Evening star., 1925-06-07


the dreary dulness of a dark
November day. The weather
was truly unfortunate; not exactly
cold but-ever so much worse-damr
and chilly; the rain which hung al
ready in the skies would presently fall
down, blur the window panes, run in
dirty streakS down the Sills, and add
TO the general misery of the scene.
"Oh, hang it all, muttered Aristide
hang it ALL" And throwing himself
on his rather rickety couch-bed, he
began to ruminate about the weather
Poor people, he decided, ought to live
in a land of eternal Summer. Tahiti
Vailima. Anywhere, where the earth
is kindly and the sun gives you
warmth and cheer, fills your veins
with "A sweet fire, and permits you to
dream away idly and dangerously
long and golden hours. To live in
such an internal climate as ours one
must at least have money. Then one
can sit by a blazing fire and enjoy an
artificial Summer; one can light one
room and have a splendid lamp like a
personal sun at the table, and some
old wine, slipped slowly and dreamily,
would provide sweet fire for the veins
Substitutes, of course, but oh, what
charming ones! Only one had to be
able to pay for them. Well, he was
not able to do so. He had not a sou.
Damn it," he shouted, while he
jumped up from his bed, damn 1t,
where can L get some money!"
He ran in his mind over the list of
his friends, but the outlook was poor
most of them had nothing themselves,
and to those who had even a little bit
he was already Il debtor. Then he
thought of Pierre de Kersac, the
editor of La Revue 1llustree. If he
could get a few francs out of him!
Just the price of a good meal and an
evening in a cafe. 1t would be diff
cult-Kersac had been rather cool
lately-twice he had refused him a
loan. But then there was nobody else.
Evidently he would haze to try
KerSac.
Aristide began to lace his shoes. pre-
1iminary to his venturing forth to cap
ture the golden fleece, and while he
did so he thought of a thousand
things which he meant to >ell Kersac
in justification of the den and for a
loan. They We're all splen1 lid inven-
tions, some beautifully simple, some
highly ornate and elaborate, but Aris-
tide had to discard one after the other.
No they would not do: KerSac was
already wise to the game; he would
not fall for any of these CABS. Well,
he had to trust to the inspiration of
the moment. He Strengthened his
back, stretched his long limbs and
took a somewhat faded hat from a
shelf in the closet.
AT least" he sneered, II have not
painfully to dscide whether or not
shall put on my rubbers. I have no
rubberS to put en-. Life is full of de-
Hghtful compen0tions."
When Aristide reached the office of
La Revue Illustree he had first TO face
an impudent office boy, who requested
him to I'LL out a card stating whom
he wanted to see and for what pur-
pose, and who asked him, further.
more, many unnecessary and highly
annoying questions. But Aristide 5
inventive genius was equal to the
emergency of the moment. He filled
out the card, demanding to see some
sub-editor and. while the office boy
sauntered away, Aristide strobe boldly
into the sanctuary of the chief, NJ. de
Kersac. Kersac looked i'll pleased
when Aristide appeared in the door.
'Tritour," he actually snarled. who
the devil let you in? That boy out
there ought TO be fired. / am
swamped with work-I can't see any
body"
But Aristide, who was already
seated in one of the deep and soft
fauteuils, stretching his long legs in
front of him, said amiably:
Put your work aside. / came. my
dear kersac, to bestow a favor upon
you
Kersae muttered something of
Timeo Danaos, but Aristide did not
permit him to finish the quotation.
I'VE all know your classical cru
dition, my dear fellow" he smiled
but what 1 bring is not the doubtful
present Of willy Greeks. | bring you
the gift of the Magi. Even more than
that: something more precious thar
gold, myrrh and frankincense.
bring you a marvellous, perfect, de
hghtful conte. Something exquisite
for your exquisite magazine"
But Kerac was only little molli
fed.
I'll tell you, Tritou." he said, you,
contes are all right, but we have al
ready run a lot of them. And, frank
", in the end they are all the same
Again and again you give us fools
who think they fool one another an6
only fool themselves; again and agair
you show us the futility, the utter
- uselessness, the ironic emptiness OF
life and fate Now mind you, I don
say that your stuff isn't good. It's
clever. Damnably clever. But one
gets easily fed up on it. That cynica
pessimism is all right now and then
but the public doesn't want too much
of it. We have to give them more
constructive stuff, a saner outlook
a-what shall l say? ="
Aristide smiled mockingly. "My
dear fellow" he interrupted, ''if yol
We're not an editor but a writer yol
might have told me in two words wha
you want to say. You do not wan
cleverness in your magazine, yol
want wisdom. Well, it's just wha
I'm going to offer you. My conte i.
not merely clever, it's in addition
deep, profound, powerful, startlingly
unusual and surprisingly human-il
one word: gem. I'm going to tel
you my plot and you will see."
Kersac saw that he could no
escape, so he relaxed in his chair
yawned deeply and sleepily and said
well, go ahead, go ahead. In
listening"
Aristide shook his hair back from
his forehead, took a cigarette from
KerSacs desk without waiting for al
invitation and, when he had Lighted
it, began in his most deep and sono
rous voice:
Permit me to introduce to yoI
Loutre. Loutre is a criminal; not
romantic criminal but a sordid one
He preys on the weak and helpless
he lives on his women. Now and thel
he does a little blackmail Anything