The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-02
II Modern Tf1ercendry.


my cousin anthony Unfair, VINO de-
sires perhaps herself, but most GER
| talnly her fortune, and our delightful
German minister, who uses all means
that come to hand to win Nassau for
his masteri But l should not say these
foolish things TO you, who are of the
other party
They were dancing by this time, her
head near his shoulder, her voice soft
in his bending ear
"Of the other party?" he repeated. II
hattered myself that you said some
thing else just now
! Yes, a friend; but I made mistake
! Il have none-no, not one true friend"
the voice said passionately in his ear,
land my husband
] Hollywood almost lifted her clear of
some crowding couples and then gently
released her. In vague way he felt
/ the force of her appealing beauty as he
had felt it internationally for some
months past. It touched him for the
moment, but he was apt to forget both
} IL and the very existence of the woman
herself directly he parted from her
Count Sagan is colonel-in-chief of
the guard?' he asked. and the question
seemed to fit in with her train of
! thought
she made no immediate response. but
With light touch on his arm led him
TO a fiower-banked apartment. about
which few couples were scattered in
various convenient hooks. She sank
upon a sequestered settee, and made
! room for him beside her
Yes, he is coloneI-in-chief of the
guard, because they think him too old
10 act any longer as its real command
ant. He was the first soldier in Maa-
sau and the most unequaled sportsman
He was all these things, and / am proud
of themi But look at mer'
She rose languidly and stood before
him. Hollywood saw a slight woman.
tall and eXquisitely fair who carried
her small head with its cleaning COR
onet royalty. Her skin and her soft
flushed cheeks had the pure evanescent
quality of a child's complexion. More
over, her chief charm was perhaps her
air of childlike innocence. Isolde of
Sagan had seldom looked more lovely:
she was honestly touched by self-pity.
and was posing as the proud yet dis
illusioned wife of a man hopelessly
older than herself, and for the time
being she believed earnestly in that
view of her lot.
'All these things have been" she
added softly. her eyes filing with tears,
but L am Can / ever be satisfied with
what only Was?" Rallywood's face
altered. Like any other man in such a
position, he felt immensely sorry for
her. She saw the advantage she had
gained, and at once the coquette awoke
in her
Captain Rallywood," she sank down
beside him again. Il need a friend in
whom L can trust. who will ask nothing
of me, but who will give me all the
things I most want"
The interpre rs>ion of this enigmatical
speech was left to t. ear. for the
young countess was going at her big
black fan, where luminous firef1ies hung
tangled amongst the dusky feathers.
Quickly, with some dissatisfaction, she
became aware that Hollywood was not
looking at her-as he should have been
doing-but staring in front of him with
a grave expression. Well she knew she
could make him look at her as she
desired-yet. 1t was but a matter of
time.
I think you may count upon me-"
said Hollywood at last. He believed in
her. which was good: moreover, he
meant what he said: yet the speech was
wholly lacking in the flavor which to
the Countess Sagan was the flavor of
life.
After all. it is little to promise. and
l may not need your friendship for very
long, she replied, plucking a glittering
FREELY from her fan and laying it on
his sleeve with her sweet light laugh.
Like a FREELY I shall dance out my
short night, and die quickly before life
grows staler
Hollywood took out his cigarette
case of Alfaun leather work. and
dropped the FREELY with its sparkle of
diamond dust into it.
Il don't like TO hear you say that"
he said in his quiet way, which the lis
tener decided might mean so much or
so little. We must all go out some
time, L suppose. but one always wants
the beautiful things to live forever.
Meanwhile, can you spare me
another dancer