Evening star., 1925-08-09
MADMEN'S LUCK
E.


was eager, impetuous. almost com
pelling.
She, on her part, was all the time
| gracious. She at no time rebuked
him, but he felt, somehow or other,
conscious of d barrier which had not
been there on the preceding day. He
refused to accept the possibility of it's
existence, however
You are an ardent lover today"
she murmured but l have come to
see you play. Remember, you must
win
He suffered himself to be led re-
luctantly into the rooms. AT Z o'clock
he had won half a million francs.
You must dine with me, both of
you" he insisted.
Il shall have to go home and dress
Judith said. However, | suppose"
Nine O'Clock at the Hotel de Paris, y
Brookes interrupted.
The dinner was a banQuet-wine,
food, flowers were all the most per-
feet of their sort.
Londe, immensely interested. was an
appreciative guest. Judith, on the
other hand, occasionally showed signs
of wandering attention.
Several times she smiled across the
room at a table where a young
Frenchman, an acquaintance from
the cluD, was dining alone
Once BrookeS intercepted her
glance and broke off in the middle of
sentence. The stem of the wine
glass which he was holding snapped
in his fingers. Judith laughed at him.
Hes such dear" she murmured.
why don't you ask him to have
coffee with us?''
II don't want to-" Brookes an
swered.
Very well. then, let's CO." she
suggested, rising to her feet at the
same moment as the vicomte.
Wen have our coffee at the club.
The vicomte will take me-"
Brookes seized the menu and tore
1t in half. Londe watched his dis
torted face with pleased and under
standing interest.
"A capricious person, my wife. am
afraid" he sighed.
Hang you and your Wife," was the
insolent reply.
The young mans opportunity was
long in coming. He had won many
thousands Of francs and drunk many
liqueur brandies before he found
Judith temporarily alone. He drew a
small packet from his pocket, opened
the gray morocco case, and the gilt
ter of diamonds flashed out.
Diamonds she exclaimed dis
paragingly. Il hate them"
He shut up the case with a snap.
His expression was almost terrible.
II bought them for you" he de-
clared
II have become as you and your
husband are for your sake
You should have known better"
she told him.
Your only attraction to me was
that you were on the other side of
the border. You were sane. Now
you are just like us. You do not in
terest me-"
Brookes rose to his feet and walked
out of the place hatless and without
word to the servant whom he
passed.
He crossed the road, descended a
little way and sprang onto the top of
the wall. For a moment he stood
there. poised-a horrible sight Then
he dived downward into space.
A Nm LANCASTER brought the
newspaper containing the brief
notice of the young mans suicide to
her employer, Daniel Rookie, one
morning a few days later.
Daniel adjusted his spectacles and
read
UNUSUAL SUICIDE AT MONTE
CARLO.
THE body of a well dressed young
man, subsequently identified as Mr.
Ernest Brookes, a tea planter from
Ceylon. was yesterday picked up on
the quay at Monte Carlo. He appears
to have jumped from the parapet
above and broken his neck
Notes and plaques amounting TO
over half a million francs were dis
covered upon his person, besides some
valuable jewels.
His only acQuaintances in Monte
Carlo seem to have been a Mr.. and
Mrs. Broadbent, who had dined with
him at the Hotel de Paris on the night
in question. From the evidence of the
valet at the hotel where the deceased
was staying, it appears that he had
dined on the previous evening at the
villa occupied by Mr.. and Mrs. Broad
bent. and that he was brought home