The Washington times., 1923-02-04

~ ILL me if you wish, but If you
do, you must look after my
mother for the rest of her life,
for it is only for her live
This was rhe calm and well-reasoned
remark of Miss Muriel Miles, the much
admired New York "Follies" beauty of
four years ago, when she found. herself
faced by a titled Frenchman, Count de
Sincay, revolver in hand, crazed by jeai-
ousy, threatening her life. Faced by
death, she thought only of her mother.
ButiCount de Sincay, whose means are
rather limited outside the generosity of
his distinguished father, was so blinded
by jealousy that he did not see the re-
sponsibility that he was accepting, for he
fired. The bullet, fortunately, merely
grazed the temple of Muriel Miles. and
while the wound was not dangerous, it
kept her confined in a nursing home on
the Rue Piccini for more than three
weeks.
This was the climax. of romance that
began in Deauville last Summer. Muriel
Miles was making her annual visit to the
city of no morals. She had been the
most admired and most envied of all the
women at Deauville the season before.
All the connoisseurs agreed that Muriei
Miles was by far the most attractive and
most beautiful girl of the season. Even
Henri Letellier, that worlds greatest ex-
pert in appreciation of feminine beauty,
declared, in spite of the fact that Muriel
was not his type-his taste running to
blondes-that she possessed rare quality
of distinguished beauty such as he had
never before met in his life.
Such beauty, naturally, would not give
much protection to an American girl who
wanted to lead quiet life at the sea-
shore, where she could enjoy the bracing
air and the pleasures of sea-bathing. For
it was really for that that Muriel went to
Deauville two seasons ago. She had
scarcely become settled. at her hotel be-
fore she found that she had become the
talk of Deauville and the envy of other
women by having brought to her feet, in
slave-like alteration, no less person than
the reputed ulti-millionaire just arrived
from India, Sir Edwin Johns.
Sir Edwin was the highest player at
baccarat of the season. Everyone was
talking about him. He seemed to care
no more for million francs than the or
binary person cared for hundred. He
threw packages of hundreds OF thousands
of francs on the table as if it annoyed
him to have to carry them about.
Everyone was asking the history of this
reckless player, who was losing and WIN
ming millions every night, always with
Muriel Miles BY his side. He called her
his mascotte and refused to play if she
were not with him.
So, the story that got about and which
was generally believed-in fact, believed
by the director of the Casino, Cornuche,
to the extent of two million francs-was
this: Sir Edwin Johns had been the pro-
prietor of string of what are called in
India bazaars, which might be likened to
the Ave and ten cent stores in America.
He had just sold out his interest in his
business in India for a sum equivalent to
S85. 900 900 and had come to France to
Sir Edwin Johns could not be called
physically attractive man. The nearest
compliment he ever received was being
told that he looked like Clemenceau He
did resemble the French statesman in
having a massive, walrus-like mustache,
yet they could never call him "The
Tiger" for, in fact, he was always "buck-
ing" it. But any of Sir Edwin's physical
deficiencies were easily obscured by that
$S5, zoo, 900 he was reputed to have sailed
away, so he became the lion of the season
at Deauville.
Muriel Miles shone in the financial
flash which Sir Edwin was making. They
were always together. She presided over