Lincoln County leader., February 14, 1908, Image 7

The Roupell Mystery
By Austyn
CHAPTEU XIV.
The Yicomte de Valiar was seated alone
In bU private room in the office of the
Mutual Credit and Trust Company. It
was a luxuriously furnished apartment.
The chairs were deep, roomy and soft.
They seemed made on purpose to lull one
Into feeling of security. It was about
ten o'clock in the morning. The vicomte's
private secretary had Just retired loaded
down with papers and instructions. His
employer sat at the table, a pile of docu
ments on either aide, and before him a
ingle sheet, upon which an astonishing
array of figures appeared.
Minute after minute passed, and still
the calculations went on. At last he threw
down bis pencil, and walked over to the
window. Partly concealed by the cur
tains, he looked out on the throng of peo
ple which passed up and down the street
But he hardly noticed anybody. He was
really lost in his reflections.
He had, indeed, good reason to be
thoughtful. A gigantic scheme, the float
ing of which would insure him very large
returns, had that very morning been put
by him before a syndicate of capitalists.
It was no less a one than the consolida
tion of the docking interests of a great
French seaport. The plan was to bring
all the owners together and form a trust
on what la known as the American plan,
and then raise the dock tolls. With the
i!tirg kwi pomjwtltion and the low
'charges resulting therefrom, that property
at present yielded but a small return for
the capital invested.
The idea was a brilliant one. It would
net the Mutual Credit and Trust Com
pany, if successful, three million francs,
and the Mutual Credit and Trust Com
pany virtually meant the Vicomte de Va
liar. He bad already enlisted considera
ble financial aid- In support of the scheme.
He was that morning expecting an addi
tion to his forces In the person of M.
D'Anbnron, the friend of that very useful
M. Chabqt, who had Introduced him to
the vicomte but a few days previously.
To sell this young man a big block of
hares in the new enterprise, would, the
vicomte thought, not be a very difficult
task. He had entertained him at his
bouse only an evening or two ago. The
plendor of that occasion could not have
failed to properly impress him.
Then bis wife, the vicomtesse, bad so
ably seconded his efforts to make D'Au
liuron feel that he was in good hands. She
bad talked glibly of their country place, a
magnificent establishment on the outskirts
of the famous forest of Fontainbleau, of
woodland rides, of moonlit waters, and
the felicities of rural life far away from
the roar and din of Paris. Those marvel
ous eyes of hers had looked into his very
soul and enthralled his senses.
De Valiar smiled as be thought how
few who had come within their influence
had gotten away unscathed. A knock at
the door aroused him.
"Come in," he cried out, and Jules Cha
tot entered the room.
"Where Is your friend D'Auburon?"
'was de Valiar's first question.
M. Chabot did not immediately reply,
lie sank into a chair. He seemed anx
ious and worried, and out of sorts.
"What on earth's the matter with you?
You're not ill, are you?" ejaculated tha
lanker.
"It's my nerves, I think. They're not
o strong as they used to be."
"Ton haven't been yourself for some
time, ever since that ugly affair at Ville
neuve," remarked de Valiar, sympathet
ically. Chabot shuddered, and hid his face in
his bands as if to shut out some horrible
xlght
"Don't speak of It," ho almost whis
pered, so faint was his voice. "Yes, it
"was enough to upset anybody."
"It was a peculiar hardship on you.
Jules, just as you were on the point of
succeeding as you say with let me see,
what's her name Mademoiselle Emily,
wasn't It?"
"Let's change the subject I came to
tell you something about D'Auburon. I
have discovered, on inquiry, that he is
ven better fixed than I expected. How
big a block of stock bad you put apart
for him in the United Pock Company?"
"A thousand shares I thought would be
ample. Youiknow Colbert-Remplin brings
us a large following, and there are Bom
pa rd and the rest. Still, some subscrib
ers will doubtless fail us at the last mo
ment. Why do you ask?"
"It is not enough. He has some very
wealthy friends. Only last night he was
speaking of one, who, be says, follows his
lead implicitly. He is a Swiss. He pays
periodical visits to Paris, and it is said
invests very largely in anything that
strikes his fancy."
"That's not bad news. What is this
Cm?sus' name?"
"He did not tell me," replied Chabot.
"He simply said if he thought well enough
of the venture to put his own money in,
that he would advise his friend to do like
wise, if we needed additional capital.
What are share to him?"
"Pair of course. It Is easier to sell at
par than at fifteen francs on the one hun
dred. The one Inspires confidence In a
scheme, the other simply excites suspi
cion. In fact, I'm not sure but ws will
put some premium on these Dock Com
pany shares. A little premium always
makes them more attractive."
"But there are seven millions of water
in K." r
"A proof concern like this dock trust
will stand a good deal of water," replied
th financier. "After all, what does it
matter? All these people will have a
chance to sell out at a profit when we de
clare oar first quarterly dividend. Those
Granville
we want to make use of in the fu
ture can be given a hint when to unload
their holdings."
"But ultimately the loss falls on some
body." "And that somebody Is the public who
cares for us well about as much as we
care for them."
M. Chabot remained closeted with the
banker for nearly an hour, settling the re
maining details of the dock scheme. A
printed draft of the prospectus had to
be gone over; the first directors of the
company had to be chosen, care being tak
en to place upon the board the names of
such capitalists as would inspire the pub
lie with confidence. '
"Let me see," said the banker, running
his eyes rapidly over a list which he
held in his hand. "We have LIquelet,
Bousent, of Bousent ; the elder Paltois
he is good ; and Max Raumont aavs he Is
with us in case we get to an issue. The
remainder of the board must be given to
me uock people. They will, of course,
expect some representation."
"To be sure," acquiesced Chabot, "but
we must contrive to have with us only
mose wno are open to arguments."
"Yes, that" is it, my friend; open to
arguments," echoed the vicomte.
"Of your usually persuasive kind," add
ed Chabot "Every man has his price, to
oe sure, nowadays.
And always did have. In these times.
commercial enterprises, my dear fellow,
assume proportions of which our ances
tors never dreamed. They were just as
dishonest then, if you call manipulation
dishonesty, which I candidly confess I
aon t Dut their idess were smaller.
Hence the difference. Besides," be added,
laying his hand impressively upon the
other's sleeve, "this thing must go
through. I think you, above all others,
are aware of the necessity. The fact is,
my dear Chabot, there have been many
neavy puns on the Mutual Credit bank
lately. One cannot offer eight per cent on
special deposits and always be sure of
making more by using the depositors'
money. Then there was the dividend on
the Ardennes Charcoal and Peat Com
pany. You know it was never earned :
but we decided that it would be best to
pay one."
"Well, the consequence was you placed
tee bonds at par; didn t you?"
"At par to the public, of course, but
Herr Goldstein's commission took the gilt
oil the gingerbread. However, he took
them all at eighty-five. I could not have
placed them to such good advantage."
"The interest comes due on the six'
teenth. I suppose it is useless to cross
that bridge until we come to it."
"Before the sixteenth this dock com
pany will be floated. The bank's profit
on that will more than meet the interest
of the Charcoal and Peat Company
bonds.
"And if It isn't floated?" hazarded
Chabot.
"If it isn't floated the inevitable crash
will begin, or it can be averted in an
other way, my dear Chabot, about which
I cannot talk at present. But we will not
anticipate evil. Come, you must accom
pany me to the Bourse this morning. I
have a heavy deal pending, and shall need
your assistance."
As the Vicomte de Valiar and Jules
Chabot left the office of the Mutual
Credit and Trust Company a small-sized
man issued from a cafe on the opposite
side of the street and walked In an ap
parently careless and preoccupied manner
in the same direction. He followed them
until they turned into a broker's office.
Presently they came forth again, and in
company with a third person continued to
walk in the direction of the Bourse.
This third person was Herr Max Gold
stein, one of the shrewdest dealers in se
curities in the whole of Paris. He was
the broker to whom the vicomte had en
trusted the sale of the first mortgage
bonds of the Ardennes Charcoal and Peat
Company. He was a heavy, thickset fel
low, with little, cunning eyes, which had
been set together as closely as nature
would allow ; had not an enormous nose
grown between them, he Would perhaps
have had only one large eye In the center.
He had a habit of cocking up his head
when in conversation, and of listening
with his 'mouth wide open. He had com
menced life in Berlin as a bootblack with
a second-hand outfit. At the conclusion
of the first day's work he hud accumu
lated enough to buy the best outfit in the
city. In a week be had concluded that
open air work was not to his liking, and
took his business off the street into a
basement, where he thrived apace.
Then the brilliant idea struck him of
buying and selling theater tickets at cut
rates. From this he gravitated into' lot
teries; from lotteries into small curb
stone speculations. Hardly able to write
his own name, the trading instinct was so
strongly developed in him that in ten
years he had accumulated a very consid
erable fortune.
Why Herr Goldstein had not continued
his uninterrupted career of prosperity in
Berlin was a mystery to his friends in
Paris. As he seemed to have plenty of
money, however, none of them had ever
dreamed of Inquiring why be preferred
the French to the German capital as a
baBe for his financial operations. After
all, was it any of their business?
Herr Goldstein was about forty-five
years of age, but looked considerably
older. Constant fighting with all sorts
and conditions of men had left deep fur
rows across bis forehead. Ladies said
that without doubt he was a very unpre
possessing man. He seemed to have some
extraordinary Influence with th vicomte.
and people were lost in conjecture as to
what that could be.
The small followed de Valiar, M. Cha
bot and Herr Goldstein to the very en
trance of the Bourse. Unable to obtain
admission to the floor, he bad recourse to
he g.illery. It was nearly empty. An
old ludy and a young couple from the
country, evidently on their honeymoon
irip, were its sole occupants. He sat in
the gallery for upward of an hour, his
gaze constantly on the floor of the ex
change, where the vicomte, the broker
ever at his elbow, moved restlessly from
group to group, manipulating bis deals.
When Herr Goldstein left the Bourse
twenty minutes later unaccompanied by
his companions, the small mnn tapped him
on the elbow. The broker started vio
lently ; the creases in his face grew
stronger; a perceptible flush overspread
his features.
"Galliardl" he gasped. "I'm glad to
see you !"
"As good a band at a lie as ever, ain't
you, Kaufman?" sneered the small man.
"Hush, don't breathe that name here,"
whispered the broker, looking around him
nervously. "That belongs to the past
Come with me. Come to my office, where
we can be alone. How long have you
been in Paris?"
"About six months
"During which time "
"During which time I have been work
ing for whom do you think?"
"I don't know. You have got into
business, perhaps for yourself or you
would, if you had sufficient capital. If a
good friend if I, for instance, showed
you how you could make some money it
would sui you, would it not?"
"No, I have a pretty good berth, thank
you."
"It Is a perfect gold mine for you;
If you will only hold your tongue."
The small man only smiled Hialik-antly.
The two walked on side by side until
the broker's office was reached.
"Come in," said the broker, in a coax
ing voice, "and tell me what you want"
The small man passed in through th
open door and went into the broker's
office.
"See that under no circumstances am I
disturbed," was the instruction Herr Max
gave to his clerk. "I have important
business with this gentleman."
Four o'clock came, and Herr Gold
stein came out and sent the clerk home.
It was an hour earlier than usual, but
th clerk was glad to get away. He lived
in a small flat and had a wife and four
children to support. He could take his
time now and walk home instead of pay
ing for a seat in an omnibus. The hour
went by. It was past midnight when the
two men came out of the inner office and
into the street.
"I live on the other side. Student
quarters," said Goldstein. "Come with
me, I'll put you up for the night We
must cross by the Pont Neuf."
"You must make it fifty thousand,"
said the small man, as they went along.
"That's cheap enough. Old friends
shouldn't be hard on each other."
A fearful expression' come over the
other's face as they n'eared the bridge.
Fifty thousand francs. An enormous
s urn. And if he paid It what then?
He had but this fellow's word that he
. . , . . , , . ,
would keep silence.
They stopped for a moment In the
center of the bridge and sat down un- MasR- lu printing the situation from
steadily on one of the embrazures. It tne viewpoint of the manufacturer,
was two o'clock. The lights flashed says:
along the river. Behind and in front of "The movement by the Legislatures
them arose the dull roar of Paris which of certain States to prohibit the sale of
ceases not by night nor by day. Looking firearms within those States Is, beyond
over the low parapet they could see the dou,)t nconstitutlonal ; it is dotrl
dark waters of the river as they swirled . . . ... , . ' . . A,
Ijg!,, ' mental to the business Interests of the
"You will make it fifty thousand, will Stnte8 1,1 Wstlon, without In any way
you not?" urged the small man. I restricting the quantity of firearms pur-
He uttered no cry as the hand of th 'chased and In use; It Is Intended to do-
brcker closed upon his throat with an prive those who live In rural districts
iron grasp; but for a moment or two where police protection Is Inadequate,
he struggled desperately as he realized or wholly lacking, of the means to pro-
the other's purpose. But the broker toct themselves, their families and
seemed to have become suddenly sober. the, I)PopoPty. It ,B a ,, to an
The small man was like a child in his ' , . , . , , .,
terrible clutches. He raised him to the ex-'e'h'nt 'RS of merchants, for, while
top of the low parapet nod whispered the lnw Proscribes the sale of firearms
hoarsely :, by hundreds of hardware stores In tho
"I will send you where you won't neea States affected, it does not prevent
the money." their citizens from buying such arms
Then he flung the blackmailer from him elsewhere, and the money thus exHnd-
with the force of a catapult. The waters ed goes, not Into the coffers of the local
received the detective and closed over merchant, but Into those of great btisl
h.s head. He had not t,me to utter hmiies n other stak,s Ku.u a
"The broker passed quickly from tha ul' emornl,"ta to ,th t'1" of
bridge and, plunging into a narrow street the Stnte ln 1estlon. n"d to tl,() ,lr-
which diverged from the main, thorough- arnl8 manufacturing Industry as well."
fare, soon gained his apartments. Arriv
ed there, he threw himself, dressed as he
was, upon the sofa, and slept soundly tiU
daylight.
Three days passed ; some workmen on a
brick barge drew from the black and
slimy river the body of a man which
hnrA llnnn tm thrnnt th mnflr nf Rn..H
At the morgue Victor Lablanche, th. band: 'h' George' now tl,nt we nre
prefect of police, recognized in the mur- married, there is only one thing I re
dered man the detective he had put on Bret, and that Is that I have to give up
the track of M. Chabot. t my nne position." The fond young Iius-
"Poor fellow!" he exclaimed, as he ex- band stroked the silken tresses of the
amined the finger marks at his throat, young wife's lmir and soothingly re
"A tiger must have seized him. He wai ped : "Now, durllng, don't worry,
first strangled and then thrown into th. you nee(n.t glve ,, your position. I'll
"Tn'rf i. hm w .u..Jlv "P mlnC'-Kansas City Star.
The murderer must have had enormous
hands.
'tTo be continued.)
Cause for Thanks,
Church 'There's one thing to be
said in favor of the phonograph."
Gotham "I'd Just like to know
What It Is?"
"Well, they haven't succeeded li
making a record reproducing all th.
noise one bears on the Fourth of '
July." Yonkers Statesman.
Jnst Possible.
Her What Is meant by "going from
bad to worse?"
Him Getting a divorce and marry
Ing again, I believe.
RECALLED JAPANESE ENVOY.
tit
Ik- t ill
ICOVKTZtf
State Laws and the Snle of Firearm.
The prohibition, through legislative
enactment, of the sale of firearms In
Georgia, South Carolina and other
Southern Stutcs has aroused wlde-
,i ,,i.,i..., .... t
'-ti uioiusmuii its iv hut imuLU-
tloniility of State laws of tills charac
ter. Fred I. Johnson, of Fltrlihurg,
Success Magazine.
Considerate Brldrarroora.
4 A girl and a young man, both of
whom hnd Rtpmlv lobs, were innrrle1
the other day. The day after they were
married the girl suld to her fond bus-
Lout Time.
"Time Is precious," remarked tba
minister.
"It Is, indeed," replied the man of
business, "and I've wasted lots of It."
"Dy Indulging ln foolish pleasures. I
suppose," said the good num.
-No." replied the other. "I Inst It hv
being punctual in keeping my appoint-
ments with others."
Autumn the Season for Crime.
Taking all crimes, more or:) com-
nltted In the autumn than during uuy
other of the seasons of the year,
Deny It If you please, but the facts
ire that everybody li looking for
had the best of It
ALFONSO'S ISLAND FALACB.
Wedding Present In Bar of Aroik
to De Site of lammer Home.
King Alfonso of Spain Is preparing
I to eujoy next summer the odd wedding
present that some wealthy Spanish no
bleman bestowed on him and Queen
, Victoria, says the New l'ork Sua He
. Is having a palace built on the island
of Cortegada In the Bay of Arosa, op
posite the port of Carrll and the sum
mer resort of Vlllngnrcla, famous for
Its sulphur baths. The villa at San
Sebastian, at which be has heretofore
(pent a good deal of time each sum
mer, la the property of his mother, and
the new summer home U designed to
give the youthful couple a place where
bhej can entertain guests independent
ly. The Island Is about three miles and
a half in circumference. It is diversi
fied In surface and beautifully wooded,
while In all directions it receives cool
ing breezes and commands splendid
views, varying from the broad Atlan
tic to the picturesque shores of the
bay. Previous to Its purchase for the
king It bad a population of seventy
fisher folk, who Inhabited, eighteen
dwellings. They sold out their rights
to the Intending donors, shnrlng the
desire of the lntter, as they put It, to
please their Sovereign, upon tho one
condition that the Chapol of the Inear
nntlon, a far-fanned Hlirlne to which
pilgrims from all the (tailing villages
of the coast resorted, should remain
untouched and should be always acces
sible to pilgrims.
Tho Llug has placed the building of
his palace and the beautifying of the
island In the hands of the mnrquls d
Vtana and a Madrid architect, Snnoi
Rlpolles. The building la to be of Bem
Arab design, following the general Unci
of some of tibe most famous parts ol
the Alhaaibra. The harbor Is also to
be doveloped so that the king can In
dulge In aquatic sports,
SETSCBAPEB OF THE FT7TUBE.
One Hundred Stories Illcb.
AMUSEMENT PURK
ROOT GAROtM
Swimming pool
He-enforced concrete buildings, 10(1
stories high, towering 1,000 feet Into
tho air, may yet be seen by people now
living, according to a prominent New
York engineer and builder. Before
such a feat can be accomplished, how
ever, two great obstacles must le over
come. The lack of adequate fire pro.
tectlon at such a height Is one, and
the otlier Is the Impossibility of provid
ing elevator service under the present
systems. Even now ln thirty-story
buildings the weight of the cables sup
porting the cars Is enormous, and build
ings of over forty stories would puss
the safety line In this respect
When, twenty years ago, a writer
described a mammoth olllce structure
towering Into the clouds his picture
was but a toy for the Imagination. Now
It Is swiftly approaching a reality.
Architects are at work this moment
rapidly developing plans for substan
tially the same kind of structure told
of In bis fanciful story. ,
"The 100-story building Is sure to
come," says one New York architect.
"We may not be ready for it yet, but
the larger and higher buildings we are
certain to have in the near future. The
next stage In the development will be
the fifty and seventy-five- story build
ing, constructed of steel and concrete."
Already the forty-story building has
been renched and passed In the com
pletion of the Singer building. The
fifty-story goal Is practically here with
the construction of the Metropolitan
Life building, which, when completed.
will be forty-eight stories high.
Less than a dozen years ago a twen
ty-story building was a world wonder.
Now It is Insignificant. The census of
skyscrapers In New York, not taking
into account tho Singer building, gives
a total number of twenty-two buildings
more than twenty stories In height, and,
405 buildings ranging from ten to twen
(7 stories high. Popular Mechanic.