The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-18
Rou1 OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE

| ried Count Pompon. Susie is my first
cousin, and we were brought up Ike sis
tiers. Indeed. ] would rather We had
never found oil on Grandpa's Texas lands
the oil which made US all rnillionaires:
the count would never have looked twice
at Susie, pretty as she is, ir it hadn't been
for her dollars.
l did my best to prevent the marriage
Susie and 1 quarreled over it for the first
and only time in our lives although il
wasn't long before we made up.
Really, / must say that she deserved all
she got, poor child. for l told her how
dissipated the count was. George told
me. Why, his carryings-on were the talk
OF Paris That was how he got so dread
fully into debt, SO that he had to marry
an heiress or else blow out his brains
l wonder if 1 could have been so bereft
as TO buy a title. 1 think not, but 1
| wasn't tempted: George and / were en-
gagged before we struck oil. However
Susie didn't care for Pompon's rank she
really was desperately in love with the
pretty fellow. For even / can't deny
that he is a beauty, not handsome as
men 60 but actually pretty, and I never
could endure pretty men. II was bad
enough, his drinking and gambling but
| his ways with the women were worse
| II l had been in Susies place / would
have broken off the marriage at the very
/ last, when he and Elise. the variety ac-
| tress. came over to the States in the
same steamer To be sure the woman
( had an engagement in New York and Chi
cago; but Elise was the most notorious
i of his dear friends. and he gave her a
supper two days before he was mar
ried.
! 1t was nearly two years before George
and l went to Paris after that. Susie's
money was tied tight, and. being invested
/ IN America, Pompon can't touch the
principal; but the income is a big one
and the count makes it fly. Rumor said,
L think truly, that Elise got large slice
of it. She blossomed out gorgeously in
jewels and sables. and her turnout was
one Of the prettiest on the Bots. When
We reached Paris there were plenty of
kind people to tell us what other people
said
The count observed decency so far as
not to show himself I'm public with the
creature; ''noblesse oblige'' holds good to
some extent always, however little. He
treated Susie with the most perfect cour-
tesy, so far as any one could tell. and
was most punctiliously polite to George
and me. Susie loked thin and pale; but
her baby was only few months old. She
made no complaint and George insisted
! that had no reason for believing her I'M
happy. Pompon seemed almost as proud
OF the small viscomte as Susie was. The
child is a fine one, and l think the count
Is really grateful TO his american Wlle,
because his heir will succeed to Chateau
Pompon, restored and unencumbered.
Susie begged us to stay at her house,
and PompOn seconded the invitation, but
George and declined the honor, both of
us preferring suite at the L'Athenee.
l always have a good time when / go
to Paris: l make George take me every
where. This time 1 was determined to
so to the grand masked ball of the demi-
monde. George objected, and when 1 in
sisted that an American woman could go
anywhere with her husband, he finally
yielded on condition that l should wear
the plainest of black silk dominos and not
speak out of a whisper nor say word of
English while We were there. all of
which I was quite willing to promise.
wanted to see. not to be seen. and you
can't stump me on French. 1 coaxed
Susie to go with us. and provided q
Domino for her just like mine. She didn't
need much persuasion think she wanted
to get good look at Elise, unseen, and
she knew, as well as We did. that her
count would be there with the rest of the
men about town.
He was there, sure enough, and when
the dancers unmasked he and Elise were
together My but she was beautiful. l
never had seen such hair as hers. She
wore it flowing, held back with diamond
trnaments, and it rippled nearly to her
Rites, NeIlldDlt SOlutll uOOU, ludTNtlOuS
for its length and beauty. j heard Susie
give little sigh and she shrank back
into the box behind the curtain as though
she were afraid her count might see her
through her domino. She needn't; the
man had no eyes for any one but Elise.
There were two women in the box next
ours chattering like magpies.
But what hair exclaimed one.
Heaven. but it is beautiful
rs it not?' answered the other. Truly,
/ am proud of it,
You? But how, then? Are you her
hairdresser?"
The other woman laughed. Yes, but
you are never to tell; it is a wig. and
made it, I. Oh, but it is a masterpiece
So natural that even her maid does not
suspect it. She has two alike, so as to
have always one while We keep the |
other. My husband invented the frame. |
which fits close, so close that II will come |
off in only one way. To remove it you |
must take both hands and give quick, |
upward jerk. l go every day here the |
voice grew lower, as though the speaker |
remembered that she might be over |
heard.
l had heard enough to set me all |
aQuiver. The count and Elise had left !
the floor of the ballroom, and / guessed |
that they had gone TO take supper. / pro- |
tested that l was dying OF thirst and |
e
Susie wouldn't come: she was too much |
afraid of meeting her husband. and. 10 |
tell the truth. l didn't urge her. There |
were so many spectators who kept on I
their masks that they were allowed ev-
erywhere except on the floor, and we had |
no difficulty in gaining admission TO the /
cafe. That was all. however: every table /
was taken. / didn't mind that, and we
drank our lemonsdes standing.
When we started out | drOpped Georges
arm and walked quickly ahead. passing by
the table where the count and Elise sat.
side by side. When l got behind her
paused an instant, AMI aening forward.
put out both hands. Then with a quick
jerk upward. off came the golden fleece.
It didn't take me two seconds to pull IL
of and drop IL on the floor. Then / fed.
before even George knew what I was
about. Fortunately Providence favored
me all the way through; the table was
near the door and there were so many
black dominos in the lobby that i was lost
in the crowd IN a moment and had gain
ed the street, hailed a fiacre and was on |
my way to the hotel in less time than II
takes TO tell 1t. I had misgivings as to
leaving George so nnceremoniously: but |
they were unnecessary. He guessed what
! had done at once. and. without undue
haste. made his way back to the box and
followed me with Susie before the hubbub |
in the cafe had much more than begun.
Susie thought l had been suddenly taken
i'll with neuralgia or something.
We heard all about IL afterward: at
least George did The scene after my
great act as George calls IT, must have
description One OF Elises ri
walls on the variety stage dared forward
quickly seized the wig. almost soon
as It touched the floor. waved IT In the
air for all 10 see. and then. with sweep
iD~ co-,r-as.~ ard knocking laugh ure-