The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-08-11

Krewe of Comus on Mardi Gras night.
Upon this evening of Fat Tuesday,"
indeed, both Rex and Comus hold
forth. Rex is the popular ball, the
affair Of the people, and is held in the
Athenaeum. From here, about mid
night, the king and queen proceed to
Comus ball.
Comus Is an assembly of such rigid
exclusiveness that even the tickets to
the gallery are considered social
prizes. The personae Of the Krewe,
on this particular year, as in all previ-
GUS ones, would remain unknown;
there Is no unmasking at Comus. This
institution, tremendous social power
and potentially financial power also,
during decades of the city's life, is
held absolutely above any faint of IA
voritism or commercialism. Even the
families Of those concerned might not
always be certain whether their sons
and brothers belonged to the Krewe
Of Comus.
Henry Gramont did not attend the
ball Of Proteus on Monday night. In
stead, he sat in his own room, while
through the streets of the French
quarter outside was raging the carni-
val at its height. Before him were
maps and reports upon the gas and
oil fields about Bayou Terrebonne-
fields where great domes Of natural
gas were already located and in use,
and where oil was being found in some
quantity. Early on Wednesday morn
ing Gramont intended to set forth to
his work. He had been engaged to
make report to Bob Maillard's COM
pany, and he would make 1t. Then he
would resign his advisory job, and be
free. A smile curled his lips as he
thought Of young Maillard and the
company.
"The young gentleman will be sadly
surprised to discover that I've gotten
out from under-and that his respect
ed father holds my stock I" he reflect
ed. "That was good deal; I lost
thousand to old Maillard In order to
have the balance Of thirty thousand"
A knock at his door interrupted the
thread Of his thought. Gramont
opened, to find the concierge with
note which had been left at the door
below by masked Harlequin, who
had then disappeared without await
ing any reply.
Gramont recognized the writing on
the envelope, and fastened to the note
inside. His face changed, however, as
he read it:
"Please call promptly at eleven to-
morrow morning. / wish to see. you
upon a matter of business
'LUCIE LEDANOIS."
Gramont gazed long at this note, his
brows drawn down into harsh line.
It was not like Lucie In its tone,
somehow; he senseH something amiss,
something vaguely but mostly decided
ly out Of tune. "Eleven tomorrow
morning, eh?" he murmured. "That's
queer, too, for she's to be at the Pro-
teus ball tonight. Most girls would
not be conducting business affairs at
eleven in the morning, after being up
all night at Proteusl 1t must be
something important. Besides, she's
not in class with anyone else. She's
rare girl no nonsense in her-full
Of deep, strong sense of things"
He forced himself from thoughts of
Lucie, forced himself from her per-
sonality, and returned to his reports
with an effort of concentration.
When Gramont went to bed that
night it was with startling and auda-
cious scheme well defined in his brain;
scheme whose first conception
seemed ludicrous and impossible. yet
which, on second consideration, APP
peared in very different light. 1t de-
served serious thought-and Gramont
had made his decision before he went
to sleep.
The following day was Tuesday
Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, the last
day before Lent began, and the final
eliminating day Of carnival. Henry
Gramont, however, was destined to
find little in its beginning Of much
personal pleasure.
At eleven in the morning Hammond
drove him to the Ledanois home,
where Gramont was admitted by one
of the colored servants and shown into
the parlor. A moment later Lucie her.
self appeared. At first glance her
smiling greeting removed the half
sensed apprehensions of Gramont. Al
most Immediately afterward, however,
he noted a perceptible change in her
manner, as she led him toward the
rear Of the room, and gestured toward
a mahogany tilt-top table which stood
In a corner.
"Come over here, please. have
something which / wish to show you"
She needed to say no more. Ora
mont, following her, found himself
staring blankly down at the symbol Of
CONSERVATION which overwhelmed him.
For upon that table lay all those
boxes which he himself had packed
with the loot of the Midnight Masquer
the identical boxes, apparently I'M
opened, which had been stolen from
| his automobile by the supposed thief,