The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-07-30
BEGIN HERE TODAY

BEGIN HERE TODAY
The war left John Ainsley, mar
of education and breeding, unfit fol
work. He becomes master crook
ITO prey upon thieves that shall
be my career" he decides. For il
a thief is robbed, where may he
look for redress?"
Ainsley visits the Jardin des
Nymphes in Paris with two Ameri-
can acquaintance. A tall, white.
haired man is pointed out to him as
the White Eagle. The White Eagle
it appears, is brilliant crook who
never has fallen into the clutches
of the law. The White Eagle is in
the company of gross, vulgar
seeming man and woman. Ainsley
! suspects that the White Eagle is
manipulating swindle. He finds
out the names Of the man and wo-
man-then leaves his friends and
returns to his apartment.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
/ find that one thinks better in
bed than any other place. Tn
dressed, then, with cigarets on a
stand beside me, l pondered the
strange relationship which had
seen evidenced tonight.
What was the basis of the acquain-
lance between the White Eagle, a
notorious though unpublished Grim
inal, and Mr.. and Mrs. Josiah Hig-
gins, of Cincinnati, Ohio?
/ wondered that l had not recog-
nized the Higginses at first glance
Still, the photographs of them, which
had appeared in the American and
European press, had evidently been
retouched to degree. And if / had
not instantly recognized the faces,
paid proper tribute to the Higgins
glory by Immediately identifying
their names.
Who in the newspaper reading
world had not heard of Josiah Hig-
gins, who had been a multimillion-
aire before the war and who was
now popularity reputed to be worth
at least billion? Statisticians had
estimated how many times his for
tune, if reduced to dollar bills, would
girdle the globe, how many times it
would rebuild the Pyramids, if re-
duced to silver coins. And other
statisticians had solemnly affirmed
that it cost thirty thousand dollars
to dress Mrs. Higgins for breakfast,
and at least million and quarter
properly to clothe and ornament her
for dinner.
Their extravaganza had become a
matter of international awe. Also,
the queer parsimony that accom-
panied their extravaganza was
known to all the world. Higgins
proudly boosted that he never gave
a dollar to charity, and that he
never lent money. They tipped out
rageously, but Higgins haggled with
his workmen, and was probably the
most cordially hated employer in
America.
They had assailed the gates of
fashion in New York, and their re-
bluffs had become historic. They
had failed to impress Mayfair and
the Faubourgs as we'll as Fifth Ave
nue., but they did not lack for safe
lltes. They were in fair way to-
ward creating fashionable society
Of their own, if fashion be Judged.
as it frequently is, by the amount
of newspaper space accorded it.
And this couple talked confiden-
TALLY with such person as the
l<1 IF
mail entered my mind, but | dis
missed it at once. If the White
Eagle had been threatening the mil
lionaire, the manner of each Of them
would have partaken of strain. No,
they had been talking business.
What business What possible
business could exist between the
White Eagle and Josiah Higgins?
If Higgins had had a son or daugh-
ter who could have become entang-
led in some underworld affair,
could understand that the White
Eagle had been called upon for aid.
But the couple were childless.
If Higgins were as foolish as he
was unadmirable, could have
guessed at solution of the problem
that puzzled me. could have
imagined that the White Eagle was
surreptitiously disposing of stolen
goods to the millionaire. But Hig-
gins was too sane to indulge in that
sort of shady barter, if he were not
too shonest.
l tossed upon the bed; I fumed
and fretted and smoked score OF
icigarets. Somewhere in this rela-
ton between the criminal and the
millionaire lay an opportunity for
me, if only had eyes wherewith to
see it.
For whatever the relation between
Higgins and the White Eagle, it
must be something underhanded,
even though l could not guess why
the Millionaire should descend to
such a matter. The White Eagle
was a crook; crook does only
crooked business, whether his part
ner be honest or otherwise. That is
automatic. But where in the axiom
lay profit for me?
l awoke with a<headache; / had
slept little, and that little had been
interrupted by dreams in which the
White Eagle took fortune from
Josiah Higgins, while l looked ons
powerless TO abstract the fortune
from the so-called supercrook.
tried to eat breakfast; but the
combination of too much wine and
too little sleep had killed by appe-
tite. l was nervous, restless, and SO
] went for a walk. ! crossed to the
Left Bank, wandering aimlessly, my
mind intent on the puzzle, solution
Of which felt meant profit to me,
and finally found myself lin the
neighborhood of the Luxembourg.