The Seaforth News, 1928-06-07, Page 6cq(!1HhuiLeJr
., WV
c. grata 194A ,,L._gltitlge Inc,,-
Hid
X 1ft 1111E IF
It 022111•2 to me that, for reasons selves, pitilessly ,contrasted with tier
which should be obvious enough, it own ugliness,les on her.!"
will be as :'we11 if, in these memoirs of "So the little god ma
mine, I refrain from attempting to I said to the waiter.
set forth my adventures in their ehron- "Luck, like love, is blind, monsieur,
°logical order; All • policemen are not he replied. I like the French. Even
fools; if I should trace, with boo great their lower classes ire deft of speech..
exactitude, my various movements, I looked at him. "Yon recommend
dormant suspicions would' become the Baronne's good fortune to me, and
wakeful; Moreover, it is not my in- yet that fortune does not seem to
tention to publish all my adventures please you."
I prefer rather to confine myself to Had we been anywhere else, I think
those incidents which have in them he would have spat upon the ground,
something of the unusual. In pre- "I gave two sons to France, mon-
seating the history of an artist, one sieur," he said. "The Baronne gave
dress not deem it essential to relate none. Her sons were occupied in the
where he purchased his brushes. And production of munitions. France has
1 am an artist. her profiteers, monsieur. Those jewels
Behold me, then, seated at a table which she wears were bought with
on the terrace of the Cafe ole Paris, money made in the war. Ah, well, she
sipping my coffee. It was the atro- has one jewel less than she had last
nous decoction, rather, which the week.The luck frowned even as it
French call coffee, It is, this coffee, smiles.'
the only blemish upon an otherwise "She lost a jewel?" I asked.
charring people. And I will confess, He spread his palms and , pursed
with what hesitation may seem suit- his lips. "Who knows? Monsieur
able to the prejudices of the day, that does not read French, perhaps. Our
1 bad mitigated its bitterness with newspapers printed much about the
some fine champagne. Moreover, I Baronne's pearl necklace. She wore
had diner at Ciro's, and nothing could it one night in the Casino. She went
efface the memory of that marvelous back to her hotel without it. The pa -
repast. pees say that detectives from Paris
The air was balmy. The tables are investigating the natter. The
were crowded. It seemed as if all the clasp may have become unfastened:
world had run away from his wife it may have dropped to the floor. But
and brought his sweetheart here. For Monsieur is aware that strange people
there was an air of excitement, of come to Monte Carlo. Bonne chance,
careless gayety, that unfortunately is monsieur!"
not too closely associated with respec- I tipped him, and with my coat over
table domesticity, I could hear every my arm, I strolled across the square
tongue, save German, spoken; and I to the Casino, And as I walked, I
strongly suspected that the guttural frowned. As the waiter had said,
French essayed by certain ostensible strange people came too Monte Carlo.
Swiss had been learned in Berlin. For I would like to meet that strange
though the German is not given, even
at this time in the world's history, to
denying his nationality, Monte Carlo
is worth a transient treason.
For a moment I felt lonely. I wish-
ed that I, too, were accompanied by a
charming lady into whose ears I could
whisper soft flatteries and into whose
hands, later on, I could press the in-
laid plaques wherewith one stakes at
roulette or chemin de fer. But I put
the thought from me. The artist in
crime must be like Kipling's cat: he
walks alone.
And in moments such as these, when
I realize that certain things are de-
nied me, I seek for change, for relaxa-
tion. And before me, outlined in elec-
tric lights, and shone cynically upon
by the scornful stars above, loomed
the great bulk of the Casino. Excite-
ment was not fax to seek.
I raised my finger; my waiter came
to my side and presented the small
bill.
"Monsieur plays?" he smiled.
"One•feels gratitude to the authors
of these glorious surroundings," I told
hien. "One does not play; one enters
the Casino and pays for the privilege
of being here."
The waiter's smile was swiftly sym-
pathetic. "Monsieur is unfortunate?"
I shrugged. "Does anyone ever win
here?" I asked.
"Ah yes, monsieur. The good luck
smiles on many," he assured me.
"I'll believe it when I see it," I re-
torted.
"Then Monsieur would be well ad-
vised if he watched the play of the
Baronne d'Esterelle this evening. Her
luck has been phenomenal for the past
weal. I know, foe one of my cousins
is a croupier, and he has told me. If
Monsieur will note the lady, at the, men here, I could understand that not
second table to the right, he will see even the Casino's force of detectives,
her." for the importations from Paris, could
I followed the direction of his deter attempts at theft. Also 1 specu-
glance. Of course the Baronne d'Es-hated on the difficulties that might be
terelle would be fortunate at games
of chance. God had given her neither
beauty nor charm; she was a grossly
overfed woman, who radiated vulgar-
ity; 1 suppose it is only fair that such
persons, devoid of all other gifts,
should be lucky. I felt an instant de-
sire to relieve her of sone of the price-
less baubles that, beautiful in them -
one who had taker the Baronne's
necklace. It ook genius to abstract
a necklace front a woman's throat in
the halls of the Casino. And I was
grateful to the garrulous little waiter.
I have come :o the Riviera for rest,
with no intention of practicing my
The wife was frantic in her plead-
ing.
profession. Now, forewarned, I would
not, no matter what the temptation,
permit nay holiday to be infringed
upon by business. The Parisian de-
tectives have brains.
Still, as I checked niy hat and coat,
and sauntered through the outer
rooms into the Cercle Prise, the more
exclusive salons, and beheld the pre-
cious stones that gleamed from the
throats and arms and hair of the wo-
/ � ray �s %�t'iis j ��
by •%