The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-20
The News.
CHAPTER TX.

! The News. ..--->.> -
Lady Kitty! Lady Kitty! Have you
| heard the news?' :. ~ .e.-....
Thus, brea thless, the Countess of War
rington, Lady Catharine's English neigh
Dor in exile, burst into the dwelling
room early in the morning, not waiting for
announcement of her presence e..
NAY, not yet, my dear said Lady
| Catharine, advancing and embracing her.
| What is it, pray? Has the poodle sWal-
lowed a bone. or the baby perhaps cut
another tooth? And, forsooth, how is the
| little one?"
Lady Emily Warrington, slender, ele
CANT, we'll clad. and for the most part
dangerously calm, was in a state of ex-
| citement quite without her customary
aplomb. She sank into a seat. tanning
herself with visor which threatened ruin
to the precious Stats of fan which bore
| the handiwork of Vatican.
| THE streets are full of it, said she.
Have you not heard, really?'
II must say, not yet. But what is it?"
! why, the quarrel between the regent
and his director general, Mr.. Law.
| mo, l have not heard of it Lady
! Catharine sought refuge behind her. own
fan But tell me- she continued.
But that is not all. Twas the reason
for the quarrel Paris is all cog. Twas
about woman
|
Yes, it all happened last night, at the
Palais Royal. The woman is dead-died
last night. IT'S said she fell in a fit at
the very table-'twas at little supper
given by the regent-and that when they
came to her she was quite dead
| But Mr.. Law
| "'Twas he that killed herr! -
Good God What mean you?' cried
Lady Catharine, her own face blanching
behind her protecting fam. The blood
swept back upon her heart, leaving her
| cold as statue.
why" continued the caller, in her
own excitement to tell the news. scarce
noting what went on before her: lit seems
| that this mysterious beauty OF the re-
gents, of whom there has been so much
talk, proved to be none other than for
mer mistress of this same Law, who is
reputed to have been somewhat given to
that sort Of thing, though of late mons
trous virtuous, for some cause or other.
Mr.. Law came suddenly upon her at the
table Of the regent, arrayed in some kind
of savage finery-for twas In fashion a
mask that evening, as you must know.
And what doth my director-general 90,
so high and mighty? Why, in spite Of the
regent and in spite of all those present,
he upbraids her. taunts her.. reVlles her,
demanding that she fall on her knees be
| fore him, as it seems indeed she would
have done--as, forsooth, half the danes
|
sudden my lord director changes and
he Graves pardon of the woman and OF
| the regent, and stalks off and leaves
the room! And now then the poor crea-
ture walks to the table, would lift glass
of wine, and so-'tts over! Twas like
play! Indeed, all Paris is like d play
nowadays. OF course you know the rest.
| A gesture of negative came from. the
hand that lay in Lady Catharine's lap.
1.-THE busy gossip went on. 3r
",The regent be, sure, was angry enough
at this cheapening of his own wares pc
fore all, and perhaps it's true he had
fancy for the woman. AT any rate us
said that this very morning he quarreled
hotlv with Mr.. Law. The latter gave back
words hot as he received, and so they had
it violently enough. IT'S stated on the
Ouinuuempox that another must take Mr:
Laws place But If Mr.. Law goes; what Will
become of the system? And what would
the sI stem be without Mr.. Law? And
what would Paris be without the system?
Why, listen, Lady Catharine. l gained
fifty thousand livres yesterday, and my
coacbman the rascal. In some manner
seems to have done quite as well for him.
self. 1 doubt not he will yet build a
mansion of his own, and perhaps my hus-
band may drive for him! These be strange
days indeed. I only hope they may con-
tinue in spite Of what my husband says
And what says hep asked Lady Cath
arine her own voice sounding to her I'M
familiar and far away.
Why, that the city is mad, and that this
soon must end-this Mississippi bubble
as my Lord Stair calls it at the embassy"
Yet J have heard all France is pros
porous"
"Ch, yes. indeed. IT'S said that but
yesterday the kingdom paid four millions
Of it's debt to Bavaria, three millions of
its deb; to Sweden-yet these are not the
most pressing debts Of France
'Meaning-'
why, the debts of the regent to his
friends-those are the important things.
But the other day he gave eighty thou
sand livres to Madame Chateauthiers, as
a little present. He gave two hundred
thousand livres to the Able Something
brother, who asked for it, and another
thousand livres to that rat Dubois. The
thief nArgenson. ever counsels him to
give in abundance now that he hath
abundance, and the regent is ready with
a vengeance with his compliance Saint
Simon that priggish duke has had a
million given him to repay debt his
father took on for the king a generation
ago 10 the captain Of the guard the
regent gives six hundred thousand livres,
fo" carrying the fan of the regents for
gotten wife: to the Prince Courtenay, two
hundred thousand, most like because the
prince said he had need of it: pension of
two hundred thousand annually to the
Nl;arquise de Bellefonte, the second such
sum, because she once made eyes at him ::
a pension of sixty thousand livres to a
threc year-old relative to the Prince de
CONT. because Cont cried for it: one
. hundred Thousand livres to Mademoiselle
Hatdee, because she has a consumption:
anu as much more to the Duchesse de
Fa'ari. because she has not a consump-
tier Bah: The credit of France might
indeed. as my husband says, be called
:. leaking through the Stats of fans -:
But. look your' she went on, how
Mr. Law feathers his own nest, He