Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-02-09
MARRIED TO A COUNT
WHY DO AMERICAN WOMEN SEEK
FOREIGN HUSBANDS?

FOREIGN HUSBANDS?
Here Is True story of How One Beauti-
full, Refined and DelicnteIy Reored Dung
Woman Was Treated ny Her Distin-
guished Husband in ItaIy..
Miserable indeed is the mess of pottags
for which American girls are continually
selling their birthright-that Difference, and
even reverence, for the gentler sex which is
a characteristic of their countrymen, a dis
tinctive quality of which no other nation
can boast.
Here in Naples have seen some exam
Piles of welded life between American girls
and foreigners; some strange, others llldi-
crous, but most all pitiable.
The Countess Z, who lives quite near,
and of whom ] see u great deal, is pretty
New York girl of about twenty eight, very
petite, with foreign manners and little af-
fectations of accent which disgust a patri-
otto spirit, as it proves a wish to throw off
all hint of her American origin, Of which
she should be proud. Her action becomes
astounding when one learns a little of her
domestic life with her lord and undeniable
master, the count. One day when she came
to visit me asked her in the course of con-
versation what she thought of Neapolitan
society.
Indeed, have seen very little of it," she
responded. My husband, the count, is
very busy here, and has no time to go into
society"
But have you no friends? Can you not
go without him--I mean TO afternoon re-
captions and such things;''
''Ah. yes have friends, but he does not
like me to go anywhere"
We'll, how do you spend your days.
II practice the mandolin for two hours,
then write my little poesies."
"Oh, you are an authoress9"
NO" laughingly; Il only write the little
i verses pour passer lie temps; do not pub
| fish them"
But surely your days are not sufficiently
| filed by these two oocupatiols?'
''Oh, no; in the afternoon drive in my
carriage" its blazing coronet!
You drive alone?"
NO, indeed, in a shocked voice THE
count is with me natureiement."
He is very strict, is he not'''
Who? The COUNT Yes! They are ali
strict, these foreign men, but, being Amer
lean, do not allow my husband to go too
| far. When he brings whip tell him
shall leave him if he strikes me, and he is
| afraid"
| Naturally, a. she has all the money.
Are all italian husbands so despotic?"
| asked.
"Ah, they are mostly much more so, but
| i know better how to control mine, having
| been married before to an American"
| And how do you compare the two in
matrimonial sense:''
| All the Americans are ideal husbands
| They are men. They recognize woman's
superior position; they know how to treat
| their wives. while these
| She hesitGted, and her eyes blazed with
| suppressed passioD-she evidently did not
| consider the game worth the candle
| "They are beasts" she broke out sudden
| ly. Beasts! They think of no one but
| themselves Regard the Countess u
| The count, her husband locks her up every
day until he returns in the afternoon, and
| why? Because, forsooth, a man old enough
to be her father called upon her one after
noon when he was out
| Ibid your husband ever lock you up?'
only once. Because | drove out one
afternoon, alone, to call on a friend, and a
| young officer, whom knew very well. rode
beside my carriage for Il short distance My
husband heard of it from friend Of his,
and he locked me up"
Poor little woman. She looked so fragile
and young one could imagine how he pass
she would be al the mercy Of some brutal
master! Her apartment Happened to be inn
mediately above tha, of - great friend OF
mine, and cac day when 'v&S sil,iny with
my friend ON hey balcony. " hich looked out
upon the silent, beauti.al Bay Of Naples
with It's opalescent i.E!l,s, ana violet Capri
hanging, as it were. in Tie rosy mist be.
tween sea ana heaven. we We're startled by
| a great comm s.Gn aEC-C.
| a mans loud voice thundered in Italian
now and then intermiXed by q thin. plead
ing note, which | recognized to be that oil
my FRIEND, the Countess Il. suddenly
sharp feminine CRY rang out, immediately
followed by tue appearance of bonnet boz
descending from the upper story. and fin
ally splashiug into the sea below. Thi,
was succeeded by pair of opara glasses
which also sank far into the briny deep.
There was the sound of slight stuffl,
above, and then silence. My friend Learned
the next day that the count had thrown
away his wife's new bonnet and her oper;
glasses because he did not wish her to g
to the opera that evening.
The poor little i'll treated lady decided
10 vent her spleen on some one and tn
following day, finding that the water would
not run-an inconvenience from which tn
: whole of Naples was suffering, owing t.
some break in the pipes-she descended t
the garden with her husbands wifewhi
in one hand and q white lace parasol in tn
| other and attacked the absolutely innocen
gardner, upon whose bare arms she lef
long red welts.
1t was strange sight to see this littl
4 | Partisan doll, whose head scarcely reache
the elbow of the man she had undertake
to chastise, chasing him across the law
lodging after him behind trees. with tn
: train of her delicate Paris gown held hig
and the lace of her parasol catching in til
branches above her. A week later thi
strange pair disappeared, and few day
after their departure the sheriff entered til
= Countess Us pretty apartments and pu
a price on everything, as she was to be sol
out for her husbands debt. He had forge
OF, draft Of &c 600 Cor 4 nj