The broad ax., 1898-11-05

who said to him. a. she 1T q pneresu
cigarette, the day q friend presented
him: "Ahi You are the man who II
30 much In love with me? How do
you dor" giving him q hearty. hand
shake. like q man. The sailor, true
hearted fellow that he was, loved her
the more as he grew to understand and
pity her. For he was right. Olga was
fantastic, Ill brought up, but neither q
n1rt nor a snob. Feeling. perhaps, the
vanity OF her life OF pleasure. she
judged. and that severely. her fox hunt
ing admirers and her eotillon partners.
All desired her, none esteemed her
not one had made her an offer Of mar
rage. So she pulled them up short
II they ventured to speak too close to
her ear in the whirl of the waltz, or
pressed too long the hand she held out
to them encamarade.
Julien, sensitive and discerning, dis
covered the secret high-heartsdness Of
the thoroughbred" as Olga was called.
He loved her, too. for her beauty, Of
course; and his head would swim,
when, at a pause in the dance, the
authenticated goddess with the black
eyes and the tea-rose skin, would lean
on his arm and would intoxicate him
with her starry gaze and violet breath.
But he loved her above all for her
sunerings. so proudly hidden. How
his heart ached when he caught the
somber look Olga turned on her moth
er at afternoon tea, when Nine. Ba-
barine, seated with the light discreetly
behind her. evoked her royal conquests
In northern courts.
He would marry her-snatch her out
OF this poisonous air, take her to his
own sanity mother, show her a true
family-saye heri He sometimes fan
cied Olga understood his purpose; as
she handed him his glass of Russian
tea, he thought he now and then
caught. deep in her eyes, a gentle light
that seemed to answer to his generous
pity. -
Yes, mademoiselle, my leave is up
next week. leave Pau tomorrow, and
after a few days with my sister in
Touraine, / shall go to Brest; in a
JSoA Il BC dl sea again.
They were standing in the hotel writ
ing room. near the open window, with
its palpitating night sky.
"Good-by, then, and bon voyage
said Olga, in her frank, firm voice
But you must give me a little keep
sake-that lions claw you wear as a
watch charm-a trophy Of an African
lion hunt. didn't you tell me? /. ap-
peals to the fierce and free in me, you
know"
Julien took OF the charm, and put
1t into the girls fingers. Suddenly
grasping her hand in both Of his, ar
IDENTIFY: Il love you-will you be my
wife?'
Olga freed herself, keeping the lions
claw; folding her arms, she looked
straight at him, apparently unmoved.
No-no-and yet you are the first to
love me and to tell me 90 in that good
way. That's why 1 refuse you"
"olga!" cried Julien, in q choksd
voice.
Listen to me and / will explain. 1 |
am not worthy OF you-you would be
unhappy with me. You remember |
your sisters letter that you said you
had lost? Well, picked 1t up here and |
read It She replied to the condolences |
you had made her Of your love for me |
"a love / had long guessed. Her words |
showed me the vast difference between |
a true, simple girl and me- And 1 saw,
too, what a real family is-your fam
lily. Be grateful to the mother you
have, NJ. de Rhe. l have a mother,
too, but i have been forced to Judge |
her. You have seen only her ridiculous
sides, but know her better. She would /
refuse you my hand because you are
only Of the gentry and in moderate
She has decided that
either / am to make a brilliant match
-or-she will find something else. !
know a lot, don't i, for a girl Of 10?
Horrible, isn't It? But it's true. That's
why last winter we were at Nice. last
at Scheveningen, now at Pau.
That's why we are rolling like trunks
from one end Of Europe to the other.
Mamma was almost a princess royal,
you see; and from 10 I've been given
TO understand that / was meant for
an archduchess at least. even IL a left
handed one. Marry a mere gentleman,
almost bourgeois! All you are dis
gusted, and I'm ashamed OF myself.
Do not protest. Besides, am expen-
sive and useless, and you don't need
me and I wouldn't make you happy
and don't love you. don't love any
1ne. Love is in the things that I've
always been forbidden. Good-by. Get
up and go away without a word. But
eave me your lions claw to remind
ne Of the honest fellow whom 1 have
.reated honestly. Adieu!"
Three years later. one stormy night,
he transport Du Couedic, back from
Senegal, stopped at the Canaries to
axe on the mail. A package Of pa
lers was tossed into the officers mass