Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-10-27

mat VIII be little too quick for
me, Mr.. Frobisher, said the princess,
again smiling as if he very soul OF
sweetness were lodged in her hand
some body. If they could have read
her heart and thoughts II am not 50
energetic as you Engliph. / want &
margin for deliberation."
If your margin throws US too late
We cannot go at all" said Gerald, nm
pleasantly.
1--WE must not inconvenience nv
mother" said the baron, with fine air
of filiai dcty and conventional courtesy.
'Of course not" said Ida.
Whereupon the young Italian leaned
over to the pretty girl. and said:
THANK you, signorinal" with effusion,
holding out his hand as one under the
influence of strong emotion. Looking
into the flushing face of the girl with q
world of tender meaning In his eyes, he
said, speaking TO his mother, but still
looking at Ida: 1.-THE signorina always
does and says exactly the right thing
at the right moment and IN the right
way. Is it not so, my mother?"
"Assuredlyl She is saint"' said the
princess.
Gerald rose abruptly from the table.
VERY WE'LL" he said, holding his
head straight and high, II will give
you quarters grace, princess. I will
order the carriage for the half hour,
when shall expect you all TO be
ready"
"If our proceedings inconvenience
you, my friend, will take command of
the party" said the Italian, with a
manner suggestive of the heather Chi
nee, it was SO bland and so childlike.
Gerald disdained to reply. save by a
look that was decidedly contemptuous
-as contemptuous and as essentially
insulting as blow would have been.
Then he strobe out of the room, and
worked off little of his spleen on the
unoffending hall-porter, who CHANGED
TO cross his path.
Mother and son exchanged looks.
"Our friend is not in the best of hui
mors to-day" laughed the baron.
Are all English gentlemen like
that?" queried the princess. And YET
correcting herself--"how foolish to
ask such question, when l know so
much better Who, indeed, knows so
we'll as / the charm of the English
character? Was not my own dear
mother an Englishwoman?'
''They are adorable" said the baron,
with fervor. ''Who that knows them
would not love them?-for the sake of
onel" he added, in low voice, those
velvety eyes looking into Ida's with the
love and softness, the passion and the
prayer he knew so well to throw into
them-''for the sake of one, loving alll''
Had we not better go and get
ready?" said Mrs. Brand, with the fear
of Gerald Frobisher before her eyes.
Eyes, let us CO." said Ida, in a half
relieved, half-embarrassed kind of
way.
And again mother and son exchanged
glances, and the smile that just lifted
the corner of each well-shaped but
over Aeshy mouth meant Good so
far Winged if mot yet bagged" would
have been an Englishman's formula.
The morning had passed into the
early afternoon without untoward ac-
cidpnt of any lind-unless Gerald Fro
bisher's temper might be called unto
ward. Never remarkable fer anna bill
ty. to-day it was OF the vilest kind TO be
found. His rough life and adventurous
experiences seemed to have hardened
him to so much granite-granite
abraded at all four corners and fun of
Jagged edges and wounding spikes. L.
served, however, to bring out into
greater relief the sweet courtesies and
graceful plasticities of the baron,
whose whole energies seemed devoted
TO the one desire to please and enter
tain the signorina, to do as she de-
sired - to anticipate her unspolen
wishes and make her feel that she was
the main object of his thoughts and
the--as yet mistress of his
heart and life. His gentleness, his un-
failing good humor, the skill with
which he parried Gerald's rougher on
slaughts but in the parrying infam-
ing the Englishman's anger still more,
thus putting him for ever more and
more n the wrong-his caressing eyes
and musical voice, his subtle tender
ness, all stole over Ida as some irresist-
ihle charm, Some powerful spell spoken
by potent magiCla AN. For one of the
few times IL her young life she con-
templated her wealth with a glow of
pride and delight, and rejoiced that
she was free, rich and the mistress of
her own destiny.
All this Gerald saw and understood.
And the feelings which this knowledge
reused in him were akin TO those with
which he had defied n savage chief at
the head of his tribe, stalked a rogue
elephant. circumvented a man-eating
tiger, fought single-handed with a
cobra, or looked for whipsnakes in the
grass that he might crush them before
they had power to sting, In the baron
he recognized his enemy, whom yet he
despised; and forthwith set himself to
destroy him with the same feelings If
not by the same methods us those with
which he had destroyed those others in
the jungles and the wildS.
The object Of the expedition had
been accomplished. They had seen the
Schloss and heard the legends; peered
into the dungeons and admired the
view from the battlements; eaten their