Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-12-10
lerce battle with want and deatn. and

HerCe Ddttle WIN Wdnt anu uedpH, anu
not life you, delicate hot house flower,
might share with me. No, no; let me CO."
ne said, gently disengaging himself from
her embrace. Farewell, and be happy,
all of you'll"
With these words he disappeared, leav-
ing us all moved to the heart, and poor
Valentine sobbing disconsolately.
In Paris everybody still remembers the
dreadful scandal Count Waldhiem's sud-
den disappearance occasioned The scan
dial was, perhaps. the greater because the
count had left no debts unpaid. Such
conduct society judged to be preposter-
Gus, incomprehensible.
What business has man to run away
after paying all his debts, when by pay
ing half of them and cheating his credit
ors out of the rest, he could have gone on
living like gentleman! Two days later
the scandal mongers had new and still
more sensational topic to comment upon
Valentine Ghemar had broken all her
engagements and quilted Paris the same
night All the newspapers were full OF
romantic stories about this double disap-
pearance, till at last an enterprising re-
porter of The Figaro succeeded in ascer-
tanning that Count Waldheim had sailed
from Havre to New York and that Val
Gntine Ghemar had been on board the
same vessel Since then nobody had ever
heard from either of the fugitives; the
huge waves of Partisan life closed over
them, and in month both were forgot
ten.
This old story was revived in my mem
DRY by the sight of the majestic waiter in
a small New York wirthschaft. "What an
extraordinary resemblance" l thought;
"could it be possibleS" But laughed at
the bare suggestion that the brilliant,
dashing Count Waldheim could have
been transformed into ke!lner.
Presently this parsonage returned, bear
ing the bottle of wine l had ordered.
neatly wrapped up in napkin. While he
was uncorking it, an elderly gentleman,
apparently an habitue of the place, en-
tered the garden, and passing by the
waiter, tapped him Familiarity ON the
shoulder, saying: "How do you do to
night, Herr Baron2"
l started involuntarily ON hearing the
title, and again looked fixedly at the man.
The resemblance to Waldheim was per-
fectly wonderful
"Why do they call you Herr Raronsp
asked, while he was filling my glass.
at is joke, sir, of some of the friends
of the house," he answered, smiling dis
cretely: "they pretend that l look like a
baron"
mot like baron" retorted, staring
him straight in the face, "but very much
like count. Did you ever hear of q
Count Won Waldheim?"
He turned suddenly pale and his LAND
shook as he put the bottle down on the
table.
NO. sir" he answered with difficulty;
II never heard the name"
His discontinue, however, already be.
trayed him. So l rose, and stretching out
my hand to him, said in an undertone:
"Waldheim, don't you know me'"
"By al that is wonderful" he ex
claimed, "cap this really be you, 81
For heavens sake do not speak to me
herei Nobody knows me- And oh that
you should be the first to see me in such a
plight"
"My dear friendl" observed, "do not lei
this circumstances put you out in the
least. If one of us is to be pitied, it is l
/ am journalist"
Waldheim laughed, and said in more
cheerful tone:
"Well. am heartily glad to see you, all
the same. In half an hour we close here
VIII you then wait moment for ms
outside? We can have a talk about ole
times"
of course assented, and an hour Later
we were both established in snug corner
OF Third avenue oyster saloon in com.
pany of a bottle of champagne to which
the Herr Baron" had insisted on treating
me.
"And Valentine Ghemar, where is she?'
was my first question. "The papers said
at the time that you had gone off to
gether"
Mesquite in spite of me, however.
had not the remotest notion of the girls
escapade until she all of a sudden ap
peared on the ship when we were already
out of the harbor. Poor grill she was
madcap, but good loving soul"
"You speak of her in the past-is she
dead?"
"Worse," rejoined Waldheim, sorrow
fully? "she is married."
"Marriedp l echoed; 'is it possiblel To
whom3"
"To an Alsatian named Schmittberger,
a head clerk at one of the most important
breweries in the city,"
How very extraordinary all that
sounds" l exclaimed. "But now you
must make clean breast of it, my dear
fellow. Come, tell me all that has be-
fallen you on our glorious soil of lib
erty."
Waldheim filled both our glasses, and
began by reciting in lugubrious voice:
Infandum, regina, jules renovare do
loremi"
My career so far has not been glorious
one. have been alternately washer in
a public bath, street cleaner reporter
on a German paper, a boy on farm in
Jersey the people actually called me
boy and gave me the romantic name of
Jimmy, tramp, a sleeper in the parks,
and a car-driver. My last position was
that of sandwich l trotted up and
down Broadway clad as an Indian, with
great advertisement for Indian clubs
on my back, and another for some mi
raculous toothache drops on my breast. ]
was combination sandwich. Two eter-
prising minds had united their energies in
utilizing my back and front.
"Once l narrowly escaped becoming q
valet de chambre. That was after having
passed three nights in Madison park, An