The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-07-29
PROLOGUE

81
+
In the month of December, 1918,
and on the very day that British
cavalry division marched into Cologne,
with flags flying and bands playing
as the conquerors of beaten nation,
the manager of the Hotel Nationale
in Berne received letter. Its con-
tents appeared to puzzle him some
what, for having read it twice he
rang the bell on his desk to summon
his secretary. Almost Immediately
the door opened, and young French
girl came into the room.
+ Monsieur rang?"
"Have we ever had staying in the
hotel man called lie Comte de Guy?"
He leaned back in his chair and
looked at her through his pince-nez.
|, The secretary thought for a mo-
Tment and then shook her head. "Not
as far as 1 can remember" she said.
"Do we know anything about him?
Has he ever fed here, or taken pri-
vate room?"
"Not that know of"
The manager handed her the letter,
and waited in silence until she had
read it.
ct seems on the face of it pecu-
liar request from an unknown man, J"
he remarked as she laid it down. "A
dinner of four covers; no expense to
be spared. Wines specified and If
not in hotel to be obtained. A private
iroom at half-past seven sharp. Guests
Ito ask for room X"
/ The secretary nodded in agreement.
..It can hardly be hoax" she re-
smarked after a short silence.
i mo" The manager tapped his
teeth with his pen thoughtfully. "But
III by any chance it was, it would
prove an expensive one for us.
iwish 1 could think who this Comte de
Guy is"
I He took off his pince-nez and laid
them on the desk in front of him.
"Send the maitre d'hotel to me at
once"
Whatever may have been the man.
ayers misgivings, they were certainly
not shared by the head waiter as he
left the Office after receiving his in
structions. War and short rations
had not been conducive to any partic-
ularly lucrative business In his
sphere; and the whole sound of the
proposed entertainment seemed to him
to contain considerable promise.
And so at about twenty minutes
past seven the maitre d'hotel was
lowering around the hall-porter, the
manager was towering round the
maitre d'hotel, and the secretary was
lowering around both. At five-and-
twenty minutes past the first guest
He was a peculiar-looking man, in
"a big fur coat, reminding one ire
sistibly of Goldfish.
81 wish to be taken to Room x"
The French secretary stiffened invol-
unfairly as the maitre d'hotel stepped
obsequiously forward. Cosmopolitan
as the hotel was, even now she could
never hear German spoken without an
inward shudder Of digust.
"a Boche," she murmured in disgust.
Almost Immediately afterward the
second and third members of the par
ty arrived. They did not come togeth-
er, and what seemed peculiar to the
manager was that they were evidently
strangers TO one another.
The leading onea tall gaunt man
with a ragged beard and a pair of
piercing eyes-asked in a nasal and by
no means an inaudible tone for Room
X. AS he spoke little fat man who
was standing just behind him started
perceptibly, and shot birdlike glance
at the speaker.
Then in execrable French he too
asked for Room x.
Hes not French" said the secre-
tary excitedly to the manager. THAT
last one was another Boche.'
The manager thoughtfully twirled
l.his pince-nez between his fingers.
1.-TWO Germans and an American =
He looked little apprehensive- Let
us hope the dinner win appease every
body. Otherwise"
But whatever fears he might have
entertained with regard to the furni-
ture in Room x, they were not des-
tined to be uttefedt Even as he spoke
the door again swssgg open, and man
with a thick white scarf around HIS
neck, so pulled up as almost COM
| pletely TO cover his face, came in. All
that the manager could swear to as
regards the newcomers appearance
vigss a pair of deep-set, steel-gray eyes
sch seemed to bore through him..
an eot my letter this morning."
| 'Sieur lie Comte de Guy?" The