Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-03-01

swell, I heard pretty Marie telling
that stupid Achille of hers that the
count is coming home tomorrow from
america, and that young lady and
her mother, natives of that country,
are coming with him. And Marie said
it was the talk among the servants that
the count is to marry her, the young
lady," finished the mirror, triumph
antly.
IAN Americana" groaned the piano.
'Then she wears feathers on her
head" gasped the Louis Quatorze sofa.
Sand ring in her nose!" added a cor
pulent ottoman with a coat-of-arms
embroidered on its back.
"And beats a tom-tom," whined the
piano, shivering till it's strings fairly
tangled, ..'all Americans do that"
''But Alike" cried the>sofa, ''what of
her?"
''Her heart will break" moaned the
Boucher fan, which had received so
many sentimental condolences in it's day
it felt it was an authority on such sub
jects.
''Poor child" sighed the mirror. ''But
then, these Americans are all so indie
Gently rich; they say their houses are
made of solid gold, and we, my chill
dren, are poor-miserably poor!"
But sympathy was with Alike, and
they all voted it shame the count
should treat her so. And how they adj
mired her the next day when she came
in, giving her arm to the feeble old
countess and looking pale, but, oh, SO
proud and pretty, to await the coming
of the expected guests.
''She shows her good blood to-day
they whispered to each other, and then
thill went through them as group
appeared in the doorway.
There was the young count, also pale,
and little shamefaced, with a stout
lady in gown that looked agoniz;ngly
tight, and young girl, little brown
thing in mannish hat and jacket, and
oh, horror! skirt so short as to show
her stout little shoes. And her man
ners were the strangest for young
girl that the yellow salon had ever seen.
She greeted the stately countess with
out the smallest indication of timidity,
shook hands in a frank and friendly
fashion with Alike, and then flew about
the room exclaiming over everything
she saw, in clear, high voice which
rang startlingly but. not unmusically
on the ear, while the salon loked on in
wonder.
They decided she was not at all pref
ty and very queer indeed, after the
people had gone up to dress for din
ner and they had a chance to talk her
over. And when later she came down
in an elegant evening gown, showing
her rounded arms and pretty shoulders,
they had to admit she had her good
points, but still told each other she was
far inferior to Alike.
The old house thrilled strangely into
life after that. The American girl
whose heathenish name was Dorothy
danced through the big rooms like a
freakish spot of light thrown by a
mirror glancing in the sun.
She took great fancy to the yellow
salon and spent hours exploring it's
dim corners and antique cabinets.
Sometimes the count came with her,
when the room was at once relieved and
little disappointed to observe that
no word of love ever passed between
them.
But more often Mistress Dorothy
was accompanied by Alike, of whom
she had grown very fond, and the two
would play duets on the Anticipated
piano, set the medallioned music boxes
going and fill the stately apartment
with their sweet youthful laughter over
the jingling, tuneless melodies they
evoked.
The occupants of the salon got ac-
customed to these innovations with
difficulty. 1t was the first time in their
history that they had been treated with
so little respect. They pronounced the
American girl pert and noisy. Only
the big mirror defended her.
''She certainly is kind to Alike" it
said, ''and I like her anyway. She looks
me in the face as if she didn't care fig
what said to her.
"She knows you're never to be trust
ed to say the same thing twice."
snapped an old, ugly gilt dragon on the
mantel. "What folks can see in you to
admire l never could understand"
Probably not" replied the mirror
with sarcasm.
But just then Dorothy came in with
a letter in her hand, and throwing her
self on the sofa proceeded to read it
eagerly.
Now the letter was written in Eng
lish, which might have been an awk-
ward fact for everybody if it hadn't
happened that a tall embroidered
screen which stood near had spent sew
eral seasons in the drawing-room of an
English duchess and was thus able to
read every word of it over Dorothy's
shoulder and tell them all about it aft
erward. According to this informant
the letter was postmarked New York,
and read thus:
Dear Dorothy-H you want to give
whole lot Of money away, suppose it's
none of my business, unless I'm selfish
enough to remember that the more of it you
part with the less there is to separate Won
from me and rejoice in consequence.
I've made arrangements to have the du-
cats settled on the little French girl, and
much good may they do her when she gets
the count for husband. He always seemed
good deal of cad to me, but as long as
you don't intend to marry him yourself, it
makes precious little difference to yours
truly whether he's an ass or an angel. I'm
going over to Paris myself next week,
when I hope you'll not be so taken up
with the nobility as not to have welcome
for an humble American, who has the
world all before him with it's back turned.