The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-25

dreamed and planned, sitting in a fault
less attitude in a large-arm chair, slowh
fiuttering her Vatican fan, while th,
breeze as softly fiuttered her tilmy drap
cries. Next to her sat mamma. as duti
fnl and obedjent as the American mann
ma usually is in families of the Burt
Robinson stamp, and back of them the
French girl with Gwendolen sprawled
all over her lap.
The first time the eyes of Jeanne Le
feyre and Roller had met, something like
an electric shock had passed between
them Jeanne had thought ii was hate
although il might have been love, as the
boundary line between those two emo
tions is not always clearly defined.
Jeanne's father had been an officer in
the French army, from Alsace, and had
been killed in sortie from Metz; and
Roller had actually belonged TO the
| army of occupation, and had spent two
years in garrison at Strasburg, as she
found out in some way. Naturally she
hated him, and Roller, seeing the fierce
ness of the hatred that famed in her
pretty face had determined to be re-
venged on her He had had his Victories,
and he said 10 himself that he would
make this black Drowned French girl yet
give him soft glance out of her south
ern ewes.
He had a way of looking at her-ten-
derly, intently-that exasperated her
He played at her, things she knew, full of
sentiment and longing, that made her
yearn to box his ears. And yet he was
so stealthy about it He saw what every
body saw, what filled Mrs. Burt-Rob-
inson with anguish, that Lillian was
making what is vulgarly and with vul-
garity called a dead set at him. Why
he could not imagine. Why any girl ON
earth, with Lillian's beauty, her youth,
and her money should want TO marry
man whom everybody supposed to be Il
penniless German violinist, WIS beyond
him. He mistakenly fancied that titles
without money were not valued in this
glorious republic; and having squander-
ed all that he could lay his nands on,and
having nothing but his violin at present
between himself and starvation,
he saw no more reason why Lillian
should devote herself to his capture than
to that of the cornet, who was also a re-
markably good looking young fellow.
but Miss Lillian knew her game. Count
Rollers palace in Munich fired it. She
would not in the least mind being Coun-
tess Roller, and if the violin episode got
out, it could be treated as lark.
Miss Lefevre, sitting far back, and
glowering darkly at the handsome young
German, rather amused Lillian, until. in
a paroxysm of ill-temper one day, she re-
marked that she didn't believe Roller
was count at all.
Something like a thrill of fear shot
through Lillian's heart Suppose, after
all her languishing and posing, the vio-
linist should turn out to be no more than
the cornet? Bnt she reassured herself;
she had Mr. Prescott Fairbanks word
for it, and when, after a triumphal pro-
gress to Munich, gilded by the Burt
Robinsons dollars she burst upon New
York in blaze of glory as Countess
Maurice Roller she would reap the rich
harvest of her penetration.
After while a little rivulet of talk be-
gan to trickle between the violinist and
the sofa whereon the urt-Robinsons sat.
Very deity Roller would get the French
girl in conversation. They would talk
about music in the pauses between the
nocturnes and concertos, and Roller
would, inadvertently as it were, drop into
French. This made Jeanne tingle the
first time he did 50. When the music
was over, and the people would stream
out of the vast room, Roller got into the
way of sauntering along toward the Burt
Robinson cottage, and finally to sitting
on the little red and green porch. In
vain Mrs Burt Robinson entreated, al
most wept, and pointed out TO Lillian
how necessary il was for them 10 do like
other people, and that Roller went to no
other cottage. Pink and white Lillian
had some of that nerve and enterprise
about her that had helped to make JOS
iah Burt Robinson, out of small begin
nings. one of the greatest hardware men
Van der Trunks had made overtures TO
Koller on the strength of the floating re-
ports, which day by day became crystal |
lied, about his superiority to his en-
ployment, and of this Miss Lillian did |
not fail to remind her mother. And 80, |
with heart-burnings and anxieties and |
much gossip, Roller gradually became an
ha6itae of the Bur, Robinson cottage.
For himself, he thought it much bet
ter to sit in the shade and watch Lillian's |
graceful white-robed figure swinging in
the hammock than to drink beer and 1
pIay dominOes with the cornet. His |
whole soul was absorbed in one idea-to |
make money enough to get back to Ger
many creditably. and with an outfit |
which would not reveal the straits to |
which he had been put after getting rid |
ofthe handsome allowance made him
for his tour Jeanne Lefevre was an
episode. Americans puzzled him, but
this French girl he saw through easily |
enough. She hated Germans; she laid |
her orphanhood. her poverty, her chang |
ed position, all to the Germans, and she |
fed her resentment on this cool. hand |
some Young fellow. Roller adored dark |
ewes. and Jeanne's glowed so charningly (
when they rested on little Gwendolen.
which was the only genuine thing in the |
Burt Robinson family. BY slow degrees
he got Jeanne To look at him, and then |
gradually the fierceness melted ont of
her face: and when she smiled she was |
beautiful The first time she answered |
his glance, as he sat playing Chopin in
the half light, Roller felt that he had
won hard fought battle.
1t was getting late in the season: sum
mer had uttered her mysterious Hush
before she takes her flight; there were
but few people left at the Brandon House,
when late one afternoon, Roller and Lii
lian. sauntering along met Miss Lefevre.
Gwendolen, for once was not with her. !