The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-17
A MODERN KNIGHT.
By EVELYN THoRp.

the fact fantastic; call it absurd. But
as a fact it remains. Useless to talk to
Mignon, useless to approach her. She
has her ideas, her very foolish ideas.
You say that you fell in love with her
before you knew who she was. That
your passion has waxed warm and true,
even while you have never spoken to
her. That such a passion should be ro-
mantle enough to satisfy even her. | tell
you, no. Are you descended from some
Crusader2 Do you date back to the year
one thousand? No. You have no
glamor about you; you have no escutch-
con, to be gilded or otherwise. You are
plain Rob Beckwith, an unadorned Amer
lean. Love you for selfs You don't
know this young ward of mine. | can
give you 10 hope. Keep away. That is
my best advice"
This letter was directed, scaled, and
Mr.. Massey looked at it a moment before
sending it.
"Little fool Where would she find
such a husband as Rob2 But | care for
the boy too well to allow him to entangle
his affections for naught. She would
never have him. Better let him know
the truth from the first"
y 4
The band was playing and the wind
stirred softly in the ~acacias. The people
who had just sauntered out from the table
d hote of the Hotel du Nord wandered
leisurely to and fro. Little Miss Fitz-
gerald watched the whole foreign scene
gloomily, the cankerworm of home-sick-
ness eating out her heart as it had done
ever since the Umbria swung out of her
New York pier three months before. She
was sacrificing her own inclinations N
coming abroad to her niece, that adorably
pretty girl, whose eyes now rested on the
human Kaleidoscope before her with a
zest as keen as Miss Fltzgerald's lack of
interest was apparent.
But now Miss Fitzgerald said tenta-
lively.
"If your guardian-if Mr.. Massey
ome abroad in a fortnight, / suppose,
Mignon, he will prefer to return again
before the autumn2 Do you think you
would be willing to return with him, my
dearln
There was no reply, for a flush that
was like the reflection Of some sunset
cloud had suddenly dyed the girls lovely
check. A tall and dark-eyed young man
approached the chairs where the two la
dies sat.
stDo you know this young MANI
queried Miss Fitzgerald, struck b.
something insistent in the stranger
glance.
mo, aunt said Mignon, averting
her face.
But when the music was over and the
ladies arose, there 1oated toward them q
certain little cosmopolitan widow whose
acquaintance they had by chance made
III travelling.
Dear Miss Fitzgerald, | want, 7 cried
this lady, ito introduce a most charming
fellow to you-Count Holm. He speaks
Englishas well as you or /. Do let mi
make the introduction"
And before Miss Fitzgerald could fine
breath she had raised her hand beckon.
inglv, and the tall and dark-eyed youns
| man of half an hour before was bowins
to the ground before the little spinste
and her niece.
Count Holm proved worthy of the en-
slorsement given him. Even little Mis-
Fitzgerald, whose dread of foreigners
was ingrained and inveterate, was com
PEELED to admit that she had neve
supposed q German Count could be 81
nice.
@There arc times when he seems tt
me Just like one of our own young mel
at home,' observed the little lady In til,
course Of a few days.
ssHt does not seem that to me at all,
asseverated Mignon with unusual quick
Less. Anything but thatia
Her aunt turned her eyes upon her il
mild surprise. What had come owe
Mignon2 Prone to dreams and sun
dry e~xaitations such she had always been
But now there was something more
About the lines of her mouth and eye
there had come an intensity, ~Wistfulnes
and far-aWayness that had not been Their
before. She started at unexpected foot
sleeps. She flushed Or grew pale with
out visible reason. She studied German
poetry By the hour. Count Holm trans
lated its appealing sentiments for her i
amazingly faultless English-faultles
save for i very slight accent-and sh
listened with lowered eyelids and d fut
tering color in her cheek.
Her little aunts words REQUIRED to he
4 few days later AS she found hersel
walking with the young man through til
sun-flccked woods, up toward the 81,
castle that dominated the town from ii
shaded heights. All about them was
warm scent Of pine, and he was talkinl
slowly, softly, bending his graceful darl
head.
Long before I knew you / love-
you, ! hc was Saving, and though she tries
fecbly to stem the current Of this pre-
eipitious declaration, he continued:
You think these mad wordsa Tol
doubt my sincerity 4 know that Obi
american race Is slower and calmef Id II
affections that # repuaiates our Warme
passions md gives them nd faith. But
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