Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-07-14

,onq after I had got established In my
pension on Burgundy street, a man
tried to rob me. 1t was this same
man. Hammond; we recognized each
other almost at once.
az took him home with me and
learned his story. He had come back
IN America only to find his wife dead
from influenza, his home broken up,
his future destroyed. He drifted to
New Orleans, careless of what hap
nened to him. He flung himself des-
perately into a career of burglary and
n,llage. Well, 1 gave Hammond a
toh. he is my chauffeur. You would
never recognize him as the same man
now! I I'm very proud of his friend
ship"
"That was well said" Lucie nodded
her head quickly. 81 shan't call you
NJ. lie prince any more-unless you
offend again."
He smiled, reading her thought. Il
try not to be a snob, Ell? Well, what
Pm driving at is this l want to know
this country of mine, to see 1t with
clear, unprejudiced eyes. We hide u
real shames and exalt our false ones.
Why should we be ashamed of chas-
ing the dollar? So long as that Is a
means to the end of happiness, it's all
right. But there are some men who
see it as an end alone, who can set no
fms to their workWexcept the dollar
dropping into their pouch. Such a
man is you relative, Joseph Maillard.
I do not wish to offend you, and | 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, If
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.
"Hen-y Gramonti Are my family
affairs TO be an open book, to the
world? Do you realize that you are
intruding most unwarrantably into my
private matterS?"
fundamentally" Gramont's eyes
held her gaze steadily. do you real
ly mean to use that word?'
81 do, most certainly" answered
Lucie with spirit. 81 don't think you
realize just what the whole thing
tends toward"
"Oh, yes l do! Quite clearly" Ora
mont's cool, level tone conquered her
Indignation. 81 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!
| came here to New Orleans and be-
came involved In some dealings with
your cousin, Bob Maillard. l believed,
and 1 believe now, that in your heart
you have some suspicion of your uncle
in regard to those transactions in
land. Therefore, 1 took the trouble to
look into the thing to a slight extent.
Shall l tell you what 1 have discov-
.ered?"
= Lucie Ledanois gazed at him, her
Ups compressed. She liked this new
manner of his, this firm and resolute
gravity, this harshness. 1t brought out
his underlying character very well.
eff you please, Henry" she MUIR
INJURED very meekly.
"Well, then, I have discovered that
your uncle appears to be honestly at
fault in the matter"
Thanks for this approval of my
family" she murmured.
"And," continued Gramont, imper-
turbably, that your suspicious of him
were g%roundless. But, on the other
hand, something new has turned up
about which l wish to speak-but
about which l must speak delicately.
Has Bob Maillard offered to buy your
remaining land on the Bayou Terre-
bonner"
She started slightly. so IL was TO
this that he had been leading up all
the while!
"He preached the subject last
night" she answered. II dismissed it
for the time"
"Good" he exclaimed with boyish
vigor. Good! I 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
company?
EYES," Gramont frowned. II in
vested perhaps too hastily-but no
matter now. l have the car outside,
Lucie: NAV / have the pleasure of