The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-19
FOLLY AND FATE


veloped, voluptuous type An excessive en-
ponpolnt marred the symmetry of her once
perfect figure, and the still handsome but
haggard face showed wrinkles on the fore
head and hollowS in the cheeks that no
amount of cosmetics or powders could fill up
or CONCEAL. The exquisite pink and white
complexion that had once been her pride and
glory, and had helped to make her of the
prettest women Paris, fast assuming
that hor1d purplish tint-a sort of pale, per
manent flush-which is the despair Of blonde
beauties on the Wdne.
Two features, however, time had left un-
touched in the worn countenance of this
woman verging on middle age-the eyes and
teeth, both Of which were beautiful as ever
beautiful as in the days when, ten years be-
fore, the Earl of Roseraye, meeting her in
Dleppe, fell madly in love with her, and
would have made her his wife had she then
been free. Her son, Rene Laroque, who rode
by her side, bore striking resemblance to
her, altough it would have been difficult to
say in what the resemblance consisted. Not
in cooring, certainly, for the young man was
of that type, swarthy of skin, with raven
black glossy hair, teeth of dazzling whteness,
and eyes full of smouldering fire, that is only
to be met with in the sons of the South.
Renes father had been a wealthy vine
grower, but several bad years. in success
sion had greatly impoverished him., and his
Wlfe'S reckless extravaganza fastened the
inevitable crash. Casimir Laroque commit
ted suicide in fit of despair, and his widow
found herself left in very reduced circum-
stances with her son, then quite a boy, to pro-
vide for and educate. Had she been content
to lead quiet life and economic, she might
have managed to live in modest comfort on
the small income that remained to her. es-
pecially as rich relative came forward soon
after the death OF her husband, and Offered
to defray the expenses of Renes education,
and to launch him in whatever career he
might choose to adopt; but Stephanie La
rogue had too long been accustomed to the
brilliant gay life of society queen in
| ROr6PnnY RI 70
1stence in provincial town. Excitement was
as necessary to her as the air she breathed.
Instead of investing the capital and living
upon the income, she spent the capital to the
very last penny; and afterwards, how did She
live? AS all such women live, by trick and
contrivance-by begging, borrowing and all
but stealing For five years she managed
lsomehow-how, it better not to inquire too
closely-to keep up the appearance of riches
if not responsibility, and to cut a brilliant
if somewhat fashy figure in that world
which may be best described as the border
land between society proper and Bohemia
improper.
That she deserved the name adventures, if
nothing worse, goes without saying; but she
was clever enough to conceal her real char
acter, or want of character, and thanks to a
certain dignity of demeanor and easy we'll
bred manners, she passed in society for re-
spectacle, If somewhat cratic woman of the
world. ~
Ten years earlier, before the death of her
husband Stephanie Laroque, then in the ze-
NTH of her beauty, met young Englishman
who fell madly in love with her, and who
had she been a widow, would have married
her, in spite of the fact that he was only Just
of age, while she was thirty-two.
But luckily for him she was not free, and
a friendship that lasted a few short weeks
cured him of his love and his illusions, and
he was thus saved by circumstances from
committing one of those follies which are as
fatal as they are irreparable. That Stephanie
! chr ahn, .ich no how hat
uneXting uished embers of the old passion
still smouldered in the heart of her once ar
dent lover needing only the fire of her glance
to kindle it afresh into flame, can only be
explained by the tact a woman who had once
been beautiful finds it hard to realize that
beauty, like flower, fades, and with it wanes
the power that beauty yields.
Madame Laroque believed her son. as she
believed herself to be, irresistible. Strong in
this conviction, she did not despair of the
success of the ambitious schemes which, if
carried out as she conceived, would place her
idolized and herself at once in a secure
and brilliant position.
| More than one pair of curious eyes watched
the well-mounted, well-dressed couple as they
rode slowly backwards and forwards across
the heath, waiting for the signal to start.
! They too I'M English in their appear
ance not to excite half contemptuous criti-
csm from the little crowd of local sports
men and sportswomen, all Of whom were
known to each other.
| But beyond the fact that they were mother
and son, that they had apparently plenty of
money and that they had rented Tally Ho
Lodge for the hunting season. no one seemed
to know anything about them. When the
earl and his sister appeared on the scene the
former was at once asked if he knew who
chose foreigners were who had suddenly,
as it were dropped from the skies in the
midst of their quiet neighborhood, rarely
visited even by English tourists.
A young girl, who was friend of the Here
wards, pointed them out to the earl, and told
| b al she knew knaW-that ther