Evening star., 1922-07-23
One of the Aduentures of Aristide Pujol

|
heinz" shouted Aristide, brandishing
his fingers In the counts face. You
come here and think there's nothing
easier than to cheat young foreign
ers who don't know the rules Of
ecarte. You come here and think you
can carry of rich young English
misses. All. sale escroe! You never
with Aristide Pu3ol. You call your
self the comte de Lussigny. Bah! 1
know you"-he didn't, but that
doesn't matter-"your dossier is in
the hands OF the prefeot of police.
am going to get that dossier. Mon
sieur Lepine Is my intimate friend.
Every autumn we shoot together.
Aha! You send me your two galley
birds and see what I do to them"
THE Comte de Lussigny twirled the
tips of his moustache almost to
his forehead and caught UP his hat.
MY friends shall be officers in the
uniform Of the French army" he said
by tho door.
And mine shall be two gendarmes."
the other had left the room: I'VE let
him take the money"
That's Of no consequence. He
didn't get away with much. anyway"
said young Miller. But he would
have II you hadn't been here. II ever
1 can do you q return service, just
ask"
Aristide went out to look for the
Erringtons. But they were not to be
found. 1t was only late in the after
noon that he met Mrs. Errington in
the hall Of tho hotel. He dragged her
into q corner and in his impulsive
fashion told her everything. She lis
tened, white-faced, in great distress.
NY daughters engaged to him.
I've only Just learned" she faltered.
Engaged? For the second he was
desperately. furously. jealously in
love with Betty Errington. "Ah. lie
sale type, Voyons! This engage
ment must be broken off. At once!
You are her mother"
"She will hear Of nothing against
him.
You will tell her this. 1t will be
| blow, but
Mrs. Errington twisted handker-
chief between helpless fingers. Betty
| is infatuated. She won't believe IT..
She regarded him piteously. "Oh,
Monsieur Pujol. what can I do? You
| eho hoS -
and is over twenty-one. I am power
less"
| II will meet his two friends" ex-
claimed Anstide magnihcently. land
1 will kill him. VOLTA
"Oh, duel? No. How awful" cried
the mild lady. horror-stricken.
He thrust his cane dramatically
which he had caught up from a table.
II will run him through the body like
| that''-Aristide had never handled a
foil in his life-'and when he is dead
your beautiful daughter will thank
me for having saved her from such
an execrable Fellow"
But you mustn't fight It would be
You must consult first with your
daughter" said Aristide.
+ =
LIE dined in the hotel with Eugene
Miller. Neither the Erringtons
nor the Comte de Lussigny were any
where to be seen. After dinner, how
ever, he found the elder lady waiting
for him in the hall. They walked out
into the quiet of the garden. She
had been too upset to dine. she ex-
planned. having had a terrible scene
with Betty. Nothing but absolute
i proofs of her lovers iniquity would
satisfy her. Tho world was full of
slanderous tongues; the noblest and
purest did not escape. For herself,
she had never been comfortable with
the Comte de Lussigny. She had no.
ticed. too. that he had always avoided
the best French people in hotels. She
would give anything to save her
daughter. She wept.
And the unhappy girl has written
him compromising letters" she la
mented.
They must be got back"
but how? oh, Monsieur Pujol, do
you think he would take money for
them?"
| "A scoundrel like that would take
money for his dead mothers shroud,"
said Aristide.
"A thousand poundsT
She looked very haggard and help
less beneath the blue arc lights
Aristide's heart went out to her. He
knew her type-the sweet gentlewo-
man of rural England who comes
abroad to give her pretty daughter
a sight Of life. ingenuously confident
that foreign watering places are as
innocent as her own seQuestered vii
lage.
That is much money, chere ma
DAME" said Aristide.
"I am fairly we'll on" said Mrs En-
rinston.
Aristide reflected. At the offer of
a smaller sum the count would pos
sibly BLUM. But to a knight of in
dustry, as he knew the count to be.
a certain thousand pounds would be
q great temptation. And after all to
q wealthy Englishwoman what was a
thousand pounds?
Madame" said he. 'ff you offer him
q thousand pounds for the letters
and . written confession that he ie
not the Comte de Lussigny, but q
common advsnturer, stake my repu-
, tation that he will accept"
|
THEY walked along for q few mo-