The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-07-29
BEGIN HERE TODAY

| of education and breeding, unfit TO,
work. Hungry, poverty-stficken
! he decides to become a master crook
thieves; that shall be my career
he decides. "For if thief is robbed
where may he look for redress"
His first venture into theft is at
the expense of paragon, Fifth
Avenue jeweler. Now, installed in al
apartment in Paris, the sight of all
the wealth exhibited in the Place dc
TOpera one spring afternoon gives
a FLIP to his ambition.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
couldn't watch the papers, as
certain when crime had been COM
mitted, and then rob the pcrpetra-
tors. No one but detective genius
could hope to find out who commit
ted the crimes in the first place,
And having decided that my only
safety lay in working alone, ! could
hardly cultivate the acquaintance of
criminals, and learn their plans in
advance. What had seemed, for
several weeks, most excellent
theory, became suddenly almost i'm
possible of practice.
And yet the theory was sound. !
assured myself of this. Because
did not see Immediately how to put
it into working practice proved
nothing against the theory. Still,
though l cheered myself with the
reflection that Opportunity is never
SO disguised but that keen eyes may
learn her identity, was rather de-
pressed as, dressed for dinner, l left
my apartment in order to keep an
engagement with some casual
acquaintance met Mt MaXim's bar.
They were Americans, like my
self, who were in Paris on business,
and who had, in return for some
little courtesies that | had shown
| them, expressed desire that
should be their guest on tour OF
Montmartre.
met them at the appointed time.
had seen before, all that Mont
martre offered, but these were pleas
ant chaps, gentlemen both, and ii
was a pleasure to associate, how
ever casually. with ones OWN kind
And they could get something of Il
thrill from visiting the tawdry dives
| with which Paris is infested.
! We wound up, late at night, at the
Jardin des Nymphes. ! would
rather have said good night at the
! door of this place, but did not wish
to seem unappreciative of my COM
patriots hospitality. Vowing that
could not hold another glass Of wine.
| l yielded to their opportunities and
entered the notorious dance-hall.
All Tendcrloins are alike; the Jar
din des Nymphcs has it's parallel in
New York, lin San Francisco; | pre-
sumo that India and China could
offer the vice-hungry visitor some
thing similar. The underworld must
| make its contacts, somewhere, with
the upper world on which it feeds.
And nowadays these contacts are
franker than they were dozen
years ago. The so-called upper
world has been invaded and con
quered by barbarians; these out
! landers bring to the circles to which
their money has admitted them the
crude tastes of the uncultured. So
long as they are amused, they care
not who furnishes their pleasure.
Tonight l saw pillars of finance
embracing in the dance, womc,
whose faces told their trade. saw
| slant-browed youths, but yestcrda,
from the gutter, one-stepping witt
women of assured social position. A
philosopher, noting how assiduousll
the upper world courted the lower
might wonder at the pretense of diff
ference between the two. But | was
no philosopher; l was merely very
bored and tired gentleman, who
wished that his friends would permit
him to retire to his bed.
One of my hosts ordered cham
payne. A moment later a bold-eyeo
girl smiled from an adjoining table
My friends rose CALAMITY to the oc.
casion; in moment the smiling fail
one had acquired two other friendly
maidens, and they had crowded
about our table at the edge of tn.
dancing space. More champagne
was brought, and in another few
moments my two hosts were dancing
with their newly acquired charmers
l pleaded fatigue. The lady who
had selected me as her gallant
sighed with relief.
"Me. ave dance my shoes almos
off," she said. 4 am glad that Mon.
sieur feels not too gay"
looked at her; l did not ever
wish to talk to her. But after all
my friends had practically invited
her to join US; common courtesy dc.
manded speech. So We talked at ran
dom. Little by little i drew from hel
bits of information about the habi
tues of the place. She had brutally
droll humor, and was not sparinl
in it's use. A writer for one of tho
scandal papers would have revelet
in the gross possip, concerning the
great and the neargreat, which
fpoured from her lips. For she
knew which matron had compromis
ed herself, which man had succumb.
ed to harry charms.
| And then she emitted whistle OF
surprise. She had become intimate
with me by now. She gripped my
arm, and pointed at "a tall, white
haired man who was entering a box
on the other side Of the floor. In the
bright lights that illuminated the
room l could see him quite clearly.
Well groomed, with an easy, assur-
ed manner. certain droop at one
corner Of his wide mouth seemed to
indicate that of tho two worlds re-
presented here, the lower had spawn
ed him.
Chat" said my fair informant
"is the White Eagle. Monsieur has