Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-10-24

Morocco which you have con-
quered to Senegal at one blow.
To-day, Greater France in AZ
RIGA exists. Thanks to me, it is
a solid compact expanse. Millions
of square miles of territory and a
coastline stretching for several
thousand miles from Tunis to the
Congo, save for a few insignifi-
cant Interruptions"
cts a Utopia" Valenglay
protested.
cts a reality"
"Nonsense! 1t will take up 90
years fighting to achieve"
"1t will take you exactly five
minutes!" cried Don Luis, with
irresistible enthusiasm. "What |
offer you is not the conquest of
an empire, but a conquered en-
pire, duly pacified and administ-
cred, in full working order and
full Of life. My gift is a present,
not a future gift.
II, too, Monsieur lie President
du Conseil, L, Arsene Lupin, had
cherished a splendid dream. After
toiling and moiling all my life,
after knowing all the ups and
downs Of existence, richer than
Croesus, because all the wealth of
the world was mine, and poorer
than Job, because | had distrib-
uted all my treasures, surfeited
with everything, tired of unhap-
piness, and more tired still Of hap
piness, sick Of pleasure, of pas
sion, Of excitement, l wanted to
do something that is incredible in
the present day: to reign!
"And a still more Incredible
phenomenon: when this thing
was accomplished, when the dead
Arsene Lupin had come to life
again as a sultan out of the Ara
bian Nights, as a reigning, gov
erning, law giving Arsene Lupin,
head of the state and head of the
church, determined, in a few
years, at one stroke, to tear down
the screen of rebel tribes against
which you were waging a desult-
DRY and tiresome war in the north
of Morocco, while l was quietly
and silently building up my king
dom at the back of it.
"Then, face to face with
France and as powerful as her
self, like a neighbor treating ON
equal terms, l would have cried
to her, It's I, Arsene Lupin! Be-
hold the former swindler and
gentleman burglar! The Sultan
of Adrar, the Sultan Of Iguidi, the
Sultan of Ell Djouf, the Sultan
of the Tuaregs, the Sultan of Au.
bata, the Sultan of Brakna and
Frerzon, all these am /, thesSultan
of Sultans, grandson Of Mahomet,
son Of Allah, l. l, I, Arsene
Lupin!'
"And, before taking the little
grain of poison that sets one free
for a man like .Arsene Lupin
has no right to grow old
should have signed the treaty OF
peace, the deed to gift in which
p bestowed a kingdom on France,
signed it, below the flourishes Of
my grand dignitaries, kaids,
pashas, and marabouts, with my
lawful signature. the signature ia
which 1 am fully entitled, which
l conquered at the point Of my
sword and by my all powerful
will: "Arsene I, Emperor OF
Mauretania!'
Don Luis uttered all these
words in a strong voice, but with
out emphasis, with the very sim
pie emotion and pride of a man
who has done much and who
knows the value of what he has
done. There were but two ways
of replying to him: by a shrug ii
the shoulders, as one replies to q
mailman, Or by the silence that
expresses reflection and approval
The Prime Minister and the
Project of Police said nothing, but
their looks betrayed their secret
Thoughts. And deep down within
themselves they felt that they
were in the presence Of an abso.
exceptional specimen 81
mankind, created to perform i'm.