Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-09-03

could have done II; but the Baron was
naturally the first. person to begin; and I
will give him credit for boundless self
lpoesession-not 70 call It impudence.
The acquaintance thus begun grew with
. tropscal rapidity. The cold northern
Temperament softly but quickly thawed
beneath the warm rays of italian sweet.
ness and light. fragments of their talk
occasionally reached the ears Of my wife
fsuu osirrT5 VINO ,t6d11 uSderstand them.
from which it appeared that their main
topic was the opera.
'Ah, madame" he was INTERPRETED to me-
as saying, If could be but hopored with
your presence in my box at Florence! The
music would be angelic then.'
The signor does me great favor in ex.
pressing the wish.'
Yes; it was clear that he was hard hit.
and that she knew it, and had no desire 10
dismiss bim. And yet she was n no single
point guilty of indiscrct,on, forwardness
or coquetry. in my opinion.
That woman said my wife, is abom.
Unable! Look how she hunts that Door
man down. suppose she fan cies Sicily q
nicer country than Siberia, or, wherever it
is she come from.'
Well, my dear. replied, 1T seems to
me that the hunting is mutual. Really,
don't see why he shouldn't marry her, if
teey both like it,
She may be mere tuft. hunting adven.
turess, for all we know said she, Il don't
believe in her.
We'll, but perhaps he knows more than
we do.'
I don't believe In him bit. She q
hunting him down for his wealth and title,
and is as much princess Us I 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
ISigismund Won Borokopek. He put down
his name in the visitors book like man,
and his whole demeanor was frank,
open and robust. He was extraordinarily
fluent in English as wellas in French and
Italian; German, of course. was his
mother tongue, few dialect peculiarities
noticeable in his pronunciation arising, he
Explained, from the circumstance of his
being partly Of Austrian, partly of Hun
xarian origin; the Boropokek estates be-
ing 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 q week among US. He was a big,
burly. fair man, so thoroughly British in
appearance, and in the genera! character
is'cs, as to render it difficult, but for his
proficiency in other languages, to believe
that he was not Brton born. He had
knocked about the world a good deal, nc
said. Of the forty years he had passed in
it. twenty had been spent in travelling,
half of which had been passed in Eng
land and good deal Of the rest in America.
Russia, too, he was acquainted with; and
on the strength of that he introduced him
self to the Princess and was evidently AZ
much disposed to admire her as the Baron
himself.
Indeed, before very long, the attentions
paid by Count Sigisimund von Borokopek
to that lady began seriously 10 disturb the
serenity of the Baron Monteggiana-Ta
ernelle, and in proportion as their rivalry
progressed, SO did the interest and amuse
ment of the company progress with it.
| MY dear Charles,' said my wife, ism i
she abominable now? She's a regular flirt;
and at her age. too--forty. if she's day.
And after entangling the Baron, to go and
legg on to the Count, and all in public.
TOO! It's bad enough to make love in pub
lie at all, but to do it to two men. one af:
ter the other-I say she's simply abomina-
lble!'
We'll, 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 per-
haps she prefers to become Mrs. Count,
letc., to the other thing
Those of Us who were not in loYe with
the Princess began to wish the absurd af-
fair at an end. The lady was most un
fairly fair to each; for she gave each of
them enough encouragement to make
them savagely jealous Of each other, with
out going far enough with either to give
the other any grounds for complaint. But
for her beautiful eyes, would compare
lher to tableau vivant of Justice holding
the scales. I can, however, safely liken
her to Helen; for she was setting BY the
ears not only the two most interested In.
|diyiduals, but also the whole world about
|her: and it wanted but . spark to com
mence confagration, certainly an explo
sion. between those two.
We had an American at the Hotel du
Bon Vlvant, 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 20 it was.
The Baron was describing to knot of
u, including the Count, as We were loun-
ging in the entrance. hail after luncheon,
his 6yracusan villa, with its exquisite gar
dens. The American was listening with
his usual air of abstraction, and quietly
interposed question: Did I understand
you to say that the villa L'Aosta In the
strada di Palermo belongs to your
'6i signor, the villa d'Aosta you speak of
10 the ono. II il mine. It has been In my
family for several generations.'
You've got tenant thsre now who's a
friend of mine'-
No. signor. nos I do not Let my villa
nor any other Of my residencea'
We'll, that's queer, l consider,' said the
American. 4 came direct from Sicily, lest
month, and friend Of mine was tenant o.