The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-09-13
ICoNTINUED.1


an nnfinchinp resolve in their depths.
The chief justice was seated IN
leather covered armchair, before blaz-
ing fire. Perhaps that was the cause of
the flush which overspread his counte-
nance at Stornlnouth's utterance.
"What do you mean to insinuate?"
he stormed.
81 am not fascinating, y replied
Stornmouth. 81 am stating facts.
have good reason to suppose that you
are backing up your daughter III this
nefarious business.
"s Nefarious' is a nefarious word,
young man. What do you intend to
convey by your SO called facts?''.
"Will you have the tfuth?''
The sooner the better.
"Miss Mildred Delno, your sister,
informed me ten days since, returned
Stornmouth slowly, with his eyes fixed
steadily upon the features of his op-
ponent, "that Mrs Delno countenances
this marriage-indeed encourages it. -
cit is false!" roared the judge. Then
he paled suddenly. All at once it came
to him-his wife's recent incomprehen-
sible interest in the French peerage;
her porting over French history; her
endless letters to her daughter; her
mysterious hints, vague as intangible,
of coming events which cast their palpa-
BILE shadows before.
To Judge Delno q foreigner comprised
all the esoteric capacities of a nine
tenth century Mephistopheles, with
the element of love for loves sake left
out. A foreigner meant to his eyes,
thoroughly new world in their outlook,
one of those oily specimens of an effete
civilization who hang out their signs
in lower Sixth avenue, Herewith en-
deayoring to fascinate unwary Ameri-
cans with big lettered promises of
new hair dye warranted to be efficacious
as we'll as healthy and a bloom of
youth advertised to contain the inno-
cence of the sucking dove. His true in
wardness rose like the crest of white
capped protest on the tidal wave of a
visible and acutely to be contested hor-
ror.
He rose and reached toward the cleo.
trio button.
"Is Mrs. Delno at hoIle?" he de-
manded of the butler when he appeared
in answer to his call.
eyes, sir.
"Wait l-ere, my boy.
Stornmouth paced the room restlessly
for few moments. Then he turned to-
ward the door curiously as it fell open
after Is minutes dragging space of
time. Judge Delno entered. His lips
We're sternly compressed and his fea-
lures, as usual, impenetrable, but Storm
mouth recognized the signs of stormy
interview in the perpendicular lines be-
tween his eyes and his curt "To con-
tinue with the business in hand :"
He approached Stornmouth slowly.
His shaggy eyebrows were bent. His
massive head was trifle bowed. cit
appears to me, % he remarked, "that in
spite of ourselves we will be obliged to
look upon you as a savior. Stornmouth I"
cit is only what owe you, sir %
"Tut, tut! Out with it! Have you
declared yourself to my daughter?''
Stornmouth grew little stern about
the lips "Your daughter knows,'' he
said, "that love her with all my soul;
that from the first moment set eyes
upon her face had but one desire, as
far as she was concerned. That desire
was to protect, to shield and to deserve
her. Unhappily, I have not been able
to conceal my utter disgust over this
lamentable affair. She CONSTITUTES it,
quite unjustly, into an evidence of jeal-
ousy. You would hardly do me that in
justice could you witness the personal
ity of your illustrious would be son-in-
law, with whom she appears SO incom-
prehensibly infatuated. %
Have you told Priscilla that you
love her?''
81 have. %
Have you asked her to be your
wife?''
eyes"
And what was her response?"
"She said she did not know whether
she cared for me or not; that at times
she thought she did, but at other times
she was almost sure she did not; that
she was very young; that she would
rather sing than marry"
The average New York woman Of
today, remarked Judge Delno blandly,
sis more or less Of an enigma-princi-
pally more. 1t cannot be denied that the
wise woman is she who knows what she
wants and gets it. Singularly enough,
however, what woman gets matrimoni-
ally she has been known to discover
later to be far from what she wanted.
To sum it all up, what have you learn
ed?''
This, - returned Stornmouth with
out moments hesitation. "Were the
Count de Lacaze what he pretended to
be, l should not interfere. Iobject now.
not from the standpoint of an unappre-
ciated sutton who desires vengeance.
but as a man who is DESTROYS that nei-
ther you nor any member of your family
should be swindled by mere French
adventurer.
"His title-is it bogus one?"
No. The title is bona fide as far as