The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-22

! The last words were said with rare
! delicacy, murmered rather than spoken
and would have been mac cepta BILE save
for the accent and tone.
Nine. Picard continued:
"a beautiful woman. She has come
with a small gentleman, l am sure: fol-
while she removed her cloall-whicf
ALWAYS takes some time-he said not &
single word-there were no little at
tentions None but husband could
have acted so. But / am stupid.
( keep you here, forgetting that you
know NJ. Palmer. who goes to see he,
the beautiful blonde"
IN. Palmer?'
"Yes, and he can tell you"
THANK you, Nine. Picard; thank
you"
''Au revoir, Prince, au revoir."
Prince Agenor had deigned to make
the great the rich the vain Palmer his
friend. He was a bourgeois, it is true,
but the Prince confided to him his
/ financial EN- barrassments, and Palmer
was only too charmed to come to his
assistance. The Prince avowed his
friendship before all the world, took
him to his box at the opera and feted
him often.
He found the banker alone in the
lower box.
THE name, the name of this blonde,
who has the Ste. Mesme box"
Nine. Derline"
And there is husband?"
"Assuredly; notary, my notary, the
notary of the Ste. Mesmes. If you
would see more of her come to our ball
next Thursday. She will be there.
She was nothing more, then, than
the wife of a notary. The Prince re-
flected. Had he sufficient authority to
proclaim this woman, Nine Derline,
to be the most beautiful woman in
Paris? For be it known it was he,
the Prince Agenor, who was permitted
to discover, proclaim. crown and con-
secrate the most beautiful woman in
Paris. Why should he not do so? He
had never before honored a bourgeois,
but the idea was novel, amusing and
hazardous.
He returned to his box, and, as he
gazed at her through his lorCnette dis
covered thousand fresh charms
When the play was over he placed
himself near the entrance. and said to
group of his friends, Come, l will
show you the most beautiful woman
in Paris"
reporter who stood there caught
the words, and became thereupon a
most interested spectator of the little
scene that followed. A quarter of an
hour afterward ne arrived at the Office
of his paper, and hastily inserted a
short paragraph in the society column
The next day the Prince was heard
to say to his disciples: Know that the
most beautiful woman in Paris is GER
tain Nine. Derline. This star viii be
visible next Thursday, al the PalmerS
Go, and do no; forget the name, Mime.
Derline"
The next day, Mime. Derline, who
usually slept as soundly and gently as
4 child. awoke from trou bled slum Der.
Opening her eyes she closed them again,
idly. iBdolently. her thoughts floating
between dream and reality. She seemed
to see hundred. two hundred, FIVE
hundred lorgnetts steadfastly leveled
directly at her, and at her alone.
The maid brought her chocolate and
the mornings paper. Then Madame
arose with an effort, slipped her feet
into loose slippers, wrapped herself in
white cashmere robe and sank into a
great chair By the fireplace, She
opened her journal and began to read
OF the great people who had been at
the opera the evening before The
marvellous Marquise de Muriel,' she
read But this marvellous Marouise
was IN her forty-ffth year and Nine
Deriine was but - She lifted fersei
slightly to exchange q little smile with
beautiful blonde vision. Young and
white and pink, that showed itself IN
the mirror opposite,
All she said. If I were Mar
Quise ny name would perhaps be there