The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-01-24

atone The next day, therefore, In
spite of her hearts protestations, in
spite Of her lovers age and unattract-
iveness, she announced her willing
ness to marry the Count de valrey,
without giving any reason for her
sudden determination, being ashamed
| to confess to the stolen kiss.
For three years she took the ten
derest care of her aged husband, who
soon became Grabbed and infirm, and
when he rendered up his soul to
heaven, the poor little widow wept.
not for him, but for her vanished
girlish dreams.
"Well, how do you like Raoul de
Melchede?" asked Aunt Yseult as,
seated under the thick shade of q
Iinden-tree in her park, she wound
off the silk from the skein which Eva
was holding for her.
"He's not bad" was the reply.
| sNot bad!" repeated the old lady
Indignantly, brandishing the ball of
silk in the air, "the scion of one of
our oldest families. Not bad! I should
think not"
"I like his friend, Monsieur Davanne,
better"
eve are not talking about him, my
dear"
"He is an artist of great talent"
"a miserable dauber! I invited him
merely as a companion for the mar
quis."
The little countess broke out in
ipeal of laughter and exclaimed:
Suppose the poor fellow heard you,
aunt!'
The old lady shrugged her shoul-
lders to express Indifference, and Eva
continued teasingly:
"You said yourself that he had a
more distinguished bearing than the
Marquis de Melchede-"
"Hush, child-don't be irreverent," :"
interrupted her hearer sharply. 81
hope you don't mean to allow your
self to be cajoled by painter when
a marquis is courting you"
"You need not be alarmed, aunt.
I shall not take either one or the 9TH
ler I shall never marry again"
why not, shou 4 Ike to know?
cried the aunt furiously, and Eva
answered in a quiet tone:
'1 wish to devote myself entirely
to the education of my son; that is
enough for me to do, and 1 cannot
undertake the care of husband
again."
"You are absurd, my dear"
"Why so? You yourself have never
married, and yet, Aunt, you get on
very WELL"
lalwayS been so much occupied with
other peoples marriages that I have
had no time to think of my own lonli-
lness''
"Well, try to forget mine, I beg of
you"
''The marquis adores you; he will
persuade you"
"He?" I think not"
eve shall see-we shall Seev
The old lady, exasperated by this
opposition, made a gesture Of despair
and then went into the house, while
| Eva ran in search of her little boy
, who had taken advantage of the earn
estneSS of the conversation to slip
away unperceived.
: The young Countess de Valrey re
: mained in the Chateau Grillon fou
: two months, and during that time she
was besieged by the solicitations oi
her aunt, and the alteration, more ol
; less open, of the Marquis de Melchede
! and Jacques Davanne, the artist The
former, though far from prepossess
ing, with his angular frame and fair
insipid face, had the advantage o.
family and title, besides being an ac
complished man OF the world, while
Davanne, who claimed no coat-of
: arms, made up for the deficiency by
, bis frank and manly bearing and his
! artistic talent, which was universally
, acknowledged.
< Eva de Valrey reflected upon the
respective merits Of her two cavaliers
and found that she was incapable o,
making choice between them.
= The sultry day was drawing to &
close. and a cool breeze springing VI
! blew softly through the leafy arches
Of the great park Of Grillon.
The setting sun seemed to hnger IL
!. it's descent, bathing the whole horizon
, in it's gold and purple hues, and send
ing it's rays obliquely through the
foliage to the green moss below, where
, they made little spots of brightness
, among the shadows. All nature
!, seemed to be falling into calm, ma,
j jestfc slunber.
: jacques Davanne walked slowly
? thoughtfully through the woods, deal
to the harsh cries Of the jays which
flew away at his approach, uncon
scious of everything except lis sorrow
He could think of nothing but his love
for the young countess, and he longed
for courage to throw himself at hel
: | lSSl, W dSk uer TO De MS W1fe-he, the
poor artist! While he stood ponderine
) at place where several pathways
met, he heard the sound of approach.
5 ing footsteps, and, not wishing to be
I discovered in his sad revery, he shranh
back into the shrubbery. The next
minute two persons appeared, and as
, he caught sight Of them, Davanne
, turned pale with agitation He saw
Eva de Valrey leaning on the arm Of
the marquiSi Their conversation was
very earnest, and the young widows
. clear tones reached his ear as she ex.
claimed:
You say you love me entirely. Why
then should not return you love-
The breeze carried away the rest OF
the sentence as the couple passed on
and Jacques DavaEne rushed off in
the opposite direction. He was bro
ken-hearted, desperate, for. he saw
that his love was indeed hopeless; his
: rival was preferred before him. and
there was nothing for him to do but to
go away, to stifle his love and his
despair. Night fell, unfolding her
dark mantle spangled with silvery
stars, and still the mourner wandered
on under the spreading trees. In the
Chateau Grillon all were sleeping.
and the only sound in the forest was
the plaintive voice of the screech-owl
winch from tall oak tree made an.
swer to the sighs of the wanderer.
I'LL