Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-08-13

Count understood it, and threw himself
at my feet.
"What are you doing? | cried: ''you
are madl Some one will come in
you will compromise me-"
Alexis Was great good-lOr-nothing;
but he was not stupid. He got up inn
mediately, sat down at selni-respectful
distance and bpgan to deliver me lit
tie speech He recited it very we'll,
thanks / suppose to long habit of
drawing it from his memory at a given
moment. He spoke of the fatal chains
of society, Of the slavery of its servants,
Of the small thanks one got from the
world for submitting to its fantastic
aws--here he paused Of the inetfable
Joy of talking open-hearted together, Of
dreaming together, of losing ones self
in the azure. Here another and longer
pause.
listened, lulled by his words. |,
thought it grand. ltseemed to me as if
the muse of poetry herself was lowering
over us and protecting us with her spot
less wings. VINO would have dared to
think Of evil under the shield Of poetry?
Is she not Immaculate? Does she not
rurify what grows under her wings?
Count Alexis said all this to me and
listened enraptured-enraptured
above all, at not being obliged to an
swer, for | should not have known
what 10 say. Changing the subject alb
ruptly he began speaking of the Caucas-
us. Nowadays the shOpkeepers in the
Prospectif Newsky sell materials, nick
nacks, authentic collections of weapons
of that country, and by means ofmoney
one can create for ones self an emir's
paradise. But then the Caucasus was
in the full bloom Of novelty, a few Of
ticers had brought wonders thence, and
it was the dream of all bellies to possess
some stuff, some trlnket coming from
this Eden, 50 full OF the smoke Of fire
arms and the essence of roses.
st is in the Caucasus" said Alexis,
"that | have wished to live with YOU
you, so beautiful, so noble, 50 cour-
ageous." | was not at all courageous,
but then he did not know that. SIN
the midst of those mountains, in the
recesses of some valley shaded by great
oaks we could have lived happy, for
getting and forgotten. would have
spread the softest carpets beneath your
feet, p he trampled with disdain upon
q superb velvety Aubusson that had
cost me go francs per yard, but thought
much more of Persian carpets, natu-
rally--"I would have unfurled the en-
broidered silks of the east before you;
your queenly hands would have toyed
with necklaces of amber and pearl.
A ho inf ~, Ia
self, and turning toward me, "do you
know that what | have brought from
the Caucasus would furnish palace9'
l had heard of Count Alexis Crcas-
sian boudoir, but the owner of the bou
dor interested me sufficiently to have
prevented my curiosity from attaching
itself to what belonged to him.
II have heard of it," l said, absently.
He then began to enumerate his
riches to me; to dazzle my imagination
by description of the strange and
charming objects that filled his apart
ment; and when he saw how fascinated
was by his account, he said, with a
sigh:
"What is the use of speaking of it?
1t ought to be seem"
/ sighed instinctly, as an echo to
him, doubtless.
"But, Princess" cried my hero, sud-
denly, rs if waking from dream,
"why should you not go to see it?"
''Count!" replied /, Indignantly, with
secret pleasure, however, at being in
vited.
81 meant no HARM" he answered
with the most jesuitical air. 81 am
away from home all day. If you will
honor my trifles by deigning to look at
them, you may be quite sure that the
master of the house will not offend
your eyes by his presence"
But" answered l, devoured bv the
demon of curiosity and also, it must
be said, consumed with an ardent de-
sire to see the place inhabited by so
fascinating a mortal such a step
would compromise me-"
"You need not come by daylight"
said my tempter. "At night, toward s
o'clock, when it is dark, staircase
leading into the porte-cochere, will take
you directly to my cabinet without
passing under the eyes of the Suisse
who guards the staircase. My servants,
even, will hear nothing about it this
little KEY opens the door"
He handed me a key-such a key
The size Of a watch-sey, in chased gold
and ornamentea with rubies. That key
would have been the perdition of a
saint, such wonders did it promise. He
nlacpd II before mo. | kent silence