Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-05-27
Saint Maru's Beacon
A BRIGAND's BALL.
tContinued from lst Page.l


Generally the Countess laughed
at me if happened unconsciously
to hum few bars from some cpe-
ra, in my frightful peacock voice.
But this time, speaking tene in
French, she begged me to sing, IL
l did not wish, by my refusal, to
expose lis ell TO some insult.
This request was all that was
wanting to deprive me of the re-
mainder of my confidence. What
could | do With trembling heart
and choking voice / began to sing
laboriously. For q moment the
Countess listened TO me with great
composure, but in attacking the
verse
With thee alone I can be- happy
i made an effort to raise my voice,
when it broke so ludicrously that
she burst ont laughing. The whole
band followed suit, so much so that
at the end / did as the others, al
though ! had not the slightest wish
to initiate them.
The dance began again. The
Countess was indefatigable. She
whirled about until daylight. When
the sun smote the window-panes,
shcthsnked thebrigand for the pleas
ure he had given her and begged
him to have her carriage prepared,
so that she might continue her
journey.
Now, surely, our last hour had
come
JOSH Fekete went out, woke up
the coachman and the footman, had
the horses harnessed, and came
back to tell us that everything was
ready. Then / felt sure that he
intended to assassinate us OH the
road.
| got back into the carriage with
more fear than had got out of it.
The most suspicious thing to me
was that | had not been asked for
my pocket-book.
The bandit chief. mounted his
horse and accompanied us as far as
the high road, keeping always by
the carriage-door. On arriving
there he showed us our way, took
of his hat, wished us much pleas
ure and disappeared.
| did not feel safe until we had
reached Zernid. Then only / re-
preached the Countess and told her
that, il my presence had not res
trained the rascals, this adventure
might have had the most frightful
end for her.
She listened to my observations
patiently, and by way of reply asked:
'Apropos, dear Baron, are you
not sleepy 2
No. answered cnrtly.
Then sing me the end of that
tune that you conld not finish laet
night
In that case am sleepy
All along the road made myself
happy by dreaming of the favors
that the Countess would have to
lavish on me to buy my silence
about this escapade. However, VIC
had scarcely arrived at Arad and
she had not yet crossed the passage
way from the hotel door 20 her
room before she had already related
the whole story to two or three per-
sons. When we entered the ball
room. every one knew of it.
That did not prevent her from
being the queen of the ball, as she
had counted on being, or else why
should she have come, seeing that
she did not dance once? To those
who invited her she replied that
she was tired. should think so
She had danced eighteen csardas
from midnight to morning. I,who
had not moved, could scarcely keep
on my legs.
| rushed to the gaming-rooms,
saying to myself Now that for
tune has come to you, press her 80
your heart. At one table skey
were playing lansquenet. Away
with you y cried. Il have had
wonderful run of luck TODAY
a. this game = Yes, was in for n
Thousand forms. Fortune only
pursues me when she sees that she
terriiies me.
Six months later I 4ooL