Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-10-03

EN~~
! flexible.
Within the week OF my return from
Aveiinno my coming marriage with
| the Countess Romani was announced.
Tive days after it had been made pub
lie. while sauntering across the Largo
del CASTILLO, I met the Marquis DAY.
encourt. / had not seen him since the
morning Of the duel, and his presence
! gave me a sort of nervous shock. He
was exceedingly cordial, though l fan
cied he was also slightly embarrassed.
| After q few commonplace remarks
he said abruptly:
$50 your marriage win positively
| take place."
I forced a laugh.
"Ma certamente! Do you doubt it,"
His handsome face clouded and his
manner grew still more constrained.
"No; but I thought had hoped"
mon cher" / said airly. II perfectly
understand TO what you allude. But
! we men Of the world are not fastid-
iou.; we know better thai TO pay any
heed to foolish love-fancies of a wom-
an before her marriage, so long as she
does not trick us afterward. TIE let
tiers you sent me were trifies, mere
trifies. In wedding the Contessa Ro-
mani I assure you / believe l secure
the NEST %virtuous as we'll as the most
lovely woman in Europe And l
laughed again heartily.
D'Ayencourt looked puzzled; but he
was a punctilious man, and knew how
TO steer clear OF a delicate subject.
He smiled.
"A La bonnie heure," he said. 81 wish
you Joy with all my heartl A minuit,
tous les chats sont girls! You are the
best judge Of your own happiness; as
for me, vive La liberter'
And with a gay parting salute he
left me. No one else in the city ap-
peared to share his forebodlng scru-
Piles, IL he had any, about my forth
coming marriage. 1t was everywhere
talked of with as much interest and
expectation as though Ii were some
new amusement invented to heighten
the merriment of Carnival. Among
other things, l earned the reputation
OF being a most impatient lover, for
now / would consent TO nc delays. /
hurried all the preparations on with
feyerish precipitation. 1 had very lit
tie difficulty in persuading Nina that
the one our wedding took place the
better; she was to the full as eager as
myself, as ready to rush on to her
own destruction as Guido had bean.
Her chief passion was avarice, and
the repeated rumors of my supposed
fabulous wealth had aroused her greed
from the yery moment she had first
met me In my assumed character of
the Count Olivia As soon as her en-
gagement to me became known In
Naples, she was an object OF envy to
all those OF her W sex who, during
the previous autumn, had laid out
their store OF fascinatiDns to entrap
me in yain-and this made her perfect
ly happy. Perhaps the supremest sat
isfaction a woman of this sort can at
tain to Is the fact OF making her less
fortunate sisters discontented and mis-
cradle! l loaded her Of course with
the costliest gifts, and she, being the
sole heiress of the fortune left her by
her late husband" as well as of the
unfortunate Guides money. set no
limits 10 her extravaganza. She Or
dered the most expensive and eiaboT-
ate costumes; she was engaged morn
ing after morning with ~dressmakers,
tailors. milliners, and she was sur
rounded by a certain ''set'' of female
friends, for whose benefit she dis
played the incoming treasures of her
wardrobe till they We're ready to cry
for spite and vexation, though they
had to smile and hold in their wrath
and outraged vanity beneath the social
mask of complacent composure. And
Nina loved nothing better than to tor
mant the poor ONE who were stint
ed OF pocket money with the sight Of
shimmering satins, soft, radiant
pushes. rich y~elvets, embroidery stud
ded with real gems, pieces of costly
old lace, priceless scents and articles
of bijouterie: she loved also to dazzle
the eyes and bewilder the brains Of
young girls, whose finest toilette was
a garb of simplest white stuff un-
adorned save by a cluster of natural
blossoms. and to send them away sick
at heart. pining for they knew not
what. dissatisfied with everything,
and grumbling at fate for no permit
ting them 20 deck themselves II such
marvellous arrangements of costume
as those possessed by the happy, the
fortunate future Countess Olivia.
Poor maidens. had they but known
all they would not have envied her.
Women are too fond OF measuring
happiness by the amount OF fine
clothes they obtain. aud | truly be-
iieYa dress in the one thing that never
fails TO console them. How often a fit
OF Mysteries can be cut short by the
opportune arrival of a new gown.
My wife, in consideration or her ap-
preaching second nuptials, had put
aside her widows Grape. and now ap-
peared clad I'm these soft, subdued
half-tints of color that suited her
fragile. fairy-like beauty TO perfection.
All her old witcheries and her grace
full tricks OF speech and manner were
| put forth again for my Denert. l
knew them ali 50 well. / understood
the value Of her light caresses and
languIshing looks so thoroughly! She
was very anxious to attain the full
dignity Of her position as the wife Of
sc rich a nobleman as l was reputed to
be. Therefore she raised no objection
when | fixed the day for our marriage
! for Gioveai Grasso. Then the fooling
and mumming. the dancing. shrieking.
and screaming would be at it's height;
II pleased my within TO have this other
piece of excellent m~asquerading take
place at the same time.