The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-11-06

ally, ! don't see why he sir"u! int marry
her, If they both like it. "
'.Sie m,.s he a mere tuft-hunting ad
venture. Or all we know. said she
Il don't L-,ieve in her
We'll, but perhaps he knows NOR.
than we do"
Il don't believe in her a bit. She's
hunting him down for his wealth and
title, and is as much Princess as am"
The season was now at its height, and
every room was occupied; the very last
attic in the Hotel du Bon Vivant being
secured by German Count, the Count
Sigismund Won Borokopek. He put
down his name in the visitors book like
a man, and his whole demeanor was
frank, open and robust. He was extra
ordinarily fluent in English, as well as in
French and Italian German, of course,
was his motheT-tongue, a few peculiarities
of dialect noticeable in his pronuncia-
ton. arising, lie explained, from the
circumstance of his being partly of Aus
trian, and partly of Hungarian origin;
| the Borokopek estates being in the vicin-
| ity of Tokay.
We now numbered about eighty
! guests, and began to know each other
| pretty well; but somehow the Count
| knew us all better than we knew one
another before he had been a week
among us. He was a big, burly, fair
man, so thoroughly British in appear
ance and i'm his general characteristics
as to render it difficult, but for his pro-
| ficiency in other languages. to believe
that he was not a Briton born. He had
knocked about the world good deal, he
said. OF the forty years he had passed
in ii, twenty had been spent in travelling
half of which time he had passed in En-
gland, and good deal of the rest in
America. Russia, too, he was acquainted
with; and on the strength of that he
introduced himself to the Princess, and
was evidently as much disposed to ad-
mire her as the Baron himself.
Indeed, before very long, the atten-
tions paid by Count Sigismund Won Bo-
rokopek to that lady began seriously to
disturb the serenity of the Baron Mon
teggiana-Tavernelle: and in proportion
as their rivalry progressed, so did the in
terest and amusement of the company
progress with it.
my dear Charles" said my wife,
''isn't she abominable nOD2 She's a
regular flirt; and at her age, too! forty,
if she's Il day. And after entangling the
Baron to go and egg on the Count, and
all in public. too, It's bad enough to
make love in public at all, but to do it to
two men. one after the Othcr-I say she's
simply abominable."
We'll, but, my dear" expOstulated.
they are both making love TO her at
the same time. You see, the Counts
castles are much Nearer to Russia than
Sicily is. so. perhaps, she prefers to be-
come Mrs. Count, etc., 10 the other
thing
Those of us who were not in love with
the Princess began tn wish the absurd |
affair at the end. The lady was most |
unfairly fair to each; for she gave each |
of them enough encouragement to make |
them savagely jealous of one another, |
without going far enough with either to |
give the other any grounds for com
plaint. But for her beautiful eyes ! |
would compare her to Il tdbieGu ricdnt |
OF Justice holding the scales j can, how
ever, safely liken her TO Helen: for she |
was getting 10y the ears not only the two |
most interested individuals, but also the !
whole world about her: and it wanted |
but spark to commence a contiagratlon, |
certainly an explosion, between tine two. |
We had an American at the Hotel du |
Bon Nivant, a quiet, thoughtful man.
too much of an invalid to talk much. and |
very reserved in his manners. We little |
thought that the dreaded spark would !
be dropped by him, but so it was.
The Baron was describing, to knot |
of us, including the Count, as we were |
lounging in the entrance-hall after |
luncheon, his Syracusan villa, with its |
exquisite gardens. The American was |
listening with his usual air of abstraction,
and quietly interposed the question: |
Did understand you 10 say that the |
Villa d 'Aosta, in the Strada di Palermo,
belongs 10 yOuI'
Isl, Signor, the Via d'Aosta you
speak of is the one. 1t is mine. 1t has
been in my family for several genera
tions."
you've got tenant there now who's
n friend of mine"
''NO, SignOr, no; l do not let my villa. |
nor other of my residences"
''Well, that's queer, consider" said |
the American. Il came direct from Sicily |
last month, and friend of mine was
tenant of that villa for the winter, and |
stayed day or two with him in that /
very house. Guess there's some bunk
nm somewherel'
Parts of these remarks were made in
Italian, some calculated in English.
''Baga telle." replied the Baron; you
are mistaken, signori 1t must have
been some other Villa d'Aosta."
No, 1t wasn't, responded the Ameri-
can; and for my part l think you are
no more Baron than am Julius Caesar"
lie certainly looked offended, though
happily the last sentence was in En-
glish; in fact he had been so unaccus-
toned to be contradicted that it posi-
lively confused him. And | could not
help noticing that the Count looked ex-
cessively tickled, as well as triumphant.
That evening. when the Baron ad-
yanced TO attend the Princess to the si-
loon, she declined his offer to place the
shawl on her shoulders, as he always
did, and in the most perfect manner,
without snubbing or putting him down,
allowed him 70 discover for himself fhat
she was utterly Indifferent toward him.
1t was just as If the moon were TO take
the place of the sun In quiet and un-
demonstrative way, withno explanation
given.
But, of course, an explanation was to
be demanded. and as soon as the dinner
was over the Baron sought and obtained
n IeIe-d-lttt Ill a VI SulicS ucS
Danes. We all had the decency to read
GGIignani, or play bezique, or otherwise
TO throw a veil over our curiosity. as We
anxiously watched the development of
the plot. and tried TO hedge our bets be-
fore it was too late.
Suddenly the Baron started to his feet
and uttered loud execratlve exclama- I
ton which | decline TO translate. His |
soul now most clearly betrayed his pas
sionateness, but there was rather more
light than sweetness in his eyes as he /
glared round the room in search of the
hapless American.
We all sprang to our feet too; the la /
dies near the door rapidly retreated, and |
the men looked at one another, half /
amused, half-angrily.
If knew who had poisoned The mind [
of Madame would 'dilaniate' him-tear |
him in pieces, " shrieked the Baron, That |
viper of an American.
lit was not the American, answered |
the Count. coming quietly out of a re- |
cess; II told the Madame what he had |
discovered.
The Baron so far forgot the perfect !
ness of his manners and evident desire
to please as with his open palm TO slap
tie Count on the face. But in another
second he found himself in that physical
checkmate known as chancery-h had