The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-09-21

excellent terms, especially when they
chance TO, be two ladies voyaging alone.
You have been on the Continent before,
presume. The English ladies are such
ladies for sightseeing"
"No," l replied, bashfully, and-why l
know not-teeling mortified to think that
l had not been abroad before.
mol Is it possiblei You are so self
possessed that imagined you familiar
| with all these scenes"
Worthy COmtesse! Her eyes were be-
ginning to fail her, L feared.
| "I-ah, helasl Ihave been many times
over Europe, and alone also, since the
death of my husband"
| Here 1T occurred to me to wonder, with
another turtiye glance, now any man
could have married such nose.
| "You are going to Baden TO join your
motner and father-to f? | will so
gladly cnaperone you 80 lar as in NV
poor power. l know what it is to be SO
young, though never SO pretty,"--with a
sigh-"and voyaging alone"
You are very kind" | reply, with a
| feeling Of great satisfaction as take In
the idea OF once more being dependent
upon some one-which is, to tell the
truth, my normal state-and that some
one worthy elderly lady, although with
more than the usual share OF nose. "But
l am not going to F, only to Ba-
den-"
"Sow interrupts the Comtesse, with
smile of genuine delight; III so to Baden
scribed for me by my phy ysicians."
"Yes2" l say, interestedIy. 81 am
sorry that l do uot stay there. go
right on by coach to P, and thence to
La Manche, whereof blush painfully
at this point-"my husband awaits me.n
"Your husbandp' The Comtesse ut
lers little scream OF astonishmentI
All, what is this age arriving atT
laugh a small, happy, foolish laugh,
and proceed TO give the Comtesse q Driei
resume of the principal events iu my
hstory-chietiy consisting, can assure
you, in my courtship, marriage, we'd
ding (including my dot, which reposes
in the rack), Algy's imperative tour,
and my now going on TO be with HIM
once more after nearly four weeks OF
cruel separations; to all OF which the
Comtesse listened attentiyely and court
eously with interest, and little, sympa.
thetic, womanly smiles and mods. BE.
fore have finished | think her the most
delightful, lnOtherly, charming lady that
l have ever rencountered-wer it not for
her nose; but l endeaYored to avoid
looking at that, and strive to riyet my
attention solely on her bright eyes and
pleasant smile.
Nine. la Comtesse in return confides
to me her card-a fac SjHeikG of that so
neatly tackled to her suLcneI-and tells
me that la Comte is Iong since deceased,
leaving her mistress of u small indie
/ penuence; that she resides in London.
$50 she loves the dear Engiish;" and
Lust now is en- route Tor Baden tO drink
The famous waters.
we get on famously, the Comtesse and
l, and think jJyousiy Of how glad Algy
would be to know OF my being under tue
| wing of SO charming anL educated per-
| son. In tact, at the end OF our fourth
day LOge ther 1 feel as ii had known the
Comtesse all my life, and l feel sure also
that she likes me. The nose oppresses
me frequently, but contract a habit oil
| Ia king ana listening to her without look
| ing, and this someMnat ameliorates the
| situation.
On Friday evening at O'Clock we al
rive AT Baden, and as the southern train
does not start for TWO hours yet, L ac-
cept my new friends offer Of spending
the time with her at her hotel quite CRATE
fully.
am Installed in the parlor OF the Com
tesse's pretty apartment-entrois eme,
IL is true, but aHordiug u delightful view
| OF every thing and everybody that Shall
pass. am seated aIoue, Tor my friend
has gone down to see to the arrangement
OF her baggage. Sue returns, her face
full of alarm, and a coarse redlsh en-
Velope in her hand.
"Be not alarmed, my child; 'tis tele-
gram Tor you, l think. Mime. A. S.
| estmoreland,' reads the el lerly lady
| from the wretched thing in her hand.
| Ia IN int
me how as passed by the office"
l take it, and with trembling fingers
tear open the envelope ana unfold lhe
| bit of paper. A smile breaks over my
face ana the blood resumes its>place in
my cheeks-notAlng more terrible than
| this:
WYATT over day at Baden. 1 will
join you on Saturday evening.
"ALGY.u
reld it aloud to the Confess, who
shares my JOY in charming fashion, and
instantly offers to ring the bell, summon
the hostess, and secure me room at
once for my stay. [ accede gracefully.
and ere long am comlortably--nay, luXu-
riantly-ensconce in Il bright, elegant
| ly furnished room adjoining The suite OF
| the Comtesse-in fact, CON mmunicatifg
with it by door, which l beg may stand
open, as l am considerably more than
| tlmid.
After u sumptuous supper, served in
my new friends apartment, with great
neatness, by pretty, blue-eyed German
| girl, | make my excuses and reLire. |
| am, in truth, worn out with sleepless
nights in railway coaches, and am very
| thankful When l find myself once more
in veriJable bed. l dream-a queer,
confused mass OF nonsense-and, amid
| the Yagaries of my night in the hotel of
Monsieur Won Linden, l dream that |
! ain sufocating, smothering with some
strange smelling stuff held tightly over
my mouth; then Guat is removed, and
that l can see distinctly, although L can
move no more than if | were u stone. l
see that the communicating door
| between my room and the
| Comtesse's little parlor stands
open, letting in a flood OF bright, warm
candle-lighl; see a woman in rose
colored wrapper gliding stealthily about
my apartment. She is young, and a
pretty woman, with short, very blonde
| hair curling all over her head, and she
| keeps walking carefully about my room,
peering into this corner and that, under
| my clothes, under tue lounge-cushion,
and into the chest OF drawers; and fin
ally she creeps up to the bed. L ieel her
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