The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-24

smile and response, and the ripping
peals Of laughter bubbling up from her
glad and joyous heart spread q conta-
gion of mirth throughout the corridors
of the hotel.
Miss Staunton of Philadelphia was
the furore in Asheville during the sum
mel Of 49,. Beautiful, accomplished
and wealthy, she of course had many
beaux and admirers, notably one, D sol
distant French nobleman, the Vicomte
de Grenet. Every sensible person Ii
aware of the madness prevailing among
American girls for titled foreigners,
particularly among heiresses, for the
less fortunate maids dare not aspire 70
high.
Mere beauty Is q secondary consider
alton with these adventures. For an
empty title these angelic creatures win
barter their bodies and cast their pearls
before swine. After an international
wedding of great pomp and ceremony
they sail OF 10 Europe to fetch up prob
ably I'm the padded cells of q madhouse
or else ID . few years are glad enough
to return TO good old aoapmaking.
pork packing papa and mamma. The
morning I had the honor 10 be presented
to Vicomte Grenet my better Judgment
sized him mp nj some ~impecunious bar
Der or chef de cuisine on the hunt for q
fortune. With q number of tremendous
trunks-which ut . later stage OF the
game the hotel people found to be n
tirely empty. to their great d~isrnay-the
vicomte had ~ensconced himself In nm
elegant suit Of rooms and was lording
10 high over the admiring Americans.
The fastest horses in Buncombe county
were always at the command of 'his
grace" and wild dashes oven the noun
tain and dale were the daily sport of
Virginia Staunton and Vicomte de
Grenet. Virgie was one of those frolic-
some, daring girls, always in for any
thing and what Jon might term In the
vernacular of the jeunesse doree Q dead
game sport
There was no mawkish sentimental
ity about her nor the die away languor of
charming incapacity assumed by WON
en- Of fashion. She WA d vigorous young
woman, full Of life and Fbubbling over
with mirtk and iollity. Hen companion
ship vas delightful, and half the time
you forgot that the handsome creature
by your side wa q woman, 30 intelli-
gently and sensibly could she converse
about things OF masculine interest
Horses. dogs hunting, fishing, every
manner of sport was as fond and IA
miliar q subject with her 10 the latest
style of Paris gown. The same cordial,
hearty manne TO all alike, NO one could
tell upon whom Miss Staunton looked
with most favor. Although she rode and
danced with him and scarcely appeared
without the vicomte tagging along at
her heels, 1t was evident that she did
not regard the Frenchman i'm q senti-
mental light. In fact IL was well
known that she had kicked him twice
and always met his most importunate
overtures with chilling courtesy.
"He was the typical foreigner you see
at Bar Harbor, Narragansett and New
port, where titled nincompoops do
most congregate. He was shrewd and
keen as q brier, with q machiavelian
expression Of countenance which SEEM
ed TO be particularly charming 10 the
women. I overheard one Of them say
once in o discussion Of which the Vi
connie was the subject: oh, he IL just
too fascinating for anythingi he IL 30
deliciously wickedi' That he really
possessed this charming attribute no
q III gainsay. Virginia regarded the
foreigner more as o pastime than as q
beau or friend, always styling him her
dear froggia.' At times she was most
freezingly distant when his presump-
tion carried him too far, bat with her
mother it was very different. She was
thoroughly captivated by the vicomte
and his very aristocratic bearing. Per-
ceiving that he had made q most palpa-
BILE hit with the mother, he immediate
" proceeded to pet the COW in order
to catch the CALI 1t was sven talked
about the hotel verandas that the inn
pudent Frenchman had really address
ed Mrs. Staunton.
Zone day while ont On one of their
mad rides over the mountain Virgie
was thrown from her horse and severe
ly hurt. A messenger vas dispatched
to the hotel for help, and the uncon-
scious girl was brought home on a lit
ter. The accident was never satisfac-
torily explained, and I have always be-
leved the designing scoundrel had pre-
concerted the fall and its result. Upon
hearing of the accident I hurried to
Mrs. Staunton's apartments TO offer my
services and was very much surprised
to find Grenet in attendance upon the
injured girl. He was STOPPING oyer the
bed bathing her face and temples and
was administering some drug. Mrs.
Staunton hurriedly thanked me for the
offer Of my professional services and
stated that the vicomte was . distin-
guished surgeon, and al he was already
In attendance she would not wound his
feelings by calling me in. He In 90
sensitive and feeling she added % /
left the room, that / could not have
the heart to offend him. That he was
. physician I have naver for o moment
believed. and 1t has always been .
source Of self reproach that I did not In