Evening star., 1925-04-07
Continued from Yesterdays Starr

.a
and dom,noes for the revelers, and
on reaching the interior I rapidly
looked through a variety Of cos
tunes. Eventually I chose an elabo-
rate cardboard face. painted to rep.
resent a red Indian, with the ap-
propriate headdress and a scarlet
domino to match, and, having donned
my disguise, l asked the old woman
in charge of the shop IL there was
a back entrance thereto, allegin 9
that ] wanted to play a joke on some
friends who were waiting for me out
side.
"Bien. monsieur" she said, ''if You
will come this way"
She led me to the back OF the shop
and out through a side door. direct
Ing me under an arch to the Rue
de la Confederation.
| thanked her and walked through
the arch and along the street, deter
mined to make for the first bridge
I saw and walk boldly across it,
trusting to my fancy dress TO avoid
recognition.
was within a few hundred yards
OF the Pont du Mont Blanc when
attracted the attention of three or
four merrymakers, dressed in soiled
fnery. They intercepted me, COM
mented vivaciously on my appear
ance, and, after dancing round me
In a noisy ring, they insisted on
linking arms with me, and we pro-
ceeded on our way, my companions
chanting uncouth Swiss rhymes and
I untunefully believing the Made
lon," which, with the exception Of
the "Marseillaise," was the only French
song I knew. l was not sorry to
have met this merry band, since, be-
ing in their company. my chances Of
slipping across the bridge unrecog-
nized were greatly increased.
l found that the crowd mostly con-
fned itself to the streets through
which had already passed, and that
1t thinned rapidly as we came within
view OF the lake.
On approaching the bridge looked
eagerly for any sign Of a. watcher,
but at first saw nothing TO give me
any cause for alarm.
was soon to realize. however, that
the resources of Fritz and his intel
he despised. Halfway across the
bridge stood ragged member Of the
unemployed selling punches Of those
small pink carnations which seem to
be perpetually in season in this part
of. Europe. AS we came near him q
powerful green touring car drew UP
with a grinding of brakes, out of
which stepped man, apparently with
the object Of buying posey. He
picked up and rejected several
lunches of flowers, talking rapidly
to the f1ower-seller all the time he
was doing SO. Eventually he chose
one, paid for it, and turned back
toward the car. He glanced in my
direction q moment, and I recognized
1, I sls To- H.
than Fritz himself. He climbed back
into the car which continued on its
way across the bridge.
We were now abreast of the flower
seller, whom I now knew TO be primed
and posted for my arrest, when il
came into the head of one of my
unknown companions, who had evil
IDENTIFY chosen to honor the occasion
with copious libations, to break into
a dance. He executed few ungainly
steps in front of us, insisting that
we should pause to admire. while he
illustrated what he described as LIE
vria pas d'apache-" Then. all at once,
hlied with some freakish spirit of
mischief, he ran up to US, seized the
hat of one of my companions. which
he threw into the lake, while with
lust as the fower-seller thrust a
faded bunch of carnations under my
nose, asking me to buy.
It would be difficult to say which
of US was the more disconnected. So
suddenly had I been unmasked that
the ffower-seller was for an instant
entirely at a loss. He recognized me
at once, but he obviously did not
know what to do. l turned abruptly.
hoping to get away before he had
recovered the use of his wits, and.
abandoning my companions, ! walked
on, intent only on crossing the bridge
and reaching the 'secretarist before
he should have time to give the alarm
and raise my pursuers. ! had not
gone so yards before / heard a sharp
whistle behind me, and, looking back,
saw that it came from the flower
seller, who was walking rapidly in
pursuit
ignored his signal and hastened
across the bridge, past the Pension de
Ia Refine, and then to the left into
the Place deS Alpes.
There were no taXis in sight, but
as ran across the square, shedding
my now useless disguise as 7 went, 1
suddenly saw a tram inscribed "Palais
des Nations" which is local hyperbole
for the secretariat of the league. 1t
was already moving off toward the
Rue des Paquis and l jumped into 1t.
Nothing could we'll be safer than the
interior of a municipal tram. and /
regarded IL as sent from heaven. 1t
took me the whole way to the secre-
tariat, and l alighted opposite the
main entrance, which is situated on
the side remote from the lake. 1t is
approached by a small courtyard
bounded by an iron railing. At each
corner Of the rallied court there are
two gates, one for the entrance and
the other for the exit of vehicles, and
in the center is the gate for persons
on foot, through which I passed.
Just as started to walk across
the court (the door is about 10 yards
from the gate) l saw a large green
car heading from the right entrance to
the court, presumably with the inten-
ton of stopping opposite the door by
which l was seeking to enter. Its great
headlights were full on and was clear
ly defined in their glare.
The next instant | heard a cultural
exclamation, and the car, instead of
slowing down on approaching the door,
gathered speed and made straight for
The opposite or left entrance to the
court, a maneuver which, as / was
crossing the court full in its path, en-
tailed my immediate and sure destruc-
tion.
/ gave a wild leap forward and fell
head foremost through the door, which
was opening to admit an elderly gen.
tleman, whom / have since ascertained
TO be delegate of the. Kingdom of
rhe Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, knock
ing him headlong, with myself on top OF
him, in a confusion Of silk hats, attache
cases and biasphemy.
CHAPTER VII.