The San Francisco call., 1899-07-16

knows no regrets and she fears no future
the present is her world.
Three years ago Count Tolfskow of st.
Petersburg. Russia, sojourned for time
in the flower-embowered city Of Santa
Barbara. He was wealthy and eccentric,
and avoiding the society people of the
place spent most of his time in solitary
walks and drives. Two-score years and
fifteen had passed over his titled head,
but he forgot this entirely when he met
Clemente Ruiz.
She was a child then, not quite II, but
the old Count, when he first saw her lean
ing lazily against the trunk Of a giant
rosebush, with the pink petals Of the
flowers showering down on the glossy rip
pies Of her untidy hair, thought her-as
many others have thought her since
quite the most lovely creature that earth
had ever produced.
A number Of her small brothers and sis
ters (she has eleven were playing near
IN the quarrelsome fashion of children,
and the stranger made friends with them
and their parents at once by throwing
handful Of silver into the group. He liked
children he said, in unnecessary excuse,
and then, Il e day being warm, he asked
permission to rest for a moment or two
himself under the rosebush.
He was Clemente Ruiz's first lover. And
that he was an ardent one in spite Of his
years was proven by the fact that not
day after that passed that did not find
him worshiping before her shrine, and in
cidentally bringing offerings to the high
priest and priestess, her parents.
Clemente was coy this time. Young as
she was, she had ideas Of her own, and
the Count, for all his money and presents,
was not exactly the kind Of a sweetheart
that a girl like her would care for. Still,
the madre liked him and the gifts he
brought, for 1t was easier to accept than
TO earn, and when he took Clemente to
walk or to drive he told her wonderful
tales of his far-of nome and Of what he
would do for her and hers if she would
but consent to go with him there.
One day Clemente and her aged lover
went riding and did not return. The
heads Of the Ruiz family placidly Won
dered. and expressed no surprise or sor-
row when they learned that the Count
had chartered a small fishing craft and
with Clemente and minister put straight
out to sea. That evening the truants re-
turned. and announcing their marriage
departed for Los Angeles on bridal
tour.
And now occurred that which was
forerunner of all Clementes after eXpe-
riences. Once embarked upon the ocean
of matrimopy, the young girl was at
tackled by a figurative NAL de mer. She
had not cared much for the Count as a
husband. All his stories of wealth and
luxury fell upon deaf ears, and the pros
pect Of being an ''old mans darling" in
a prison Of which he was the jailer af-
frighted her wild and untrammeled spirit.
She has proved since that she is a wo-
man of resources, but she began to prove
It then. In spite of her husbands plead
ings she betook herself straight to the
authorities Of Los Angeles and stated her
case. She was not yet II. and she was
married to a man whom she hated.
The result was swift and certain. She
came back to the paternal home-trans-
formed from a hut to a pretty cottage
through the generosity of the deserted
one-freed from her CALLING bonds, and
with sufficient money forced upon her
from the same source-for the old man
truly loved her-to keep her in luxury for
some little time to come.
That she did not come back into the
old life was, however, soon apparent The
child under the rosebush had disappeared
forever. The girl had begun to know the
value of the power of her beauty, and
the romance of which she had been the
heroine brought her the notice which her
awakened vanity craved.
Only few weeks passed before another
titled lover bent before her, q Frenchman
this time, and with her usual sudden re-
solve she turned over another page In