest wool.
watched Marvel as he received
these, placed them in his pocket. and
made a motion to Lott, who in turn
touched my arm tremendously with
the simple words:
I'VE will co.
ITO sum up Resilius Marvel ad-
vised me when l visited his Office the
next evening, 1.-The two packages were
these" and he produced from his desk
two steel plates and proofs Of the
same.
The $50 plates" l remarked nat
urally.
Not at ALL" was the dissent-"du-
plicates of the old plates. with the
flaws l pointed out rectified. The old
issue served their purpose. These peo-
pie are shrewd. Cashiers will be on
the lookout for the old flaws only. The
new notes would pass without suspi-
cion, at least for a time. l know the
man who has been making these
plates. but did not know that he was
working. secluded in Peru, until last
night That native was sent with these
plates, concealed as you have seen. He
was instructed in detail what he was
to do. There has been a hitch some
where, at least a change In the plans
of the people at this end of the line
of Gundorf and his associates. That he
1 or they will be looking out for the Pc
ruvian, however, is SO certain that
shall install myself in the house where
we found the native. You may help
me out. and will tell you how"
Marvel proceeded to do so. For two
nights in succession l carried food
supplies to my patient and invincible
friend, and messages from him and
to Lott. The third night, as l ap
preached the house by the rear as
always did, l noticed a strange thing
and halted. looking up sharply.
| he ho
tween the two houses. knew that
he saw me and was startled, for
watched him peer down at me. / could
only construe that this person was en-
tering the vacant house surrepti
tiously by the roof and scuttle route
At just that moment clear sound pro
ceeded from the house ! was about Il
enter-the sharp, quick jangle Of {
telephone bell.
The man aloft must have been sus
picious of my appearance. Perhap!
he caught the sound of footsteps IL
the house, those of its solitary occu
pant. At any rate, l heard a sharI
snap, a severed wire whipped dowr
between the houses, nearly striking
my face. and the man leaped back ovel
the space and disappeared.
Perhaps two full minutes passed
away, and l was about to enter tn,
, house, when the rear door few opeI
and Marvel was upon me.
NO delay" he spoke quickly. an,
seized the food valise / carried an,
flung it on the step. Then he start