Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-22
labeled: this side up, with care" a

touch would damage YOU"
3 'And you look as if YOU had put on
your clothes with pitchfork, said De
Sarde. ''Still the carelessness suits
you. All you Englishmen dress
clumsily. And you're more ugly and
monstrous than most.''
Then they both laughed: for both
were very handsome men, in their
different styles; SO that such tests were
not dangerous.
ST say" began Langdon.
But De Sarde put up his hand. with
an appealing gesture.
"Don't say it," he shuddered. ssYou
mean to be energetic about somethino-
and my nerves won't stand that. Sit
down and keep quiet, if you can. By
the way, l have seen her-she was
passing through the hall; thorough
American type of woman, and that's a
very graceful one. I'm quite satisfied
with her appearance.
81 say" cried Langdon, again, 1--WE
did beastly thing, last night, in laying
that wager-I'm ashamed of it,
''You mean, I suppose, that you
are certain to lose your thousand
pounds!" returned De Sarde, jeeringly.
"You can't get off a bet on any such
grounds, my young friend"
"Sonebody ought to thrash US both,''
said Langdon. swell, don't let's talk
about it, or we shall QUARREL
''No, we will not do that. But
remember, / hold you to your wager"
replied De Sarde. "Don't forget it.
81 shan't forget" growled Langdon.
"But II ever 1 make another of the
kind, about a woman, hope"
He broke off suddenly; and De
Sarde, who had begun to laugh, followed
the direction of his eyes. Two ladies
were coming around the corner of
path which led to the summer-house,
from the opposite direction to that by
which Langdon had approached few
moments before.
One was a handsome, elderly lady,
with beautiful snow-white hair and
animated black eyes. She was tall and
stately, with strength and vigor that
made the slender, delicate creature
who walked beside her look fairly
fragile by contrast. Langdon knew at
once that they must be the widow and
her companion. .-..-.
De Sarde had risen; and as the ladies
reached the open front of the arbor he
lifted his hat. Langdon mechanically
initiated his gesture. The strangers
slightly returned the salute, and then
passed on.
"By Jove!" muttered Langdon, as
the pair disappeared. elf they'd been
a little nearer, she'd have heard
"She would only have been fattered.
Nineteenth century women like that
Sort of thing-Americans, especially"
answered the Count. s'What do you
think of herp''
"Nothing-hadn't time,' replied
Langdon, Grossly, and turned away;
for he felt that if he remained another
moment, he would inevitably quarrel
with the Count. go s..
All that day he thought of the widow.
1t was not her beauty that had struck
him so much; indeed, he told himself
that she was barely pretty. But she
looked SO delicate, 80 refned-one of
those creatures who need protection,
such as one would give child-that it
seemed gross and horrible to have
made her the subject of coarse wager.
He was angry at himself, and he re-
manned so ali day.
To De Sarde the day was, on the
contrary, very agreeable one. Some
mutual acquaintance presented him to
Mrs. Rushton; and he was received
with marked favor.
81 met your cousin, Madame de
Noailles, in London, this spring." she
said. "She promised me that, if en-
countered you, you would make your
self nice and agreeable. 1 hope YOU
mean to do it.. -
eff only can be fortunate enough
to find the way" he answered, bowling
low.
"Oh! that is easy" she added,
smiling. 81 like to be taken care of,
and waited on, and coaxed. Now Mrs.
Devereux thinks I am not dignifed;
and, oh dear, 1 don't know how to be.
I say everything that comes into my
head, and 1 believe everything that
people tell me; and the more try to be
q fine lady, and q woman of the world,
the more 1 can't. I'm thinking seri-
ously of giving all my money to con-
vent and being nun. Only should
want them, in that case, to make me
the Superior. Don't laugh, please;
I'm quite serious about it,
Though she talked nonsense, she did
it with nairete which had a great
charm. 1t was so evident, too, that she
was not silly, that De Sarde, at first,
decided she had adopted that role
as the one suited to her appearance;
but before two days had elapsed he
had given up this idea, and had come
to believe her to be as unsophisticated
as she seemed.
Before week elapsed she was the
idol of the whole house. Strange to
say, the women were as fond of her as
the men. AS for CASTOR de Sarde, he
was the most astonished French |
man that ever trod the earth; for he
that she was taking hold
upon him that no woman had ever done
before. She fisttered him; piqued
him; leased; coaxed; tormented him.
He was for the first time in his life |
seriously in love. But of all absurd
things, the most absurd, the most un-
he said to himself, was for a |
man to love his own wife. In such |
case, he was sure to become the wo- |
mans victim; certain to be deceived |
and deluded somehow. "Yet would |
marry her Man Diesf - ha said tn him.