Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-11

deeply-set, violet, melancholy-loOking eyes; just
the sort of person to turn the head of a school
| GIRL My wife, 1t Is true, could no longer claim
place In the category OF Observation-Disclosures
| misses" but she was immensely charmed with
| him. She declared him to be a most gentle
manly and accomplished man. Personally. had
my doubts about the fellow. He described him
self as Ale, and talked. with kind of sob in
/ his voice about the Inisfortunes Of his country
| lie had fought against the tyranny of the Car
! he had suffered exile and imprsonment: he had
+ aided the Italians to throw off the Austrian
! yoke by taking part in Garibalds campaigns: in
| TACT. according to his own account, there were
/ few things in the way Of chivary and heroisrn
with which he had not somehow been con-
nected.
! Not that he boasted of his achievements in
/ coarse. Dragging fashion. they came out simply
ana naturally. one by one, in the course of con-
/ versatiOn My wife, too. was greatly impressed
/ by the notion OF his being count, and the last
unmarried scion of terribly ancient family
/ Heaven only knows when the first Laurowsk
/ saw light. but it was long before the first wear
of Our Lord Still to my mind. there was
| something 'ishy" about him. He was always
extremely well and carefully dressed never
/ knew his feet to be out of smart patent leather
boots-and he sang queer OutlanCish songs i'm a
/ superior style being gifted with an agreeable
| tenor voice He also played billiards with supe-
| nor skill-far too superior skill as | knew to
my cost. We began by knocking the balls about
! purely for the sake of the game but he gener-
| ally cOntrived to put little Interest" on it
| Just few napoleons, to cause little excite
| nent. and he generally won. after deludng me
/ INTO the insane belief that had only to get an
other stroke to cry victory.
| ''Ihe Count is going on to San Reno" said
| my wife to me one morning, as we sat at the
breakfast table in the Hotel d'Itae
| ''San Reno. that isn't far from Monaco, where
| That wicked gambling-house is
oh. Tom! l should like to go there above
all things. Do take me. ! am tired of this
| place. and the mud baths don't seem to be doing
me bit of good
! could quite believe this last statement, for
| did not put much credence in the efficacy of
| bodily ablutiOn in thick, dirty-lOoking water
on the part OF person whose health being ex-
CEMENT required no treatment of any sort. But
! gOing on to San Reno Or indeed, anywhere
! except back TO cur country home in England
was rather out of my program. November was
/ drawing nigh. and could not think the fields
| being in Stubble without yearnino for a ride
| with the hounds.
You know, my dear we are due home in
fortnight. l answered in my most conciliatory
tone.
'Oh. bother. There is no necessity to 90 back
this winter. OF just yet at all events Oh. Tom.
dear do So long to see what a real gambling
| house y like. You will take me- won't yOu?"
When wife not ordinarily given to complete
suoiniSsigeness attacks one in an imp!oring tone
I'LL resistance Is at an end. / sighed and Welded
consOhng myself with the reflection that after all
/ L VAS getting old, and rode fourteen stone and
tlat man who rides fourteen stone is r,Iiity Of
cruelty to animals If lie insists upon going hunt
Ing.
San Reno be it. said affecting a gavetv I
was in reality fur from feeling ..i'Il 90 and ask
l-a,lro"skl all about the place, the best hotel,
and SD FORTH
did 90 and ask Laurowski. The Count was
delighted at the idea OF not parting from us and
/ pronered MS services as guide and mentor with
! effusiOn.
My dear monsieur" he remarked. "you and
madame VIII like San Reno very very much
lt is sheltered it is warm. it is the best place for
TO spend your winter III, and it is not too expen-
| sive."
| The Count among his other virtues. smoke a
pretty broken English. and he also seemed to be
acquainted with every other living language
under the sun, he was of immense use to me.
who found the simplest French sentence puz-
| Zling exercise.
| 1t is in easy roisinnqe to Monaco" he con-
tinued. land quite neighbor to Mentone and
/ Koccaoruna. stay there and make Journeys to
the casino. Poland is dead; Garibaldi is asleep
at Caprera; l must have excitement, SO go to
| the gambling table"
where you'll pick up a fen hundred hounds
ii be bound, mentally added taking care.
! however. not to express my thoughts aloud
1t was arranged that we should start the dav
after the morrow. and We carried out our ar
reached IN due time and acting on Laurowski's
advice we put up at the Grand Hotel
/ Hheu the place very Wel-better than an
/ ticlpated- The Count had spoken the truth.
! san Keno was protected by an unbroken chain
! OF mountains. ana Its climate was OF the midest
/ Flowers were still in full bloom and there was
grateful abundance of citrOn and lemon trees
! Since conju~al devotion denied England to me-
lelt could be as happy here anywhere else
Inc hotel. too. was comfortable and nicely
{ | tt.,.lf g,
! my inclination toward drinking beer at nv din
ner should have been still more content Eli
I quette. however. vetoed such breach of good
/ manners at q fashionable table dhOte and | was
lain to qucnch my thirst with Indifferent wine
at unheard of prices. Nevertheless the omnis-
clent LauroWski succeeded in discovering GER
tam ldfettt't0 vintage. which tickled agreeabIy
! my palate and was not too expensive, so that
/ TO my wiies intense satisfaction | began to
/ grunble little less
We also made acquaintances. and were no
/ longer wholly dependent upon the Count for
| company. The head-watcr of the Grand Hotel
with the well authenticated sagaclty of head
walters in general, arranged our seats at the
dinner table SO as to face those of couple of
Americans. a lady and gentleman, and father and
| daughter. as soon found out
The old northumberland for the matter of
that. he was not particularly old, being about
my own age-was tall. lean man of distin-
| guisned appearance. His daughter was q pretty
! girl OIL the dazzling American type. She changed
her dress-or seemed to me to change it-eyery
two hours, and where she managed to get all
! her variety OF costumes FROM or how she con-
! tryed to carry such an extensive wardrobe about
with her from place to place was mystery as
/ deep as any OF the Eleusinian.
| Their name was Rogers: John Newby Rogers.
Ainurcan citizen. and Clara Rogers and they
had crossed the Atlantic from their native home.
Boston. Mass. for the purpose of doing .Eu-
/ rope Lord. how they had done" it too, In
fortnight they had traversed Germany and seen
ali that was worth seeing: Paris had been the
work OF twenty-four hours and three weeks had
lamlllarized them with Italy from its geogra-
! phlcal toe to its geographical heel They were
no" Testins,or should rather say panting-at
San Reno. where they proposed to winter be-
! fore invading England in the spring. and inter-
viewing the ''Britsher." / was told that Mr..
Rogers was man Of unlimited means and his
dauShter-an only chd-therefore an heiress
l.auroWski pricked up his ears when he heard
/ the information, and Immediately adjourned to
the nearest loOking-glass on a mission of per-
sonai inspection. never saw a man make such
frantic attempts to prove agreeable as he did
/ that day at dinner and the worst of it was. too
that he succeeded. Miss Rogers seemed charmed
with him. as indeed what girl wouldn't with
man ooasting OF such pair of eyes. such trim
: beard and such court cons wayc2