The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-09-14
WOOlNG BY PROXY.
A Pretty Love Story Well Told.

A Pretty Love Story Well Told.
She is leaning back i'm deep crimson
chair. with waite dress sweeping in
long shining folds abou: her She is
talking To two ~ three men with that
rather weary grace he has grown accus-
.omcd To see III her, and which is SO
different from the JOYOUS smiles OF the
Jeanne de Htaujen whom he loved SO
long ago. He il watching her from the
opposite side of the salon Is lac stands
beside his hostess, and tells himself
that il i for the last time. lie is going
to her presently, and he knows just how
,uldly She will raise the dark eyes that
once never met his without contest
that she loved him. He knows just
what hc will say and what she viii M
Swcr, and there is no need for haste in
this las! scene Gf i;is tragedy.
"a man should know when he is
beaten Ia is thinking. while he smiles
VAGUELY in reply /" Mime. de SnuirS
There is more slup.d-
ity than courage III not accepting a de-
i"at while there is yet time 10 retreat
with some dignity, For six weeks
have shown her. with n direc!ncsS that
has, dare say, been amusing TO our
mutual friends. that after ten Years
absence my only object in returning To
Paris is her soficiv. Sine cannot avoid
meeting me in public, but she has stead
lily refused 10 see me when call upon
her, orio permit me a word with her
alone. | have been u fool to forget
that all these wears in which regretted
her, she has naturally dcspiscd me, but
nj lcaS, il is not just of her To refuse me
Il hearing" The moment he has been
waiting for is come. The little court
about her diSprrscS, until there is but
one man beside her, and she glanceS
around with look of mild appeal
against tie continuance of his society.
DE PaiiSsicr has escaped from his
hostess in an instant, AMI the next he is
with the faintest suspicion
of Il trcmor in his voice. ..Will Nine. dc
Aliramon permit me- Il dancc?'
Thanks. NJ. dc Palissier, but / am
not dancing this evening"" she replies,
with exactly the glance and tone he ex-
poets.
"Will madame give me Il few mo-
mcnts' serious conversations" and this
time the uemor is distinct. for even the
Iinc!ecnth-ccntury horror OF melodra-
ma cannot keep Il mans nerves quite
steady " hen !.c is aSk!n" u question on
which his whole future depends.
''Onc does not come to balls for Sc
rious conversation she begins
lightly.
where may come, then?" he in.
terrupLs eagerly.
Nowhere. There is no need for Sc
rious conversation between us, Nj. de
Palissicr." She replies. hanghtily. and
rising, she tal.os the arm OF the much
edited gentleman beside her, and moves
away.
1t is all he has prophesed TO himself,
and yet for y moment the lights swim
dizzily before him. and the passionate
sweetness of that Strauss waltz the band
is playin" Stabs his heart Ike Il knife.
For Il moment he does not realize that
he Is standing quite motiOnlcss, gazing.
with despair in his eyes. after Mime. dc
Miramon's slender, whitc-clad figure,
and that two or three people, who have
seen and heard, are looking at him with
that amused pity which sentimental
always inspires in the spec
taiorS.
Some one touches his arm presently
With her fan. and with u start he comes 10
himself anu recognizes Lucille dc Beau
en-, the young sister of Nine. tie Mira
non, whom he remembers years ago As
child, and with whom he has danced
several times this winter.
and our waltz. MONSIEUR" she asks
.aylv. .bo not tell me that you have
orgotten il. That is evident enough.
,ut Won should not admit it.
Mile parlons. mademoiselle," he
hurricdly.
IL am very good tonight" she says,
putin" her hand on his mechanically
extended arm. Though the waltz is
ralf over, there is still time for you to
ret lie IN ice.
So they make their way through the
salon. sine talking lightly and without
for :,rcply. while he. vaguely
grateful To her ful eXlricatinr him from
N awkward position. wonders also that
hc should care To he so KNIT To man
yhom her sister had treated with such
marked dislike.
The reircshmcnt room is almost
.mptv. and she seats herself and mo-
ions him To Il chair beside her. when he
Ias brought her an ice.
"Do you think. Nj. le Marquis, that
{ was only To eat ices with you that |
AVE forced my society SO resolutcly
lpon you,' she asks, with look Of
very rare on her bright CO.
lu''iiiSh face.
Il think you IN angel of compassion
!" I'm old friend of your childhood, Mile.
lucille
ait was compassion, but more for
ny sister than for you, she says grave
y.
Your sister, he echoes, bitterly.
1T has not occurred to me that Nine.
L. Miramon is in need of compassion.
and yours is too sweet to be wasted
..Chut, monsieur she interrupted.
Forget that am rs fond of pretty
speeches aS most young women, and
link of me only as Jeanne dc Mira
mons sister, who believes that much
rs she loves her, YOU love her even
more
For the second time this evening DE
Paiissier forgets possible observers.
and clasps both the girls slender hands
in his. rs he mnrmurs unsieadily, God
bless YOU.
You forget that we have an audi
encc, monsieur" she SAYS, withdraw
inc her hands quickly, but with Il smile
Of frank comradeship. Il have story
10 tell You and not much time to tell it
in. Years ago, when Jeanne left her
convent on becoming fiancee TO nj. de
Miramon. she met you at her first ball.
and YOU loved each other. 1t was very
foolish, for you were cadet OF your
house. and only Il sous-leutenant, and
Jeanne had not sou. so both the fam
lies were furious; but all would have
ended us well as fairy tale it you had
been reasonable. Jeanne met you time
alter time i'm secret, and promised any
amount of patience, but she would not
run away and marry you in defiance of
her parents; so you tOrmented her with
doubts, and shamed her with suspi-
cions until she dreaded those secret
meetings almost rs much as she longed
for them. At last, after making more
violent quarrel than usual, you eXchang-
ell from your regiment at Versailles to
one i'm Algiers, and left her no refuge
from the rcproaches Of our father and
mother but to marry M. dc Miramon.
lie might have refused to marry her af-
~, A. 90 r;,,., kar onnfacs az cha did that