The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-02-23
FROM BOHEMIA.

Van Rensselaer, had sat through many
an embassy dinner, eating messy dishes
out of ribbons and frilled papers and
offering his polyglot remarks to many a
foreign celebrity, but he glanced to-
ward his left hand neighbor with some
apprehension as he finished his soup
making hasty study of the princess,
with her blue black hair and her swar-
thy side face. There was a display of
shoulder and blazing green jewels in
the corsage, an impression of large out
line and pervssiye personality. Clear
" she was not attractive, he decided,
and then, as she finished what she had
been saying to the man who took her
out and turned toward Van Rensselaer,,
he instantly reversed his judgment
under the compulsion Of her dark eyes
Whether or not she was handsome by
ordinary standards he could Il not have
told, but attractive and interesting Gel
tainly, and inexplicabIy odd. With her
large red tipped mouth and cleaning
white teeth she might have been quad
room or she might have posed to good
effect as gypsy queen in private theatri &
Gals. Sho spoke to him in French
II suppose you are a senator or gen.
eral, or perhaps cabinet member! You
American men are so ostentatiously
plain in dress You abstain so carefully
from wearing your decorations on your
evening coats that poor foreigner may
not know"
He laughed. She was audacious even
for princess.
II am sorry, your highness, but ]
have neither office nor insignia to my
name. Indeed have been puzzling my
inglorious head net q little to know
why am placed SO illustriously at your
side!''
But he knew, and so did she, that ii
was because he spoke French like a PaS
risian and was the cleverest diner out il
Washington. 1t was not until the first
eAtree that they again took turn. and
she passed with evident relief from the
heavy German of the Austrian embas-
sador to her more accustomed tongue
They tasted and hazarded suggestions
as to the composition of the dish before
them
4 Permit me, monsieur, she~ broke
of suddenly ''Allow me one more
CHESS, more intimate-personal! am
NJ clairvoyant, it has been said. and
Have taken great liberty have been
reading your thoughts Will you allow
me to tell you?'
Van Rensselaer, bowed. smiling his
incredulity
'You do me much honor, madame!'
VERY we'll You were looking down
The table a moment ago when address
ed yon, past the green and gold Bohe
mian glass. | do not know what you
saw, but it was something very far
away-oversea. think He flushed
slightly and assented I'VE spoke of
she entree, your mind on other things.
I said. 1t is,made of fish, fancy, and
you replied, Since it:isa game of guess,
/ choose lobster What.y you were think
ng was, 1t is the werld old mess of
pottage-to be henceforth my daily
bread!' Nest ce pas, monsieur, un bon
hasard?'
+ Van Rensselaer, finished his wine and
set down his glass. He was not smiling
naw, and the flush had died out of his
aaSeek He looked at her with gravity
very like displeasure
Your highness is indeed clairvoy
ant 1t was not guess 1t was the
truth Princesses always tell the truth.
10 they not?'
She made no reply. and the jewels in
her piled up hair burned not half SO
deeply as her eyes He wished that peo.
pie who were clairvoyant would not
fall to his lot at dinner 1t was distinct