The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-28


ada BY North American Newspaper Al.
lance. ALI rights reserved. Copyright In
England.
THE STORY
Elise Duchanier becomes overnight
the most famous woman In Paris and
determines to live brilliantly durins
the year to live that remains to her
according to the warning of the elderly
DR.. Lapierre. The beautiful and limo.
cent girl of gentle birth has lived in
poverty and is the sole support of an
invalid sister. Elise had become maid
to Lolette, famous dancer, who through
jealousy attempted her downfall, but
instead set her up as a rival in popular
favor. Elise, now the famous La Pha
lene, finds safety in the number of her
suitors, who include Ter MANAGER
Maurice Brunei; Count Mordac, Dona
tell and Ahmed, an Arab prince. Shs
thinks most of Tom Kendrick, a younf
American whom she met in her day.
of poverty. Kendrick returns and seek,
news of Elise from LNlette. Ahmed
and Donatelli quarrel over her. Elise
attempts to avert their duel. She an
instigation, agrees to mislead Elise al
to the time of the duel, which is to b.
fought with dice, the loser drinking
poison. Ahmed loses. Kendrick hal
returned and sought news of Elise from
Lolette.
CHAPTER 44-THE MEETING
ELISE set out. The night had beer
r. so long that her memory hardly
seemed to carry back beyond it
She took the big Rolls-Royce the
EngIishman had given her, and set Out
for the Bots de Boulogne. She started
thinking she had plenty of time, at the
moment Ahmed made the first throw
in the game.
At the further end of the Avenue
de la Grande Armee she passed another
car going in the same direction. Il
contained man and a woman, but
she did not take any notice of them
They were Kendrick and Lolette.
After number of turns she swung q
corner. Ahead of her, standing alone
was Ahmed's car.
Something within her went cold, or
the sight of it, dreadfully cold.
Elise got out. Everything was very
still and quiet. She looked at the clock
on her dashboard. 1t wanted two min,
utes to the quarter. She was, if Nor
dacs information was correct, two min
utes ahead of time. Yet only Ahmed
was there.
She walked through the edge of the
trees, and on in the direction of the
glade. Down the road sounded q car
engine.
Elise found Ahmed in the middle Of
the glade. He had made a pillow Of
his jacket. Beside him was the cham
payne bottle.
She stood still for a little while
Then she called his name.
Ahmed J"
1t was ridiculous, she knew, for he
was dead. She kept telling herself that
Ahmed was dead! She ran across to
him on impulse.
Ahmed ~
She sank to her knees beside him.
He looked very calm and very resolute.
He might certainly have been alive and
asleep.
But he was dead----dead because she
had been foolish, dead because she had
joked at his expense, dead for her.
She clutched his coat. She leaned
all across him. Her hair was loosened
and hung half down about her white
neck and her smooth shoulders.
She heard the bushes crackle. She
heard twigs break sharply under booted
feet, and looked up, across the body Of
Ahmed, to the edge of the tree belt.
So she saw Kendrick, who had come
back from the east to look for her,
bringing with him the memory of little
Elise of the Rue Jacques.
Her lips twisted. The tears ran salt
into her mouth.
She said: "Oh, God p weakly.
The glade was very quiet.