The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-08-21


was not that quite as good as the half
dozen countessos she read about in the
society columns of the papcrsp And
then the romance-alt although It would
be as well not to have it too widely
known; and II it wns money trouble,
were there not many hundred thousand
dollars belonging to the Burt-Robin-
sons, and but three to divide 1t amongp
Then Maurice was so handsome, and
played so grandly--only the sooner he
stopped playing the better. And SO
Miss Lillian dreamed and planned, sit
ting in faultlcss attitude in large
armchair, slowly nuttering her Wat
teau fan, while the breeze as softly 1ut-
tered her filmy draperies. Next to her
snt mamma, as dutiful and obcdicnt as
the American mamma usually Is in
families of the Burt-kobinson stamp,
and back of them tho French girl with
Gwendolen sprawled all over her lap.
The first time the eyes of Jeanne Lc-
fevrc and Roller had met, something
like an electric shock had passed be-
tween them. Jeanne had thought it
was hate, although it might have been
love, as the boundary line between these
two emotions Is not always clearly de-
fined. Jeanne's father had been an of
| ficcr in the French army, from Alsace,
and had been killed in the 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. Natur-
ally she hated him, and Roller, seeing
the fierceness of the hatred that famed
in her pretty face, had determined to be
revenged on her. He rad had his vic
tories and he said to himself that he
would make this black-browed French
girl yet give him q soft glance out of
her Southern eyes.
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
Robinson 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 ev-
everybody supposed to be penniless
German violinist, was beyond him. He
mistakenly fancied that titles without
money were not valued in this glorious
Republic; and having squandered all
that he could lay his hands on, and hav-
ing nothing but his violin at present be-
tween himself and starvation, he saw
no more reason why Lillian should de-
vote herself to his capture than to that
of the cornet, who was also remarka-
bly, good-looking young fellow But
Miss Lillian knew her game. Count
Rollers palace in Munich fixed it. She
would not in the least mind being
Countess Roller, and if the violin ep :
sode got out it could be treated as a
lark.
Miss Lcfevte, sitting far back, and
glowering darkly at the handsome
young German, rather amused Lillian,
until, in paroxysm of ill-temper ono
day, she remarked that she didn't be.
lievc Roller was Count mt all. Some.
thing like thrill of fear shot through
Lillian's heart. Suppose, after all hel
languishing and posing, the violinis
should turn out no more than the cor
netp But she reassured herself; sht
had Mr.. Prescott Fairbanks word fol
it, and when, after IL triumphal progres.
to Munich, gilded by the Burt-Robnsor
dollars, she burst upon New York in ,
blaze of glory as the Countess Mauric,
Roller, she would reap Il rich harves
for her penetration.
After while little rivulet of tall
began to trickle between the violinis
and the sofa whereon the Burt-Robin
son sat. Very deftly Roller would &c
the French girl in conversation. They
would talk about music in the pause
between the nocturnes and concertos
and Kollcr would, Inadvertently rs i
were, drop into French. This made
Jeanne tingle the first time he did so
When the music was over, and the peo
pie would stream out of the vast room
Roller got into the way of saunterine
along toward the Burt-Robinson cot
tage, and finally to sitting on the little
red and green porch. In vain Mrs
Burt-Robinson entrcated, almost wept
and pointed out to Lillian how necessary
it was for them to do like other people
and that Roller went to no other cot
tage. Pink and white Lillian had some
of that nerve and enterprise about hel
that had helped to make Josiah Bur
Robinson, ont of small beginnings, ont
of the greatest hardware men in New
York. The Van Santvoords and thu
Van der Trunks had made overtures t.
Roller ON the strength of the floating
reports, which day by day became crys
talized, about his superiority to his EN-
ployment, and of this Miss Lillian die
not fail to remind her mother. And so
with heart-burnings and anXieties ant
much gossip, Roller gradually becam,
an hdbitue of the Burt Robinson cot
tage.
For himself, he thought it much bet
ter to sit in the shade and watch Lillian
graceful white-robed figure swinging il
the hammock than to drink beer ant
play dominOes with the cornet Hi
whole soul was absorbed in one idea
to make money enough to get back t,
Germany creditably, and with an outfi
which would not reveal the straits t,
which he had been put after getting ri'
of the handsome allowance made hin
episode. Americans puzzled him, bu
this French girl he saw through easil
enough. She hated Germans; she lai,
her orphanhood, her poverty, he
changed position, all to tho Germans
and she fed her resentment on this cool
handsome young fellow. Roller adore
dark eyes, and Jeanne's glowed S
, charmingly when they rested on littl
Gwendolen, which was the only genuin
thing in the Burt-Rohinson family. b
{ slow degrees he got Jeanne to look a
him, and then gradually the fiercenes