River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-05-01

through AK. saw scarcely any
thing of him.
Lynne-Why have you waited Sc
long before coming TOTO have this
friendly little chat with me?
De Sailiy-How about the grand
duke?
Which grand duke?
De SailIy-Come! You spoke of Cos
sip. 1t seemed to be entirely occu-
pied with your approaching marriage
to his royal highness.
Lynne (fattered) - Oh! with a
cousin of the emperor! How absurd!
Besides, to speak frankly, his royal
highness is rather-mature. No. L
am one of those rare and peculiar
women who do not believe in mar
rage without love.
De Sailly-Then you ought not to
have interrupted my-paradox, as you
called it.
Lynne-Were you going to speak OF
love? 1t is easy to talk about, but
difficult to demonstrate.
De Sailly-Meaning that you would
not have been convinced by my dem
onstration?
Lynne-Even if I had been con-
WINGED / could not with proprlety'
| considering the shortness OF our ac-
quaintance, have confessed that TT e
demonstration was agreeable.
De Sally (sadly)-What a pity it is!
| Lynne-What is?
De Sailly-That ones wild dreams
cannot be realized. I'm an altered
voice. I do not know, mademoiselle,
whether we shall ever meet again
especially after what I am going to
tell you-but since you wish proofs,
[ will make two avowals. The sec
ond of them will be the proof of the
first.
Lynne (coquettishly)-Begin with
the second, then.
De Saiily-It is not so easy or SO
pleasant as the other, and the fact
that l make it shows how strongly
you have interested me. Your words
of encouragement have made me re-
fleet that 1 was on the point of acting
very dishonorably-and [ cannot so
act toward you. Speaking with eff
fort.) Except that [ am man of
honor within the meaning of the
code, am in no respect what [ ap-
pear or profess to be.
Lynne (amazed) -How?
De SailIy-My name is not De Sail
| ly, but Mariner [ have no estates,
no yacht, no fortune. | am a poor
man, my only heritage being a few
thousand francs which / am squan-
dering as economically as possible in
places where heiresses cOngregate, in
the hope of finding one credulous
enough or sufficiently in love with
me to marry me. There is my honest
confession. I hope you will pardon
my former words, which were simply
professional falsehoods.
Lynne-Why do you tell me this?
De SailIy-Because- this is the
! first avowal, which you would have
last-oecause [ love you.
Lynne-Since this morning?
De Sailly-I loved you at first sight.
have loved you a little more every
time L have met you, and I have tried
to meet you every day. But in love
1 am q skeptic, almost an atheist, and
that have dared to tell you my love
shows how completely it has mas
tered me. This is, perhaps, the first
time in my life that have acted up
rightly. Do not be too angry with
! me.
Lynne (much affected, dreamily)-
You are right. 1t is a pity.
De Sailly-That we are now SO far
apart?
Lynne-No, but that we are too
near together. l am in the same po-
sition as yourself. / have neither
chateau nor horses, neither yachts
nor diamond mines. am hunting for
rich husband in the same coverts
that you are beating down for a
lowered wife, and [ am not very pa
tiently awaiting the portion of happi-
ness or misery that fate may bring
me. I am tired of playing the role
| of candle to decrepit moths with
golden wings. [ am pretty, you see,
too pretty, and so have no right
to anything but what | may fetch in
the market. I am only chattel like
a railway bond or Sevres vase. Your
| frankness deserves q return, and it
shall have it. I, too, have another
! confession to make. 1t will be as
harmless as yours, since our two inn
| pecunious fates can never be one. In
the short time that I have known you
[ have guessed, from various trifing
signs, that you were not enormously
rich. but still I believed you had
oh, how shall I express it?
De Sailly-A modest competence, as
people say?
Lynne-That is it. And on this
foundation [ built q romance-the
first heartfelt romance of my life.
gave up pining for the stars, and was
happy in dreaming of modest, sim
| pie existence-with you.
De Sally (sadly)-We were de-
signed for each other, but destined
never to realize the design.
Lynne-Like so many others in this
queer world!
De Sailly-And, loving each other,
we shall each contract the most stu
pidly conventional of marriages with
some one else.
Lynne-And regret it all our lives.
CA long silence. Then their hands
clasp as if by instinct.)
Lynne Tin choking voice)-Is it
adieu?
De Sailly-Au revoir, rather, for
who knows? Are you doing Nice this
winter?
Lynne-Yes. and you?
De Sailly-Of course. Perhaps we
/