Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-23
Tg,e Woman on the Terrace

Monsieur Jonquelle. the Pretect OF
Police of Paris, was a moment late.
An angry voice reached him at
the turn of the path. 1t was a tense
low. menacing voice. The words were
not clear, but the intent in the voice
was unmistakable. For a mere rrac-
Ion of time he remained motionless
as in some indecision; then he vent
forward swiftly.
m was evening. The soft colors OF
a sort of twilight day were on the
Mediterranean. The many colorsu
city of Nice was lying below the
mountain of olive trees and the
tropical gardens of the VIVA OF
Cimiez. The whole seem was from
a country of the fairy; the romantic
frontier of some kingdom or wonder
legend.
There we're two persons on the
long terrace OF the villa when Mon
sieur Jonquelle approached. The
villa was small and exquisite sort
Of iewel-box hidden in a garden OF
tropical luxuriance, inclosed by a
high wall surmounted by a title Dor
der.
The villa was rose colored. The tiles
Of the terrace and the border OF h
high wall were also rose color. IL
a a dainty and sensuous bit or
world, as though raised by some en-
chantment out Of the baked EARN
of Arabia.
Monsieur Jonquelle interrupted a
tragic moment.
A woman sat in a chair midway OF
this terrace. 1t was one or those
beautiful invalid chairs made for the
out of doors by that Italian genius
which seeks always to add beauty to
the decorative aspect OF a garden.
The chair was white. The gown
of the woman in 1t was blue, 1t look
ed black in the soft evening light and
against the rose colored villa and the
white chair.
The woman did not o " Her
small, shapely head, as from fatigue,
rested against the high back of the
chair. It was covered with a great
weight of hair, as yellow n as
heavy as gold, built UP into a won
derful coiffeur that resembled in It's
vague outlines the helmet OF Miner
va. Her hands and her elbows lay
the arms of the chair.
Beside her. a step beyond, the man
who had arrived a moment before
Monsieur Jonquelle stood in an atti-
tude of menace. The visible person
atty of the mar was puzzling. That
he was an American could in
xtantly see. But M could not so
easily determine his status or his
of life.
He had some of the physical char
acteristics, some of the tricks OF
dress of n engaged in an artistic
vocation; some of the swift, accur-
ate, precise gestures of one skilled in
the plastic arts. But there was a
vtgor and determination about the
man that one is not accustomed to
nd In a mere artisan element OF
ruthless decision and of swift acts as
of one accustomed to peril in his
tarde.
The attitude Of the man and the
voice that had reached Monsiedr
Jonquelle at the turn Of the path
were unmistakable in their menace.
But the woman did not move.
Neither the sudden appearance Of
the man, nor his words, nor his
menacing gesture had in any respect
disturbed her equanimity.
The scene changed as at the snap
OF invisible fingers. And Monsieur
came up on the terrace
The man fell into the posture of n
1t ease before an Vlsltof'
and the woman looked up languid!y
as though undisturbed; as though no
human drama, however tragic, could
disturb her: as though she were for
ever beyond the stimulus OF any
emotion.
1t was clear that the man had no
knowledge of Monsieur Jonquelle
but to the woman he was evidently
/ familiar figure. His appearance
have been an immense surprise
o her. as the appearance of the man
her had been, but there was
no evidence of it in her voice.
She did not rise. But she spoke
You do me a conspicuous honor
she said. you will have been very
much concerned about me to search
me out here
Then she presented the man be-
yond her.
MARTIN billiard" she said, q
Observation-Disclosures J%onquille."
The Frenchman and also the wO-
man, n thought, observed the
american closely to note any recoG-
of either the name or the APP
pearance of the new arrival. But