Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-03-19

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what haze you donef" shrieked tho
daughter.
and break the dishes when / think of
1t! want you to have talk with the
girl and tell her what fool she is max
Ing of herself"
naturally refused to mix in the mat
ter, though willing to offer such out
side advice as might strengthen the IA
ther Indeed one look at Eileene salts
fed me that at my first word she'd re-
taliate with mighty snub. 1t was
four or five days before ! got sight of
Count Padoya. He had probably been
obliged to fish around to get his rail-
road fare from Florence. / found him
all that Saunders had described him
and little more. He had been washed
and wrung out and bleached until one
could think only Of an old towel on q
clothesline. We didn't hit 1t off at all.
He saw in me rival, and, straighten-
ing up rs far rs possible and assuming
what he probably thought was Zero
cious dignity, he advanced upon me
and said:
''Sir, I am the Count Padovaw
swell, what Of It" queried.
"And the affianced husband of Miss
Saunders"
"I'm aorry for har0
l thought challenge would follow,
but 1t didn't. He tottered around and
tried to look bloodthirsty and finally
shook his finger at me and cried out in
piping tones:
Beware, sir-beware! No man shall
come between me and my love and
liver
I think he went up stairs and told his
ladylove that he had scared me OF the
track and then discovered that was
no rival, for he soon returned and
begged my pardon and offered me his
hand. I was reading newspaper and
didn't see or hear him. Saunders was
laid up in his room that day, but he
came down after dinner and groaned
out as he met me:
'AIy last hope is gone! Ellen tells
me she has accepted the count, and
the beggar is going to have the fact
published tomorrow
"But suppose you refuse your sane
ton and order the old beggar to getT"
"Say, you don't know Ellen. I threat
ened to do that, and she declared she'd
elope with him.
"And what If you told the count he
should never touch dollar of your
money!"
"He'd smile and smirk and take it
for bluff. By the horn spoon, but
I'll pay bravo ten thousand dollars
In gold to break his old neck! You
know about these braves. Go out and
find one for me and tell him to come
around with a sandbag."
The man was really in wretched spir-
Its over the affair. 1t would not have
taken some fathers two minutes to end
It, but he was i'll and morbid, and his
strength Of character was gone for the
time. We sat talking for an hour and
then went up stairs and Joined the
couple on the balcony. The daughter
received us in chilly fashion, but the
count had been drinking and was good
natured and voluble. had insulted
him, but was compatriot of the
charming Miss Saunders and her re-
spected father, and he would overlook
1t. We We're little family party, and
we We're by ourselves on little bal
cony, and he would take advantage of
the occasion to say that in seeking the
hand of the fair girl before him he was
melted by love alone. He was forty
five years old and lonely. He wanted
to love and be loved. Money to him
wass as to the cobblestones in the
street. He had estates in Sardinia, in
Lombardy and in Umbria. He had
castles in Tuscany, Naples and Sicily.
He had gold mines in the Alps, silver
mines in the Carnics and lead mines
in the Apennines. And as to his social
standing, who could desire more than
to be the confdant of the ruler Of the
land?
The old count was sleek, slick liar.
and it was entertaining to hear him
talk, but at the same time one could
not help but pity the father and feel
provoked at the daughter. The aged
lover was still exploiting when he sud
denly pitched forward out of his chair.
The girl screamed out and ran away to
her room, and was for bringing doc
tor rs quick as possible when Saun-
ders protested:
Hold on a bit. The old vagabond
has only tainted away. Let's see what
he is made Of"
We went to work. and the results
were strange enough. l brought soap
and water from my room, and the first
thing we took off was false brow.
We got enough enamel off his face to
reveal a score of wrinkles, and it was
discovered that every tooth in his head
was. false Under his wig was shiny
pate, and his backbone was stitfene,l
with corset. l believe that ii was the
tightness of the corset had caused
his faint. There was something still to
come. His right leg was supported at
the knee with a brace, and II nose
which had been broken was neatly
trimmed with wax. When we had
taken the old fellow all to pieces, he
was queer sight to look at, and 1t was
hard to tell whether the heap OH the
chair or the heap on the floor was
Count Padova. He had partly revived
before we got through, and he cackled
away like an old hen.
"And this" groaned Saunders as he
pointed to the heap on the chair-"thls
was to be my son-in-law! This was
what my daughter was to marry in or
der to be called countess; 1 want
her here"
He was back with her in moment.
lifted the count to sitting position,
and he was chattering of love and cas-
ties ms the girl got sight of him.