San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-05
SQUARE Inch.

ing with him his wife, / cannot say that
was much prepossessed by the appearance Of
the viscountess She was undeniably pretty,
and welcomed me with infinite courtesy and
cordiality. But, early in the day though it
was, her cheeks were rouged and her eyes
artistically shaded with black. Her yellow
head, too, never owed its canary plumage to
the hand of nature She had fine dark eyes,
however, and a very small waist, though she
was inclined otherwise to embonpoint Her
hands were large, and the nails irregular and
i'll shapen. l made up my mind as l looked at
her that my friend the viscount had probably
contracted a rlesalliance. a fSct that would
account for the peculiarities OF his
abode. ! noticed, too, the same incon-
gruity about the lady's dress that l had
observed in the furniture of the draw.
ing room Her costume was composed OF
cheap and snowy materials, such an affair as
can be purchased for fifteen or twenty dol
lars in one of the great dry goods shops Of
Paris at the close of the season But at her
throat she wore, in the guise of brooch, an
exceedingly beautiful antique miniature set
in pearls, and at one side of her waist hung
suspended a chatelaine and watch, enameled
with design of roses and cupids in the best
style of the reign of Louis XIV; and on the
not very shapely hand that she extended to
me in greeting sparkled a curious and valu-
able ring, an engraved emerald in setting
of gold leaves and pearls that was altogether
unique and admirable.
She was very cordial and gracious in her
manner to me, insisting upon my staying to
lunch with her and the viscount. This invi-
tation, however, | declined, limiting my
claims on the hospitality of my new friend
by requesting him to lend me an umbrella,
which, by the way, sent back to him by the
parcels post the very next day. The viscount
insisted on my coming into the dining room
to look at some rare old china that had, he
said, belonged to his greatgrandfather, and
whilst in that apartment | was once more
struck with the singular incongruity that
reigned among his household possessions.
The table was laid for lunch, and | could not
refrain from noticing that while the glass
was of The commonest and the table linen of
the coarsest description, the silverware-that
is to say, the salt cellars and the forks-was
of antique and artistic make, and extremely
beautiful
After had admired my hosts ceramic
treasures to the full took my departure
The rain had ceased, and when the front
door was opened a noisy group Of chickens
CdillS GuS SGSpo SAptSGiuS w 10
| fed
"Ah, the troublesome creatures" cried the
viscountess ."My husband pets them SO
much that they are utterly spoiled; and he
| is so tender hearted that he cannot bear to
| give me permission to have one of them
killed"
"You must come back to see US in the
spring." chimed in her husband. 81 am in
60, - ,,rtD fl,o%
expect to secure by that time, and shall
be pleased to show them to you"
So | went off in search of the bric-a-brac
shop that had been the original cause of my
visit to Compiegne. | found it without diff
! Guilty, made some purchases, and returned to
Paris. A few days later Mrs. Gray and
left for an extended tour through Italy,
which lasted till late in the following spring
am never great hand at reading foreign
papers, contenting myself usually with those
that are forwarded from America, with a
glance at Galignani's Messenger from time to
time, so / was quite behindhand with French
news when we got back to Paris | had
| picked up some curious things and some gen.
uine antiquities, to add to my collection, in
Venice, Rome and Naples, and after | had
made the tour of the second hands shops on
the Rue de Provence it occurred to me that
might as we'll go down to Compiegne, to
see if the old dealer whose acquaintance
had made in the autumn had anything new.
carried out my project, and after had con-
Guided my inspection and my purchases
found that there was still an hour to elapse
before the departure of the express train for
Paris. low should | kill time in the mean
while' | am of rather impatient DISPOSE.
l.
railway station waiting for the arrival or
the starting of the cars. Suddenly a bright
thought struck me- | would go to see my
friend the viscount, and SO dispose pleasantly
of the superf1uous time.
reached the house very speedily, as it
Was not very far away, but it was shut up
and seemed totally deserted Even the
fowls that the viscount could not bear to
heve killed had disappeared from the garden.
| But what struck me as very curious was,
that groups of gazers came and went contin-
ually, to stare at the outside of that very
commonplace abode, murmuring and whis-
pering among themselves as they looked at
it. | was just about to take my departure,
when | was joined by an alert looking young
man, note book and pencil in hand who in
PRODUCED himself to me as an American, and
the Paris correspondent of The Western
World of Chicago.
IAN American like myself, sir, I see,"
quoth my young fellow countryman. 81
have come down to take look at the house
Curious looking place-yery homely and
quiet to have been the scene of such murder
Gus plots and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. you think
| sof'
"What plots and what murdersa' I asked