St. Tammany farmer., 1922-08-26
The Ma1ds Gras
Mystery
Continued from page }

was just at the close of things. We
had adjoining cots at Nice"
"Ah!" she exclaimed, quickly. u
remember, you wrote about him-the
man who had been wounded in both
legs! Did he get well? You neye,
! said"
Il never knew until came here +.
answered Gramont. "One night, not
long after l had got established n nv
pension on Burgundy street, a man
tried to rob me. It was this same
man, Hammond; we recognized each
other almost at once.
II took him home with me and
learned his story. He had come back
to America only to find his wife dead
from Influenza, his home broken nm.
his future destroyed. He drifted ia
New Orleans, careless Of what han.
pened to him. He flung himself des-
perately into career of burglary and
pillage. Well, l gave Hammond a
job; he is my chauffeur. You woul1
never recognize him as the same man
nowl I am very proud of his friend
ship"
'That was well said" Lucte nodded
her head quickly. II shan't call Won
NJ. l.e pri:.ce any more-unless YOU
offend again."
He smiled. reading her thought. II
try not to be snob, eh7 Well, what
I'm driving at is this: want to know
this country Of mine, to see 1t with
clear, unprejudiced eyes. We hide our
real shalnes and exalt our false ones.
Why should we be ashamed of chas-
Ing the do1lar7 So long as that is a
means to the end Of happiness, it's all
right. But there are some men who
see 1t as an end alone, who can set no
tnis to their work except the dollar
dropping into their pouch. Such a
man is your relative, Joseph Maillard.
I do not wish to offend you, and l shall
therefore refrain from saying all that
Is In my mind. But you have not hesi-
tated to intimate very frankly that you
are not wealthy. Some time ago, II
you recall you wrote me how you had
Just missed wealth through having
sold some land. have taken the lib
erty of looking up that deal to some
extent, and I have suspected that your
uncle had some interest In putting the
sale through"
The gray eyes Of the girl flashed
suddenly.
Henry Gramontl Are my family
affairs to be an open book to the
world? Do you realize that you are
tntruding most unwarrantably into my
private mattersT ~
"Unwarrantably7 Gramont's eyes
held her gaze steadily. "Do you real
ly mean to use that word?"
II do. most certainly!" answered
Lucie with spirit. II don't think You
realize just what the whole thing
tends toward
"Oh, yes do! Quite clearly" Gra-
mOnt's cool, level tone conquered her
Indignation. II see that you are or
phaned, and that your uncle was your
guardian, and executed questionable
deals which lost money. for you. Come,
that's brutally frankfurt it's true!
I came here to New Orleans and be-
came involved IN some dealings with
your cousin, Bob Maillard. I believed,
and I believe now. that In your heart
you have some suspicion Of your uncle
tu o~1 tn %v0n nf
land Therefore, took the trouble to
look into the thing to a slight extent.
Shall tell you what have discov-
ered?"
Lucie Letlanois gnzed at him, her
Ups compressed. She liked this new
manner of his, this Arm and resolute
gravity, this harshness. It brought out
bis underlying character very well.
IF you please, Henry" she MUIR
INJURED very meekly.
"Well, then, have discovered that
your uncle appears to be honestly at
fault iQ the matter"
''Thanks for this approval Of my
family" she murmured.
"And," continued Grnmont, imper-
that your suspicious OF him
were groundless. But, on the other
hand, something new has turned up
about which I wish to speak-but
about which l must speak delicately.
Has Bob Maillard offered to buy your
remaining land on the Bayou Terre-
bOnne?"
She started slightly. So It was to
this that he had been leading up all
the while!
"He broached the subject last
night" she answered. II dismissed It
for the time."
"Good!" he exclaimed with boyish
vigor. "Good! warned you in time,
then! If you will permit me, l must
advise you not to part with that land
not even for a good offer. This |
week, Immediately Mardi Gras Is over,
I am going to inspect that land for
the company; it is Bob Maillard's COM
pany, you know. Is my unwarrantable
intrusion forgiven"
She nodded brightly. "You are put
on probation, sir. You're In Bob's
4
"Yes." Gramont frowned. Il in
vested perhaps too hastily-but no
matter now. l have the car outside,
Lucie; may l have the pleasure OF