The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-29

VlIOukAS NO WAh IhbuSTm CL0V0k anu luU6Cu-
NOUS, bat 80 learned, later on, that hs ~.
rich. and that to cheap sailor hat and
faded shawl we're part Of his pose.
"Fren chnsn. whatever you may ray
against them, arc never snobbish.'' I an
you hear them talk about their money!"
mo. Just rs in England i is bad taste to
talk Of ones religion. Money ID their re-
ligion, you know"
It was our first winter in the south. The
spell Of the Riviera was over as. The lazy
days orspt by, filed with the scent Of VIC
let's, the warmth OF sunshine. the mAgni6-
cent panorama Of the %littoral. Our nights
we're devoted to c%otillons, but I never could
remember afterward what we did during
those sunny days. Our poet was omnipre-
sent. Before the midday d%ejeuner hewould
lun down to the harbor to see the English
yachts come in or out, or stroll with us to
tho flower market and come back with our
arms full Of mimosa, anemones and yiolets.
But 1t was at night, when we went to dance
at one of the villas or one of the hotels,
that M. Rene was in his element. Even
your pessir1istic Frenchman will valse-if
you give him the chance. He danced madly,
brsathlessly, abominally, but as leader Of
cotillons our poot was quite unap-
proaehable. His tact, his inease, his
gRyety, were admirable. How easily we
amused ourselves during those winter
nights! Tbs drives back, after the ball,
along the bay. packed into the small hotel
ribbons and 1owers-the spoils Of this even
ing-while a large white moon lit up the
coast, and the pink and yellow villas were
hushed for. the night, among the orange
trees and palms. How pleased Nj. Rene
looked, whom | had more tinael favors and
begun to assume hit . airs of semi-proprie-
torship which were quite amusing. think
he already suspected mo of cherishinQ a
hopeless tenderness for him. At the oarni-
val, Nj. Rene wrote a madrigal and had it
printed on blue and pink leaflets, which he
from his Roman triumphal car. Theirs
was = pleasing fatuity about that
composition which made me thoughtful
for a week. Not that 1 alone was
was suspected of inclininR my eyes in our
poets direction. No one, however unlikely,
was safe. from the stout, elderly landlady
to the youngest SCHOOL girl in the hotel.
We were one and all supposed to take q
tender interest in his proceedings. But I
never realized this quite until the night of
the tableaux WANTS. Afterward I fancy
nj. Rene was convinced | was hopelassly in
love with him.
He was invaluable in our entertainment.
We did it all between US, hs and l, and it
involved the sending of a dozen of notes;
weird little missiveR. written half in French,
half in English, which were sufficiently be-
wlldering at first; "Merei, dear friend, de
votrs amabilite. C'est dono convent? Vous
me pretez une queue, OF je serai une bette
d'hui a quatre heures. II = aura du the.
lln seriez vous dc la petite fete. Very faith
fully yours, RENE LEvAssEUR.'
Like most ~Frenohmen, he had no self
consciousness (the absence of this defect
was made mp for, ! snpYess, by an exaggsr-
rA.1 m~r~~ - Nal I'D H. l-1 --.
objection to making himself a false stom-
ach with two or three sofa cushions than he
had to putting IN = false nose or running
about on all-fours. As the Beast" indeed,
he was delightful, wearing my new sable boa
as a tail and wooing Beauty in the per-
son Of orr ~ingenue, with quite irrepressible
ardor. In our "Pierroi" scenes, too, he was
taking my infdslities Gas Pier
rette) with the prsttiest grace in the world.
The whole thing Was quaint, ~artistic, de-
lightfnl. N. Rene was the hero of the ball
followed.
We were to leave the next day.
The morning broke gray and stormy, and
the pebbles on the beach az I sat in tho
hotel garden, tired after our late night.
had insisted on remaining up
stairs to superintend the packing.
Presently something dark fell in my lap.
It was boquet Of votivs %violota. while III.
: 4hV0 nv 0l Ou6A WlHuOW |
above me announced to me my aasailant.
"Comment-toute seule?" In a moment
A leg appeared over the balcony, something
bounded ost and M. Rene was bowling low
in front of me.
'Pauvre Miss Mareueriter' he mur-
"Why poor Miss Marguerite?" I say in a
loud tone and with some acerbity.
l always answered him IN english. Tho
fienoh tongue is not my strong point, but
when l speak my native language to a for
eiPnsr | always shout.
'Vons vous en- allez-comme ca, en- An
glcterr6, C'est 81 triste-la bas."
ooh. MO. it isn't. We are going back to
1ha London season, You know. We manage
% amuse ourselves over there, although you
n imagine it, immersed Is We are in the
3utsr Darkness
And then NJ. Rene told me OF his hopes Of
! visit to London some day. when tho
stormy waters of the channel shoald have
enough for him to venture on the
Wild and desperate journey. He told mo
'f the experiences of a friend of his in
London, of a fortnight spent At a Ftenoh
1otel near Leicester square; OF the hidsosi-
lies OF the English Sunday, of the fiat
boots of les danes. OF the equally
lne1citing conversational efforts OF les
nessieurs; ell the prejudioes and precon
which tho Partisan packs MP in his
ottmanteau on leaving Paris and retains
intact ON his return to his beloved capital,
1T isn't half bad. all the same" I said.
The wind had dropped and the sun was
turning the sea pines to a delicate
silver. The day-our hnal day
TO be fine after all.
Blu ii was time to 20. We were not,
However. to leave in the ordinary and CON-
way, in q hotel omnibus and an
xprsss train, but a large party Of people
.ers to drive Ms In brakes and carriages TO
he Italian frontier. and we were 10 all dino
oRsther Mt VentimigliR before We went to
ssnoR.
Rene Levasseur sat close behind me- IN
he brake, and whispered rsa.surinply into
~ car as We dashed along the mountain
Dad, with he Mediterranean spread out
Glow US and the rocky heights 10 the left.