Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-02-17

4
me-" she went on. a little hurriedly, Gin.
troduce you to Lord Darnleigh, though it
is scarcely necessary, !" turning to the young
| nobleman
Scarcely" said he, smiling, and hold
ing out his hand instead of the formal
DOW since everyone knows Colonel Beau.
regard wonder if you are half as glad
TO be home again as we are to see you hereY'
| Ihanks," said Max, ''for the last assur-
ance. am sure we have all good cause to
IKE returning 10 Old England, for the sake
OF lhe warm welcome we get everywhere"
1ou viii have TO be a little merciful on
other fellows. said Lord Darnleigh, laugh.
ing We are nowhere with the ladies
now. The old cNse is reversed, and the
Egyptians are despoiling the IsraelitesI'
"Ah'' retorted Beauregard, but we
nave TO make up for lost time. For nine
months and more you have had the field all
to yourselves"
m afraid you have the best of it, and
am not ashamed TO surrender to soldier
who has compelled surrender from hun
dreds,' said Lord Darnleigh, bowling
Miss Herbert, they are forming now
Shall we join them."
Colonel Beauregard bowed, and turned
away, and Valerie and her partner Joined
| the dancers.
| was Valerie changed to him." Max
| Beauregard asked himself again and again,
while he talked to his partner-a pretty
countess, who would ask questions about
| the campaign.
Her greeting had chilled him TO the
heart, though he had thought he had
! schoolei himself to be fully prepared to
find great difference between the limo
cent child he had left and the prOtcge of
wealthy Mrs. Langley-the dina of the
! London season.
The result proved how impossible it is
| for worldly wisdom to thoroughly prepare
us for the casting down of an idol True.
Valerie had seemed pleased to see him, but
no more than if he had been an acquaint
ance of the season; and there was some
thing conventional in both the matter ana
manner of her answers to his first words
to her that Jared like false chord on the
mans whole being. In his bitter pain he
hardly remembered how comparatively
cold his own greeting had been. Was
what he had heard of Valerie true? His
brief experience seemed to cast a sinister
light on the statements which he had tried
to believe greatly exaggerated. Was she
learning too surely the lesson taught her
by precept and example, that hearts We're
| nothing the scale against diamonds He
seemed to her the experienced Mayfair
campaigner
| with a little hoard of maxims preaching down
daughters heart
| Preaching, maybe, to willing listener.
Valerie was but a child; 1t would be strange
indeed if she had withstood the over
whelming influence of her surroundings;
if she had not been make giddy by the
height of the pinnacle on which she was
placed. Be it remembered that Max Beau
| regard had not seen enough of Valerie to
enable him to fathom her nature; but his
passionate love for the girl fought against
| the miserable doubt that oppressed him.
He would not-nay, he could not-judge
her hastily. Time and opportunity would
show whether she was indeed change |.
DO you admire that girl III pale pink,
| Colonel Beauregard?' asked the Countess
as she sat eating an ice, her companion
| standing by.
''She has just passed by with Dallas Of
ours? Yes, very much. Who is she?''
Amy Linwood- She and Valerie Her.
bert are great friends"
Beauregard looked with more interest
after Miss Linwood.
| SecLl W huON llle NAME, lie observed.
"They are friends of Mrs. T.angley's
Mrs. Linwood is a charming woman, am
told. All! there is Miss Herbert dancing
| with Mr.. LawfOrd. How badly he dances
and how perfectly she doesl A splendid
match"
81 thought you said it was bad one"
For life mean, you tiresome fellOw!''
| ut is a match, them"
| t'Wal1 I hnliaH-n
and he might marry peers daughter if
he chose. Lady Stonend tried very hard
to get him for one of hers; so did the March
could be peeress; but Aston Lawford can
buy up most of US. So l suppose she has
become reconciled to the iron.'
| Didn't she like it at first.'
The countess laughed.
mo; used to call him the iron man, so
| I have heard. / dare say you think it mira
dig, with your military prejudices; and
you Beauregards are as proud as High
! landers?"
! II am content to plead guilty; but as to
Mr. Lawford, apart from the iron, my
brother knows him better than l do. | be-
| lieve met him once"
| "And that is the cool way you talk of q
man worth millionsl-at any rate over a
million-for whom all the girls and young
widows are pulling caps.'
Il am sorry to be so old-fashioned. lam
afraid one gets rusty campaigning; for in
| field and camp one is apt to reckon man
for what he is, and not what he has"
Now. Colonel, you are sarcastic, and
| you certainly are old-fashioned. Give me
| your arm and let us walk through the
| rooms. l won't discuss the money ques-
! ton with you any more; for you talk like a
| Bayard, and make me feel ashamed of my
self"
An hour later Valerie sat alone for the
first time that evening. She had begged her
| partner to leave her; her head ached, she
| said; she must keep quiet for few minutes;
| but, in truth, she felt as if she could not
! bear much more; she was almost dizzy
| with the agony of her mind. She longed,
| with wild, desperate longing, to get away
| away anywhere, free from the crowd, the
| gaze of curious eyes, the meaningless chat
| ter, the lights, the music-away by her
| self, alone and in darkness, to weep her
heart out. 1t would be some relief, at
| least, to be able to drop this horrible mask
! of smiles and merriment
Someone passed through the door by
| which she sat, and paused close to her.
| She had not heard the step-it was lost
| amid the beat of the band and the steps of
| the dancers-but she knew whose it was,
! and her breath seemed to ebb away like
| the breath of a dying woman, and she saw
| and heard nothing; but she needed no out
| ward sense to know that Max Beauregard
| was near her. Yet she did not turn her
| head to lOok-did not even move, as though
she had been unaware of his presence.
| Miss Herbert he said, gently, and her
start was not all feigned. Miss Herbert,
| aloneT'
| For, with sickening rush of memory,
she came back to the ballroom at Don
nington-so Beauregard had come up to
| her as she sat apart and spoken to her al
! most the same words.
But tone and manner then and nowi
| How the difference wrung her hearth The
| old, sweet touch of tenderness gone; that
something which recognized the dawning
womanhood, yet saw the child. Had a few
months so changed her?-so altered their
| relationss
| But this, which showed her so clearly
| she was nothing to him more than friend
| If indeed SO much-gaye her greater
strength to guard her secret.
With pretty shrug she answered him,
| just glancing round.
| 1T is a treat to be alone sometimes-and
l was tiredl''
Again the stab, so straight and keen that
| he could not for nor1aaur sneak