The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-02-04

Cne younger lauy ueSlTeS 10 say IL
presented first to the hearing O
the elder, who in his turn; proposes
it to myself. I assure you, my
dearD,Au ubinot, that for the actua
and PERSONAL relation existing be.
tween Leolin de Mailly and the
woman he adores, they might as
well speak different languages
the one Chinese or Turk, the
other Pole or a Russian. All,
my friend, it is narrated of Pyra.
mus and Thisbe that they made
love to each other through a stone
wall ; but I fancy that our fate is
still more disagreeable. AS if the
words which Stefanie St. Baroche
speaks to me-" he continued warm
ly, "needcd an Interpreters to make
me comprehend them. Sometimes
l feel as if I should go mad under
this perpetual system Of col1versa
tional gend'arma'le,
"My dear Leolin," said the Mar.
quis D'Aubinot. reused into excite.
ment by what his friend had said:
"there is only one way for account
ing for the behavior of this Made
moiselle Clemence. I am older
than you, and have had more expe-
rience in Partisan life. The type
to which she belongs whom you
have been describing, is, briefly
that of the femme terrible; they are
generally handsome, like the de-
moiselle's aunt, and possessed OF
an imposing, Juno.like beauty. Be-
ware of her."
"And why ~
"She is not only what I said. She
is more just at present.
"Explain.''
"a femme terrible is at all times
difficult to deal with as a battalion
of insurgent soldiers. Buta femme
terrible terrible in love is
"Ma foil" interrupted Leolin.
"In love! And with whom ?"
Louis D'Aubinot pulled a volu-
minous cloud from the mouth-piece
Of his hookah, aud answered:
"With yourself, Leolin there
cen be no doubt Of it after you
have told me. Try that plan sug-
gested, of slipping note into the
bouquet. But I still repeat-be-
ware of Mademoiselle Clemence."
"You may leave the room, Ste-
fanie.''
1t was her aunt who spoke.
Standing in the centre Of the bril-
liantly-lighted drawing room, di-
rectly beneath the blaze Of all i'm
mense chandelier, Mademoiselle
Clemence st. Baroche was unques-
tionably a superb woman to look
upon, Robe statue Of Juno in
purple velvet; give to its pale,
naughty countenancc a pair of Vi
wildly black lustrous eyes; wreath
its full-moulded arms with pearls
place upon its imposingly-modeled
bust corsagc Of the same jewets
and the result, l am sure, would be
no lack of weak resemblance to
Stefanie St. Baroche's aunt.
The command which she gave
her neice-a pretty, golden-haired,
blue-eyed blonde-was accompa-
MED with just the least imperious
waye that could be imagined, ot
NEademoiselle Clemence's white
jeweled hand. And Stefanie, who
had never dared TO disobey the
slightest word of this woman since
the time at which she had been
confded, all orphan, to her guar
dianship, obeyed now without a
moments hesitation.
Beside her aunt, Stefanie St. Ba'
rochie had not been the only occu.
pant of the drawing-room. Count
Leolin de Mailly was also present
he had called to accompany the
ladies to the opera that evening
and toward him Mademoisclle
now directed her attention.
"Be seated, if you please, NJ. de
Mailly," she said.
Tho tones had a womanly SOFT
ness about them which was far from
habitual with Mademoiselle Gle
mcnce, snd which, in spite of his
sincere horror at being left alone
with the femme terrible, filled Lcoliu's
heart with delight.
'Stefanie has found my bouquet,
he thought, ''more precious than
she imagined, perhaps, on first re-
ceiving it. She has read the note.
and conhded its contents very pro.
badly to her aunt. What do these
unusually soft tones signify on the
part of Mademoiselle Clemence
Why, simply, Leolin de Mailly, you
are q lucky dog, and are going to
marry her ncice with the august
lady's full consent"
llere mademoiscllc coughed au'
gustly, and glanced toward a side
table on which bouquet of vlolets
and tube-roses had been conspl;
ciously placed. Leo!in followed ed
her glance and recognized his gilt