Evening star., 1933-06-26
CHAPTER I.

TINE thing began, as it ended with
the white cockatoo. His name
was Pucci and he gave me a
i doubtful glance from his shin
ing black eyes and sided nearer.
peering over my arm while wrote as
If what he saw might confirm his sus-
picion. He cooked his head on one
Side, rufied up the pale yellow feathers
of his crest and watched my pen in
knowing fashion while 1 filled out the
card of arrival which the hotel clerk
who was also the manager-had
handed me- The card had thoughtfully
been printed in two languages. French
and English, and I filled in the blanks
rapidly. Date: November 90, 1881.
Surname: Sundean. Christian name:
James.
So At place Of residence I hesitated;
wouldn't say Moscow, for loathed the
place, and as matter of fact I had
not been in Moscow. but north OF 1t.
NY thoughts hovered indecisively over
various possibilities: New York, Chi
cago, Denver The card plainly said
Permanent residence" and permanent
residence was thing / had not. The
cockatoos waiting black eyes, no less
than the consciousness that the swarthy,
fat manager across the desk was noting
nv brief hesitation. nudged me to de-
cision. and 1 wrote New York. Occupa-
ton: Engineer. arriving from: Der
lin.
The cockatoo scratched himself Wig
orouslv. his curved beak under one
wing; he withdrew it hurriedly to watch
me push the paper across the desk ana
to write my name also in the open reg
lister which the manager was holding
toward me- The page on which l
wrote was entirely bare except for an
ink blot, and it gave me what, later
found, was a quite correct impression
that in November there were not many
guests at the hotel
This time did not hesitate at place
of residence. The cockatoo was reas-
s,1red only when I put down the pen;
he uttered q hoarse murmur which was
unintelligible as to sound but distinctly
congratulatory as to tone, reached up
his gray-blue claw In q nonchalant
way to remove soft white feather
which had chung to his beak and took
another sidelong step toward me.
The manager said: "Pucci, Puccil"
IN a caressing way and looked at my
signature on the register.
He was short, fat fellow, darkish
and inclined to glisten. He wore four
heavy rings, all set with stones, one of
which vas very obviously cut diamond
and his creased and rounded waistcoat
would have been considerably improved
by trip to the cleaners.
I was at loss to guess his nation
ality; there was touch of the German
about him and, family, of the Italian;
his gestures were French, and there
was something vaguely Hebraic about
his full red mouth and his dark eyes,
which were set Just hairs breadth too
close together above the coarsely aquiline
bridge of his nose. It was therefore
something of shock when he met my
eyes again, beamed broadly, rubbed his
fat hands together and said:
'I, too am an American" His hand
was across the desk toward me and I
put mine in it and withdrew it as soon
as possible; his was rather unpleasant;
damp, perhaps.
Glad to see you. Glad to see you,"
he went on heartily. Many Americans
come here during the tourist season.
They come to see the palace and the
old Roman ruins. But not many dur
New York;"
I was obliged 10 say that Il was.
After all, New York as well as any
other-or better, as far as choice goes.
Mine Is in Chicago. My name Is
Lovschiem. Marcus Lovschien. Well,
well. I've got brother in New York.
He took out his papers of citizenship the
same year I got mine. He Is in the
bootlegging business and" he added
simply, "he's doing very we'll"
I thought it possible; indeed, prob
able. But wondered what this self
styled American citizen was doing here
in small, forgotten French town. He
knew my thoughts. I was to discover
that he frequently knew ones thoughts
You are asking yourself why I am
here? All" he lifted his fat, dark
hand from his cockatoo's crest to point
roughishly at me-"isn't that right?
Circumstances, my friend Circum-
stances. This post offered itself, and
took it, gladly"
had not reason whatever to suspect
as I did that the circumstances were
unsavory. But I was not his frieno
and had no intention Of becoming that,
and I dislike roughishness. Moreover,
was tired and cold and hungry.
said no doubht that I should like q
room with bath
On this he became thoughtful. Rooms
with baths were little difficult. The
hotel was old, surely understood. and
while 1t had plumbing still, the plumb |
ing had been added many years after |
the hotel had been built and was not |
even now, quite adequate could have
bath, yes; could even have a daily |