River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-09-03

WIG anu OtiltTS WHO COulQ understand
them, from which it appeared that their
main topic was the opera.
"Ah, madame, he was interpreted
to me as saying-"lf could be but hon
cred with your presence in my box at
florence The music would be angelic
them
"The signor does me great favor in
expressing the wish"
Yes; it was clear that he was hard hit,
and that she knew it, and had no desire
to dismiss him. Aud yet she was in no
single point guilty of indiscretion, for
wardness, or coquetry, in my opinion.
'That woman" said my wife, sis
abominable Look how she hunts that
poor man down. suppose she fancies
Sicily nicer country than Siberia, or,
wherever it is she come FROM
swell, my DEAR" replied, lit seems
to me that the hunting is mutual.
Really, | don't see why he shouldn't
marry her, if they both like it,"
"She may be mere tuft-hunting ad.
ventures, for all we know" said she, Il
don't believe in her.
"Well but perhaps he knows more
than we do"
81 don't believe in her bit. She's
hunting him down for his wealth and
title, and is as much a 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 a German count, the Count
Sigismund Won Borokopek. He put
down he mama Ia tho x-;c;tOrcs hool lilo
man, and his whole demeanor was
frank, open and robust. He was extra
ordinary fluent in English, as well as in
French and Italian German, of course,
was his mother.tongue, few dialectical
peculiarities noticeable in his pronun-
citation arising, he explained, from the
circumstance Of his being partly Of Aus
trian, partly Of Hungarian origin; the
Borokopek estates being in the vicinity
of Tokay.
We now number about eight guests,
and began to know one another pretty
well but somehow the Count knew us
all better than we knew one another
before he had been week among us. He
was a big, burlX, fair man, so thoroughly
British in appearance, and in his general
characteristics, as to render it difficult,
but for his proficiency IN other languages.
to believe that he was not BritOn born.
He had knocked about the world good
deal, he said. OF the forty years he had
passed in it, twenty had been passed in
travelling, half of which time had been
passed in England, and good deal of the
rest in America. Russia, too, he was ac-
quanted with; and on the strength of
that he introduced himself to the Prin.
cess, and was evidently as much disposed
to admire her as the Baron himself.
Indeed, before very long, the attentions
paid by Count Sigismund Won Borokopek
to that lady began seriously to disturb
the serenity of the Baron Monteggiana-
Tavernelle, and in proportion as their
rivalry progressed, so did the interest
and amusement Of the company progress
with it,
My dear Charles said my wife,
isn't she abominable nowl She's reg
ular fiirt; and AT her a.e, too-forty, il
she S 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 tC
two men, one after the other say she
simply abominable y
"Well, but, my DEAR expostulated
''they are both making love to her at the
same time. You see, the Counts castles
are nearer to Russia than Sicily is, SO
perhaps she prefers to become Mrs.
Count, etc, to the other thing"
Those Of us who were not in love with
the Princess began to wish the absurd
affair at an end. The lady was most un.
fairly fair to each; for she gave each Of
them enough encouragement to
make them sayagely jealous of each
other, without going far enough with
either to give the other airy grounds for
complaint. But for her beautiful eyes, ]
would compare her to a tdbLedH rIraat OF
Justice holding the scales. can; how.
ever, safely liken her to Helen; for she
was setting by the ears not only the two
most interested individuals, but also the
whole world about her; and it wanted
! but spark to commence a conflagration,
certainly an explosion, between those two
We had an American at the Hotel du
Bon Viyant, 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
loungina in the entrance-hall after lunch
con, his Syracusian villa, with its exquis
lie gardens. The American was listen
ing with his usual air of abstraction, and
quietly interposed question: Did !
understand you to say that the villa
d Aosta in the strada d Palermo be.
longs to youl :"
Isl, signor, the villa Aosta you speak
of is the one. 1t is mine. Ii has been
in my family for several generations.
you've got a tenant there now who
a friend Of mine -
mo, signor, no do not let my villa
nor any other Of my residences"
"Well, that's queer, consider" saiC
the American. III came direct from
Sicily last month, and a friend Of mint
was tenant Of that villa for the winter
aud stayed day or two with him il
that very house Guess there's som,
hunkum somewheresr ~
Part Of the remarks were made il
| Italian uo,nn aiaeuiafol l., Eprl;eh