Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-12

pressed the bell furiously. Madame
leaned over the counter.
but what ails monsieur ?" she
demanded.
What ails me ?" he replied at the
top of his voice, speaking now in
broken French, now in English with
an American accent. II tell you that
not three minutes ago I saw my
wife enter this hotel with a man
she who saw me off, as she thought.
at the Care du Nord not an hour
ago! A curse upon your lift. ma
dame! This is a plot!"
He turned and ran for the stairs,
followed by a little crowd among
whom l easily escaped detection. We
reached the second floor. The man.
who now, TO my amazement, l real
lied must be S%tanfeld, was banging
at the panels of a closed door, and
shouting.
cit is locked" he cried. "I knew
1t! Locked! Open, Suzanne! You
gain nothing by this. l come if !
blow the hotel about your ears!"
The door opened. A few of us
were almost pushed in. Janet, with
her face buried in her hands, turned
NACAiSiSdl NV hOA NAOtiJ
at his ease, stood there with folded
arms.
who are YOU, sir, and what are
you doing in my salon." Stanf1eld
demanded fiercely.
81 am here at your wife's bidding
to receive a message which she as
sures me that her husband has
brought from London" Lutarde re-
piled.
at is a lie!" Stanield shouted. 81
am her husband, and 1 know nothing
of you. 1t Is years since my wife
was in London. These are subter-
fuges. Tell the truth, woman?"
Janet threw herself on the couch
and hid her face.
"He is your lover?" stanfield in
sisted.
II could not help it." Janet sobbed.
you have been so cruel lately. Why
did you come back?"
There was a little murmur
amongst the curious crowd in the
background. A thin, dark man with
eyeglasses, obviously a journalist,
was on the point of stealing away.
The time had come for action. I dis
e~ntangled myself from the group.
| Stanield looked into the muZzle of
my automatic.
Hands up, Stanfield!" 1 ordered.
"Close in behind, Ennison. Pass the
| word down to bolt the doors of. the
hotel"
L had once come to the conclusion
that, no matter how long our duel
might continue, l should never see a
sign of feeling in my enemy's face.
Through his wonderful disguise,
however, the real man at this mo-
ment leaped out. lie stood staring
at me, %viciously yet with tho half
fascinated amazement of one who
looks upon a new thing in life. Janet
was c%rouching back upon the couch,
shrinking away from me as far as
possible, her fingers tearing to pieces
some shred of antimacaSsar. Sud-
denly she sprang like a cat between
her husband and me. He saw his
chance and leaped for the door. The
crowd of stupefied people opened as
though by magic to let him pass. /
lowered my pistol and shouted a
warning at the top of my voice.
There was the sound of a shot be-
low, and the trampling of many feet.
A g~ray-haired, well-dressed man
with a red ribbon in his b|uttonhole,
whom l afterward discovered to be
the editor of a leading journal,
pushed his way through.
Monsieur" he said to me, "ls
there any answer to this riddle?p
"You will find it below" l an
swered shortly. "There has been a
plot to compromise the personal
honor of Monsieur Lutarde here,
which you have seen frustrated. The
injured husband is an English crimi-
nal. His wife"-I hesitated-"is his
accomplish. Monsieur Lutarde has
never seen either of them before in
his life"
Ennison entered, accompanied by
Monsieur L%utarde's private secretary
and a parsonage whom I recognized
as a high official of the French court.
There was a great deal of rapid con
| v~ersation between the four, a min
gled outpouring of congratulations
and wonder. Then we all moved to-
ward the door. l touched Ennison
on the arm.
"What about ~Stanfeld?" I in
quired eagerly.
Escaped for the moment" was
the reluctant admission. HE got
through the back premises of the
hotel, somehow"
They were filing out of the room.
I was the last. Janet rose to her
feet. She stood there Looking at me-
what happens to me?" she asked.
"There is no charge against you
that I am aware Of" I replied.
1--WE needed money" she declared
hardly. HE had spent everything,
and l had only what I earned as a
dressmaker. The people who stood
behind this affair were generous. II
would all have been so easy and SO
safe if you had not interfered. I be-