New-York tribune. [volume], September 19, 1920, Page 8, Image 72

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The Bright Lexicon of Peru's President Knows Not 'Ma?ana''
Putting It Off Till To-morrow is an'
Unknown Practice With
?
Augusto B. Leguia
By Faith Hunter Dodge
. ? w j- OU leave it to that little
? w ^L/ man over in the pal
An American busi?
ness man, a high official in several
?arge American businesr interests
in Peru, was speaking to a number
of his fellow countrymen who had
hurried to Lima early in August,
anxious to know what measures
would be taken to protect their prop?
erties in Peru in case the threaten?
ing war with Chile became a reality.
Chile had massed thousands of
troops on the border?some said
fourteen thousand, others said six?
ty thousand. Bolivia was busy re?
covering from a revolution of her
own and handicapped by it in case I
she should be called upon to aid
Peru. !
So the American business men of !
Peru were seeking counsel.
"Leave it to that little man over '?
in the palace," was the only counsel I
they received.
From the Ranks
The "little man over in the palace"
is Augusto B." Legula, President of
Peru. A modern President in the
Southern Hemisphere, the Ameri
cans call him?and by modern they ?
mean the man up from th* ranks, the
self-made man.
For the politically powerful, so?
cially perfect cultured man who is
?o-day fashioning the destinies of
Peru started out in life without a
cent, in a family of no prominence '
and living far from the capital.
Born in the little northern town ?
of Lambayeque in 1803, his first!
schooling was that afforded by the !
village lic?e. Even then he demon- !
strated his Napoleonic abilities as a !
Up
I leader. His favorite study was
I mathematics. By tactics understood
only among small boys he contrived
to make mathematics the favorite
study of every pupil in the school.
Some black eyes obscuring the fea?
' tures of his schoolmates were never
, satisfactorily explained to the rev?
erend padre in charge of classes;
they were all accidental! But even
then common sense and persuasive
ability, backed by quick decision,
! usually won without recourse to
heavier weapons.
An Authority on Chile
At fifteen Augusto I^egu?a left
' Peru for Chile and completed his
earlier studies in private schools of
Valparaiso. Perhaps of all Peru?
vians Augusto Lc-gu?a knows Chile
best and is most capable of inter?
preting Chilean character, motives,
thoughts and plans; at least this is
the reputation he enjoys in South
America. And in Peru at least he is
considered an infallible oracle on the
subject of what Chile is about to do
at any given moment.
The young man returned to his na?
tive land and began his business ca?
reer in Lima. Soon his extraordi?
nary ability to decide large and small
matters alike on a moment's notice
without "a night to think it over"
won the attention of Peruvians and
foreign businessman and a rosy fu?
ture in the commercial world was
opened to him.
But in 1880 war broke out with
Chile. Augusto B. Loguia, private,
fought in the sorrowful, disastrous,
bloody battle of Miraflores. Eight?
een bullets which hit their mark on
his body failed to put out of business
po much as a little finger.
Back from the war, Leguia re
Auction Bridge
By R. F. Foster
\nthor of "Foit*r on Auction* "Auc?
tion Mad? Easy," "Foster'?
Complet? Iloyle," otc.
THE correct play of the hand
given in the illustration last
week was for Z to lead only
one round of diamonds, after
winning the first trick with the
spade queen, getting the lead into his
own hand. Now by leading another
spade through A at once he makes
sure of the trick with the spnde king,
as dummy can get in with the jack
of diamonds to make it. These two
spades, ace of hearts and six dia?
monds are sure game.
The third class of hands which
offer opportunities for bidding no
trumps are those in which ther? is a
choice between a long but weak
major suit and no-trumps. The only
danger in calling such suits is that
the adversaries may eventualy get
the contract, and that the partner
will keep leading the weak suit when
very necessary tricks could have
been made at once in other fcuits.
Good players are always averse to
calling suits that have no defensive
strength, and the only excuse for it
is that the hand is too strong to
pass and the suit is the safer bid if
the contract can be secured.
There are four courses open to the
player who finds himself with this
class of hand. lie can bid no-trump
and trust his partner for something
where he is weak. He can bid the
suit and hope his partner can sup?
port it, or will deny it if he cannot.
He can pass and wait for an oppor?
tunity to mako a secondary bid on
his suit. He can bid one of tht
minor suit? In which he has a sur?
trick or two and se? what happens
The most dangerous bid is the
pass, for two reasons: The oppor
frunity for the secondary bid maj
k never come. The stronger the hand
1 the less likelihood that any othe
player at the table will have a bid
The other reason is that a second
ary bid looks like a long weak suit
with no hope for anything unless i
is the trump, which is far from tru
of these hands.
Here is a deal that was bid a'
four ways in a duplicate match:
PBT09
? 045
O tot??
9J87 I?y?I ?>A4
?86 . 0 *KJioe?
$K8S A B OJ6
+ KQ902 I Z I tiOTe?
9010688
? Aar
OA&78
? A
When Z started with no-trump al
passed, and A led a small spade
Then Z tried to get dummy in oi
me nearts to give himself a finesse
and the ace of hearts let in foui
spade tricks. A led the clubs ner
and Z had to lose another heart anc
a diamond. This set the contract
for one trick.
At the tables at which Z started
with a diamond to se? how the Jane
lay, intending to make a secondary
heart bid, A called the ? spades, "?
two diamonds and B two spades.
This held the contract at one table.
Y led the diamond and the ace
[ won. Z led a heart and the nine
' forced the ace, B returning the
. heart. Y then led a club and Z's
queen won, returning the queen of
| diamonds, so as to knock king and
I jack together. A ruffed dummy
j with a heart and led a small trump.
! Z made his ace of clubs, but that
: ended it, A making his contract.
With the same bidding at the
start, Z went on to three diamonds
' over B's fmade assist and was set,
; simply because he could not get
dummy in early enough to do any
effective finessing.
A led the spade king and Z led
the heart, putting on dummy's king,
which lost to the ace. Z trumped
the next spade lead and led the queen
and another heart. This A won with
the jack, giving B a club discard Z
had to trump the spade queen, and
when dummy trumped the heart
with the nine B overtrumped with
the jack, A discarding a club.
On the fourth spade Z discarded
a club, dummy trumping. On the
next trick Z's queen of clubs was
trumped by A, with the. king of
trumps still guarded and good for
another trick against him.
When Z started out with a heart
bid and Ftuck to it. over the spades,
he won the game. A led the king of
spades and Z led the trump, finess?
ing the nine from dummy, as against
both ace and jack in the same hand
with B. On the return of the spade
Z discarded a club, letting the spade
queen win and establishing the jack
for dummy.
A led the discarded suit, clubs, and
dummy won the third round of
trumps with the king, making his
spade jack and then leading a ciia
mond, which A won with the king.
This was the last trick for the de?
fense, Z winning the next club and
making the rest of the diamonds.
The solution of last week's prob?
lem, No. 19, hearts trumps, in which
Y and Z were to get six tricks, was
as follows: Z leads the queen of
clubs, on which Y discards the six of
diamonds. Z then leads the spade
seven, which A wins. Whatever A
loads next Y wins and makes his
other winning card. These two
tricks give Z two discards, and so he
gets rid of both ace and jack of
spades, leaving Y a dear field.
BRIDGE PROBLEM 20.
+
04
? AQJ?4
?87
?7J10 6
OQ5
*
Hearts are trumps and 7. leads.
Y and Z want six tricks. How do
they get them? Solution next week. I
T OLA LEGTJIA, eldest daughter of President Leguia, in
the costume of a Spanish se?orita
_,_._i
AUGUSTO B. LEGUIA,\
** President of Peru
'._I
i ?
! sumed his commercial activities. As
| an insurance agent for the New York
\ Life he walked many leagues, talked
several volumes, and made numerous
families less anxious concerning the
life span of the head and master of
the house. Finally he became man?
ager for the company in the three re?
publics, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
A Master Organizer
He then organized the Peruvian
branch of La Sud-America Lifo In?
surance Company, a Brazilian organ?
ization sprung from the New York
Life.
As a promoter and organizer he
had no equal in Peru. The British
Sugar Company of Peru, Limited, is
his handiwork among many pro?
ducing enterprises.
His ability in financial matters is
said by Americans in Peru to be posi
tively uncanny; this ability, however,
comes from two very natural sources.
First, he still is a wizard at mathe?
matics; second, his clear perception
of the necessity of production and
development of natural resources of
his country have made of him not a
trader but a producer of wealth. He
has the instincts of a banker, know?
ing where capital invested will bring
the largest results. That he is to?
day wealthy is not due merely to the
faet that he married money, but also
that he knew how to invest money.
His wife was Julia Swayne, a na?
tive of Lima, daughter of an Eng
I lishman. Her death, less than a year
; ago, in London, was the cause of gen
! eral mourning throughout Peru. It
was my good fortune to know Mrs.
Leguia in France, where her gener?
ous interest in the refugees from the
! devastated regions, added to her
? own charm of personality, made her
? a prominent figure.
Uncomfortable Mourning
The three daughters of President
Leguia are still in deep mourning
for their mother. The heavy black
I cr?pe mantillas which they wear over
I tall tortoise combs of very Spanish
i shape and size are quite uncomfort
? able?so Lola confided to me when
we went together to the Te Deum in
the Cathedral on the morning of the
national holiday?but must be worn.
But it is in tho beautiful Swayne
Leguia home on Pando Street that
the girls' real, deeply felt loss is best
understood. There, on every hand,
the mother's touch still is evident.
?-'And from portraits in the living
rooms and from photographs in the
girls' study, on the piano, on the
bookcase, on the four walls and on
the enormous study table, photo?
graphs in large frames and snap?
shots in tiny silver holders, the eyes
of the mother follow the daughters
throughout the day. The girls do
not talk of their loss; they are very
American in their ways and too
proud to seek sympathy, but watch
Carmen Maria's eyes when they rest
on a picture of the mother and you
read in them a whole volume on suf?
fering.
Hero and Slave
But the father?as in all good
American families?is the daughters'
god, hero, teacher, companion, pal
and slave. They have taught Fede?
rico, the diminutive parrot that sits
on Carmen's finger when not riding
about the house on her shoulder, tc
say "Viva Leguia!" and that hurrah
is shouted with as much fervor and
gusto as the "Viva Leguia" of th?
most grateful enfranchised progres?
sive of the land on a fiesta day, foi
Federico is an intelligent bird.
Mr. Leguia is his daughters' hero
but he is also their slave, and witl
three very wide-awake, vivacious
. . ? '?<-<
daughters to command him he would
be kept 'busy even without his Presi?
dential duties, of which the girls are
at times patently jealous. So it hap?
pens that after each long day of In?
terviews, councils, cabinet meetings
and what-not, during all of which
the President is meekly patient with
bores, surpassingly energetic and.
tireless in making decisions and see
? ing that they are executed, dynamic?
ally powerful in giving all com?
mands, the hour of nine approaches
-?the hour be it known when Peru?
vians dine?then, and only then, has
any one ever seen Leguia lose his
cool, steady control of things and
people and circumstances, then and ;
only then has he been known to be
all of aflutter, excited, afraid. It j
is then that he makes a really human !
rush for his hat and coat and stick j
and nervously fingers his watch as !
he catapults out of tho palace into i
School for Card Players
AUCTION BRIDGE
j Question?The declaration is to make
j four hearts, but. tho declarer mak-M
I three only, taking two tricks more as
?penalty for a revoke made by big adver
j paries. If he counts this as five-Odd
j he wins the rubber; but the contention
is that he Is not entitled to'any bonus,
I such as rubber pointa, on account of
j tricks taken in revoke penalty, there
! foro he cannot win the rubber.?A. G. S.
; Answer?The luwa provide that tho
:' score shall be entered for the tricks as
, they stand after the transfer of any
! from the adversaries for revoke, pen
i alty. Therefore if the declarer has five
! by cards in front of him, after taking
the two trieks, he can Ecore five-odd,
and if five-odd gives him the rubber he
wins it. The bonus which he cannot
take Would be tho 100 points for making
I one over bis contract had he been
: doubled, as he bid four and scored five.
1 Tho bonus is not allowed becauso he
? did not make five in play.
Question?A and B bave a bet on the
I high spade. During the deal A picks
; up his cards as fast as they are dealt
! to him to seo what he is getting in
; spades. B bets ho can be charged 25
; points penalty for every card so looked
at.?M. C. D.
Answer- -Tho old laws made it 25
' points a card. Tho new code fixeo tho
penalty at 27j points for the offense, no
matter how many cards are lifted at ft
; time. If the offense is repented, on ad
'? ditional 25 would be in order. The
; player who looks at any of his cards
before the deal is complete also forfeits
i tho right to challenge the deal if out
I of turn or with tho wreng pack.
I Question?During the deal A re
' marks, picking up one of his cards, "I
know that card by the back. It is the
ten of diamonds," whereupon he turns
it up, and It is not a diamond. The
dealer says the penalty is that A's
partner cannot bid or double, ? durwig
that deal, and quotes law 06. We do not
agree, aa this law says "after the deal."
-- G; T.
Answer?The card being exposed dur?
ing the deal, with a view to proving the
pack imperfect, and it bring shown that
this w-aa not bo, there must be a new
deal, by tho same dealer, the player
who exposed the card being iin<?d 25
points.
RUSSIAN BANK
Question?We have been taught this
game abroad and find it played differ?
ently here. A3 we were shown the game,
ol! the builds were in the same suit,
wh?'ther on the foundations or on the
Hide lines, Here many persons play
alternate colors on the side lines.?
R. T. S.
Answer?Alternate color.* is the cor?
rect way; otherwise it would be toe
easy, because the moment the top card
of any pilo could bo used, the whole
pile would .follow it.
Question?In filling spaces in it com?
pulsory to play from the stock, or car
the space be filled from either stock 01
hand??I. C. A.
Answer?If the card is turned u?
from the hand it can be used anywhere
but if it has onco been placed on tin
trash or discard pile, it is not availabh
to be played into a space, as it is ni
longer part of the hand.
! pA RME N R. LE GUI A,
I ^daughter of President Le
| guia. She has a smile that
\ should do well in. the movies
i his car, races around the plaza and
down the five blocks which separate
the palace from the home.
i Tli? Hour for Dining
For at 9 o'clock Augusto B. Leguia
dines with bis daughters.
The only reason for not mention?
ing the throe sons, who likewise have
places at the long, wide, old-fash?
ioned, stately Spanish table, is that
with father??real American fathers
??sons simply never do count as
: much as daughters; they are of^rela
tively secondary importance; and
Leguia is distinctly a real American
I father who adores his three beauti?
ful girls, grovels in the dust before
them and before no one else in the
world. With his sons he is matter
of-fact, stern, severe, exacting.
For instance. Back in 1917 pre?
cocious, dynamic, outdoor Juan was
in a business college in Pennsylvania
?or supposed to be. His father,
then in London, received word from
the school that Juan had not re?
ported at lectures for three months
previously. Leguia cabled from Lon?
don demanding an explanation from
Juan. Juan braved a paternal storm
as well as submarines and less than
two weeks after receipt of the cable
he appeared, totally unexpected, be?
fore his father in London. A scene
worthy of movie melodrama threat?
ened.
"Where have you been?" asked
Leguia.
Silence.
"What have you been doing?"
"Haven't boon doing anything,"
answered-Juan.
"Must have been," said Leguia.
Juan, shamefaced, blushing, and
suddenly minus all his bravery, re?
mained as silent as tho clock you
forgot to wind. Finally he sheep
New Executive of ?This Ancient
South American Nation Has
Come Up From Ranks
ishly pulled out of his pocket and
handed to his father an aviation
diploma, a pilot's license, won by
three months' work in an American
school on Long Island. He "hadn't
been doing anything" except getting
into the British Aviation Corps on
an American license he had earned
by three months of grilling work.
The Storm Passe?
The human volcano in front of him
failed to erupt. Leguia is proud of
his son.
When It came to deciding between
a business college and an aviation
school, what could you expect of the
boy who used to tear down the road
from Lima to Magdalena, by the sea,
to Callao, to Chorrillos, through ave?
nues, down country lanes, along th?
streets of the capital, on his dizzj
bicycle? Of the youth who inherited
his father's love of riding and has
been called the best jockey in Peru
and the "drinker of the wind"? Whc
has always been seeking to reach th?
distant horizon by the fastest route'
In the Royal Air Navigation Corps
he received citation after citation
the distinguished flying cross, ant
the title of captain in British aria
tion before he was nineteen.
The son's hasty decision to changi
his course of study without previoui
consultation with any one wan no
unlike the father's ready grasp o:
new situations.
One afternoon the President witl
a group of friends was watching th
arrival of some new planes at th<
Bellavista flying field. Cooper, o
the Peruvian Corporation, walkei
over to the President and playfull;
said: "Plane's ready!"
Only President to Fly
"All right," answered Leguia, an<
without a second's hesitation climbei
into a Handley-Page and in a brie
space the. President of Peru was i
small speck in the blue expanse o
sky.
He is said to be the only Pout]
American President who has made i
flieht in an airnlane.
Only recently has thhe President
added any diversions to that of the
dinner hour spent with his family.
Now he is again attending the weekly
horse races; for the horse is his
favorite animal and riding his fa?
vorite sport. And the races as a
society event are greatly enhanced
by the presence of the President; for
the same reason he has been attend?
ing the opera in the new theater
opened last month in Lima. Then
on Thursday evenings he has a score
or two of friends at the palace, most
of them gringoes, Americans and
Britishers in the majority.
In Washington Mr. Legufa learned
to play American poker, and some?
times Thursday evenings are devoted
to that game. It is when the Presi?
dent is called away from the game
on official business that the Ameri?
cans have to work hard, for he leaves
his hand with Foreign Minister
Porras, who, according to gossip, is
the best player in the capital.
Not a Politician
The President, however, has al?
most no time at all for diversion of
any kind. This is better understood
when one is face to face with the
progress the President has made in
his two terms of office, relieving the
country of bubonic plague, smallpox
and dirt diseases, as well as abolish
ing the bureaucratic, oligarchic form
of government popular in almost all
except the very large republics oi
the world.
President Leguia is modern, im
J bued with the ideas of liberty with
! which he came in contact in th?
j United States and other advanced.
! democracies. He is no* the usua'
! type of politician, not a politician a*
i all in the usual f<t.^ of the word.
! In 1903, during the FVsidency of
; Candamo, he served as Secretary of
' the Treasury, and continued in office
under President Pardo. The appoint.
ment, however, was rot a political
j one, but purely financial, because
Leguia knew how to hand;?} money
and was honest.
j
? In 1908 he was elected Presiden.
' His period of office was disturbed bv
, revolutions, various disorders and
\ threats of war. May 29, 1009, was
\ the big day in I/eguia's history. An
attack was made on the palace, the
i President was carried through the
' streets by a mob and st?x>d up tobe
i shot, but his cleverness irppr] him.
. He said to the mob:
"Gentlemen, if I sign this abdica?
tion you have handed rr.e it won't
be worth anything to you. To-dav
is Sunday and Sunday eor*rac*s are
, not valid."
Then he calmly called a carriage,
jumped in and rode up and down La
Merced Street, and on ?very hand
people began to shout "Viva Leguia:
Viva Leguia!" for they re?r>fn|.(,,j
j his ability.
Escaped the Bullets
At the end of this day's fighting
President Leguia was in the streets
of Lima, surrounded by cVad and
; wounded of all faction-*, but by a
' miracle and his own coolness he cama
! through without a scratr!i. The fob
lowing year his firmness saved tho
day when war with Ecuador threat?
ened. One year after his retire?
ment from the Presidential of?
, fice his own home was attacked by
his political opponents, and finally
. in 1913 he was imprisoned and then
j exiled.
But in 1919 he came back to Peru
| a candidate for the Presidency and
was elected. Believing that he was
not going to he allowed to take of?
fice, the people of Peru made a revo?
lutionary but entirely bloodless at?
tack upon the palace and Leguia
walked in as President on July 4,
There was practically no opposition
to this move, and except, for an un?
derground passage recently found
leading to the Presidential palace
and supposedly constructed late las!
year by the President's enemies i:
an effort to assassinate the 1'resi
dent, the present term of office ha;
been relatively free from interna
struggle.
lias Many Fncmics
President Leguia is har.dicappec
by political enemies, but he is the ab
solute dictator in the present govern
ment of Peru, and with the back
ing of the Peruvian people, who an
anxious to progress, he is carryini
out transcendental plans in eco
nomic reorganization which wil
transform the materi.-i! conditionso
Peruvian cities and increase thei
helpfulness and beauty, is bu?din;
or aiding in the building of means o
communication in their many form
and facilitating the development o
industry and commerce in Pert
Above all, President leguia is wir
ning for Peru the friendship of th
United States, an.i his-one desire i
the solution of all international profc
lems is that the United States ma
be asked to arbitrate aT-y question
of territorial sovereignty.
LAURA?BY FREDERIC BOUTET
Translated by William L. McPherson
(Copyright, 1930, New York Tribun* Ine.)
uC A LA BRISE DE MAI"'
', ?? /^ was the sign posted
i jCjL over Mme. Heurtelan's
perfumery shop. In a
: new building, on the corner of a
. new boulevard, this establishment
was eminently correct in its ap?
pointments. Agreeable odors floated
? out from it and regaled the passers
j by. That was a delicate method of
i advertisement.
Mme. Heurtelan sat enthroned at
j the cashier's desk. She had a majes?
tic figure, tightly laced under her
. black silk gown. Her face was
', haughty, her complexion rather pale
j and pasty. She wore her brown hair
? austerely waved. Four elegant and
j somewhat patronizing saleswomen
operated under her direction. In a
i corner of the shop a paltry little
| man, with hair turning gray, was
wrapping up packages. He was
Mme. Heurtelan's husband?and her
slave.
That autumn afternoon a new and
unknown customer entered the shop.
She was unusually pretty, artisti?
cally fluffed and powdered, prodi?
giously elegant and so covered with
jewels that she scintillated under?
neath her loosely worn furs. The
four saleswomen dropped every?
thing else to wait on her. They had
to; for she rattled off her ord?rs
with amazing liberality and capri
ciousness. Mme. Heurtelan pre?
served her fixed professional smile.
But she examined the visitor with a
critical eye and was about to pass
in her own mind a rather unfavora?
ble opinion when a voice behind her
said:
"That is Laura Valroze. 1 have
seen her dance in the music halls. I
bought a photograph of her. Isn't
she a etunner?"
One of the bigger delivery boys, a
pale youth, standing on the steps
leading to the rear of the shop, had
spoken to a comrade. Ho seemed
lost in admiration of the efful?
gent customer. Mme. Heurtelan
sqaelched him with a look. The fair
??tranger had not heard the delivery
boy's remark. She paid for her nu?
merous purchases and started to?
ward the door. She passed in front
of M. Heurtelan, who was still
wrapping up packages. She looked
at him mechanically, gave a start,
stopped for a moment and said most
familiarly:
"Well! If It isn't you, Oscar!
Good day! Are you getting along
nicely?"
She didn't wait for an answer. As
the door closed there was a sound of
breaking glass. M. Heurtelan had
dropped a perfumery bottle on the
floor. He turned red and then pale.
His eyes were fixed on the disap?
pearing Laura, who was getting into
her car.
"Oscar, what does this mean?
That woman seems to know you. She
called you by your first name."
Mme. Heurtelan had descended
from her cashier's desk. She was
shaking with wrath and indignation.
But the saleswomen were listening.
More customers were also coming
in. So she held herself in check.
"Come on, I have something to
talk to you about," she said in a
loud voice, for the benefit of the
employees.
"Now, what does this mean?" she
resumed, when they were in one of
the living rooms off the shop, and
she had closed the door. "Where did
you know that person? No, I won't
say what she really is?a creature
whose name an honest woman can?
not hear without blushing, who ex?
hibits herself half-naked on the
' stage and who is famous only as a
courtesan!"
Mme. Heurtelan searched her
memory for phrases she had read in
novels in order to give proper im
pressiveness to her indignation.
"Are you, too, as shameless as she
is? Tell me. Where did you know
I her? Have you a fortuno which
you hide from me? Do you support
her on it? What mysterious bond
: of infamy unites you? To what
[ depths of depravity had you sunk
before I married you? I knew that
you were incompetent and idle. Am
I also to believe that you were a de?
bauchee?"
She took him by the arm. He
broke away sheepishly. Afraid to
look her in the face, he answered:
"She was my first wife."
"What?" exclaimed Mme. Heurte?
lan. "What is that you say?"
"You know that I was divorced
several years before we were mar?
ried. I married her when I was
, twenty-five years old and she was
? eighteen. She was called Louise
then, not Laura. She was pretty, '
na?ve, simple. She was really only
a child. I was poor. After three
years she left me. It wasn't alto?
gether her fault. She was so
pretty. I didn't know what had be
' come of her. That's all there is to
it."
"You are lying to me," said Mme.
Heurtelan. "What an improbable
story!"
"No, no; I'm not lying to you. I
can prove it."
He stopped short, as if he re?
gretted having tried at all to ex?
plain. Then he went to a cupboard
and took down an old album. From
a hiding place which he had con?
trived in one of the covers he drew
out a cheap photograph and showed
it to his wife.
"You see," he said, "anybody can
recognize her. She isn't so pretty
now. But the likeness is there.
Nevertheless, I didn't know her
when she first came into the shop.
Heavens! I had never seen her
again and I never expected to see
j her. When this photograph was
taken she was nineteen. Read what
she wrote on the back of it: 'To mv
dear Oscar, on the anniversary of
our marriage.' There'? the date.
You see, I'm not lying. She spok*
to me just now. But that wasn't
my fault."
"That's enough," Mme. KeurtelaB
broke in. "i don't care for any
more details. It is di-agreeabls
enough for me to Know that my hus?
band had for a first wife - ich a"
She never finished the sentence.
A confused respect for M. Heurte?
lan had somehow taken hold of her.
That poor devil suddenly and most
surprisingly became assoc iated i"
her mind with Laura Valrores
sumptuous existent. He seemed
less timid, less inconsequential, 'i'?-1
humdrumly virtuous. She looked at
him curiously. He was still gazing
at the photograph of the young
woman, who to him was only Lou?
ise. A tear trembled on the tip ?'
his red nose and he kept repeating:
"How pretty she was! That's why
she left me.'!
Mme. Heurtelan's irritation was
appeased.
"Tear up the photograph," ?be
said to her husband. "Don't be
ridiculoqs. You are lucky to have
a proof now that a pretty woman
can also be faithful."
And she cast a satisfied fiance i?
the mirror across th? way. ?