Mexico Missouri message., 1900-05-31

who said to him, as she ut a phereslI
cigarette, the day friend presented
him: "Ah! You are the man who is
so much in love with me? How do
you do?" giving him a hearty hand
shake, like man. The sailor, true
hearted fellow that he was, loved her
the more as he grew to understand and
pity her. Fer he was right. Olga WAS
fantastic. Ill brought up. but neither a
lirt nor a snob Feeling. perhaps, the
vanity OF her life of pleasure. she
jud. d, and that severely, her fox hunt
ing admirers and her cotillon partners.
MI desired her. none esteemed her.
not one had made her an offer of mar
riafe. 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 tn M encamarade.
Julien, sensitive and discerning, dis
| covered the secret high heartedness Of
he thoroughbred" as Olga was called.
lie 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 al m and would intoXicate him
| with her starry gaze and violet breath.
But he loved her above all for her
suiferip IS, 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.
lie would marry her-snatch her out
OF this poisonous air, take her to his
own sanity mother, show her true
family-save her He sometimes fan
cied Olga understood his purpose; as
she handed him his glass of Russian
tea, he thought he now and then
caut hit, 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 few days with my sister in
| Touraine, | shall go to Brest; in a
year | shall be at sea again"
They were standing in the hotel writ
ing room. near the open window, with
its palpitating night Sky.
'Good-by, the:r, and bon voyage"
said Olga, in her frank, firm voice.
But you must give me little keep
sake-that lions claw you wear as a
watch charm-a trophy of an African
lion hunt, didn't you tell me? 1t ap-
peals to the fierce and free in me, you
know"
Julien took off 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 so in that good
way. That's why refuse you"
"Olga!" cried Julien, in choked
voice.
Listen to me and will explain.
am not worthy of you-you would be
unhappy with me. You remember
your sisters letter that you said you
had lost? Well, picked it up here ard
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 / saw,
too, what real family is-your fam
| lily. Be grateful to the mother you
| have, Nj. de Rhe. | have a mother
too, but | 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
! circumstances. She has decided that
either | am to make a brilliant match
-or-she will find something else.
| know a lot, don't |, for a girl of 10?
Horrible isn't it? But it's true. That's
why last winter we were at Nice, last
summer 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 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 | wouldn't make you happy
and don't love you. don't love any
one. Love is in the things that I've
always been forbidden. Good-by. Get
up and go away without word. But
leave me your lions claw TO remind
me of the honest fellow whom | have
treated honestly. Adieu!"
Three years later, one stormy night,
the transpor Du Couedic. back from
Senegal, stopped at the Canaries to
take on the mail A package of pa
pers was tossed into the officers mess.
De Rhe, seated there, opened a three
weeks old Paris sheet, and under the
heading arrivals read the following:
II. M. the king of Suabia, in the
strictest incognito, as Duke of Augs-
burg, is once more among us. An
unfortunate incident occurred at the
station. The Barone de Hall, who,
accompanied by her mother, Comtesse
Babarine. was travelling with his ma