The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-11
HER WEIGHT IN GOLD.
TOR TWENTY TTMEs THAT AMOUNT THIS BEAUTY
 WAS BOUGHT.
old Story Revived by Second Mar riage of Florence Darmeniere. Her Dashing Life and Ad-
 ventures in Paris.

Henry Dumas in New York World:
 Florence de la Beyargue Darmeniere, daughter of the. Marquis de la Beyar- gue. who blew his head off at Monte Carlo three years back, is going to be married again-this time to an Austral- ian.
 She is the girl who sold herself to her first husband flor twenty times her weight in gold. Here is a story for you:
 The man, by the way, who proved the sincerity of his love with so much precious metal, was not an American, as everybody supposed at the time of the famous bargain. William Dar- meniere was F'renchman who had in his youth migrated to our newest West and out of a long turmoil of faro-play- ing. silver mining. shooting. sheep check raising had finally scraped to- Eether a few millions of dollars.
 Aside from that crazy ceremony when he piled enough gold coin on the scales to raise his bride twenty success sive times from the ground. old Oar meniere's existence here after his re- turn from America was the quietest imaginable. Without private or pub lie protest he allowed his wife and her relatives to ruin him in the ways they deemed most fit. He himself had &C., cepted the honorary presidency of the Navvies' Cnion.- and he spent his time on that inoffensive hobby. Finally his career came to an end some five years ago. just about the time when even his own modest comfort was endanger- ed by the steady squandering that had been going on in the hands of his aris- tocrstic parasites.
 And now comes this Australian-an- other scared. hot-hsa~fed pionee- brought by his fate from God knows what confines to offer t othe sade idol of flesh the fortune his hands nave dug.
 Florence de Ia Beyargue is still re- membered in the Latin quarter of Paris as the most popular girl student that ever made things lively in those parts. She was beautiful and unabash- ed. with a certain tall almost entirely physicaI haughtiness that made her feilov-students of both sexes regard her buoyant impulses of camaraderie as favors for which all were adorfngiy grateful.
 Of course the fact that she belonged to one of the proudest titled families of France impressed the bands ol youthful proletarians considerably, put she had also the dash, tine magnetism. the indefinable qualities that conquer allegiance. Her sway was phenomenal Even her professors were helpless be- fore her good natured impotence.
 She followed the courses of the fac- ulty of medicine and surgery, and if at the time diplomas had been given to women there is no doubt taht shewould have submitted a. brilliant doctorate thesis. However, as she never intend- ed to practice, the absurd ruling out did not matter much in her case.
 Dr, Pean. 'the butcher of genius once pronounced her permanent expul- sion from his lectures for having pop ped open a bottle of champagne in the dissecting room on the pretext that the weather was hot, the lesson long. and she-poor girl!-in need of fre- auent refreshment. Despite the expul- sion. when Pean arrived the next day he saw Florence in the usual white apron with hef sleeves turned up, dili- gently at work %with sca1pel and tweezers like Ter comrades.
 Mile. de Beyargue," said the pro- lessor. sternIy. you have no longer any right to be here. l pray you to withdraw"
 But the girl has bounded to him. passed a fine bare arm around his neck and kissed him before he could finish.
 s'Oh. come. doctor, you wouldn't do a thing like that-interrupt my studtes! ruin my life!-just for & little popping noise that really disturbed no one!
 "It was not because of the noise, etatnmered the old surgeon. but
 "I know; you were afraid l wouldn't invite you. But I would have if you had given me time"
 Old Pean's face was ablaze. Flabber- xasted and speechless, he was trying to disengage himself. But the white arm clung and the lovely face looked up so appea!ingly that he smiled. He smiled and was lost. The whole class applauded. and the strange girl, run ming to her locker, produced several bottles, crying:
 "Now. cher maitre, just to show that I am forgiven. let us open these. And do join us!" '
 Conquered the Terrible Genius.
 At this the terrible Pean threw up his arms in idismay and made is es- cape, helpless before the mischievous grace of the girl, yet unwilling to countenance this unclassical celebra- ton.
 The anecdote seems pale beside others which might be told of Florence. Once. tor instance. she visited barber and had her splendid black hair trimmed short. like a mans. Then, clad in the cavalry uniform of Lieutenant de la e-~---------------------