Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-01-14
sons my trip through rhe han to me

with my back to the shaft, facing the
| door of the rear fiat stood st most
three feet away from that door,
Without the slightest sound Of foot
steps from the hall of the fat, that
door opened-a mans face looked out
| Hooked at me-and the door noise
lessly closed.
1t happened in a flash, so silently,
that had my back been turned, had
been watching the descent of the car,
| / should have been none the wiser.
The man who opened the door was
Monsieur De Ravenol.
| could not possibly be mistaken.
| The main hall light shone full on his
| face. He was hatless. And what was
more-he recognized me and knew /
had recognized him!
was stupetied! The man was evil
IDENTIFY living in the same house with
| me!
The rafting elevator recalled me 10
my senses as George, smiling and talk
alive, opened the door for me to get in.
How much did George know? The car
slid up.
"Who is the gentleman living in the
rear f1at?" l asked with as much I'M
concern as l could. 1.-THE French gen.
tleman-foreigner-I don't know il
| he's French or what. What is his
nameW
His name?" George considered this
| past another floor, and / repeated the
question.
81 don't know his name-he amt
| been here long"
when did he take the fiat?"
"Well, now / dom know jes' which
| day 1t was, but it was before you come
home-maybe two days, maybe week,
an he amt really moved in yet-only
bed an some chairs He say he got
furniture comm from the other side
an he dom want to buy no more here
| than he can help"
| Naturally. Did he speak to you
about meT l put the question boldly
as the car stopped at my floor. George
| hesitated and then admitted:
''Well, he did say he thinks he knows
you" He appeared reluctant to dis
cuss monsieur.
broke out in new line. "The gen
tleman is very rich, George. hope he
| tipped you WELL"
George was instantly enthusiastic
"He done that! He gimme ten dol
lars"
Hes good for another ten, George,
If you work him right" l affirmed
"Oh, you needn't be so shy! He asked
you lot of questions about me and
you don't want me to know 1t. You
told him everything you knew"
swell, that's right" George broke In
sheepishly. "He did ask me some ques-
lions, but honest to goodness, amt
tell him anything bad--I tell him ]
don't RELY know much about you
That's what / tell him, honest to good
ness"
HE really paid you for telling him
every time l went out or came In
didn't he?"
But George was suspicious and on
guard at once. He threw open the car
door without answering.
"Oh, all right" said carelessly, hut
not stepping out as l saw he wished
me to. "You needn't give it away, but
1 know, all the same, so 1t doesn't mat
ter whether you tell me or not"
"What you suppose he so perticulel
to know ferT" asked George, ingenu-
ously feeling he was guarding his
secret while gratifying his curiosity.
j '.How should l know? Maybe he
wants to hang flowers on my door,
He's very rich, understand"
George grinned, interested and sym
pathetic. He scented romance and ii
explained all to him as adequately as
it had to Mrs. Jimmson.
l unlocked my door as quickly as
could didn't mean to let George
think l attached any Importance to
monsieur. | knew enough. The man
was a fellow tenant in the same house
in the fiat directly under mine, and
| George was his paid spy. AS / shut
the door. / asked myself, "What
next?
I had a fleeing idea OF Keeping
Jimmson with ME for the night; but
couldn't think of any explanation for
go unusual a request. | could not
take her into my conf1dence-if she
stayed / could hardly keep her out OF
it. She was anxious to go home-l
saw that and 1 didn't blame her; and
| was anxious to be alone and think,
and felt only relief as | saw the last
of her faded skinny weeds, her faded
skinny form, and l said good-by to her
heartily, little realizing that she was
the one human being who stood be
tween me and monsieur's ,machina-
lions, and that when she closed her
self out, she closed me ina prisoner
| III ooLoI -, hnr o1Gya 0pnr+