The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-07-30
CHAPTER xv.-(cOntinuedJ


. strange one, and one that excited
great deal of interest She had peeu
married at fifteen to Russian prince,
many years older than herself, and OF
iissolute character. At first he had loved |
her passionately; then, as he found u
impossible to overcome her coldness anu
Indifference, he had come to dislike anu
treat her with harshness. He had taken
her away to Russia very young, very
friendless, and intensely unhappy. Ihere
he had neglected her. She had two cnii,
dren-boys; and all her love seemed
bound up In them. Then they died; the
cold of Russia killed them, and she al
most died of the grief.
The physician at st. Petersburg insist
ed that she should return at once 70
Paris. at is the only way to save her
life," he said to her husband. 80 aiter
three years weary absence, she return
ed to her birthplace, and there, after
time, she recovered. At the Frencn
court she was greatly admired and sought
for. A young man Of high RANK CON
ceived a wild passion for her. ne was
so handsome, so distinguished, no one De-
lieyed she could resist the devotion ne
constantly and so openly offered her' IL
could scarcely be affirmed that she was
utterly unmoved by his passion, but all
the world said that she never gave MN
any undue encouragement. stu, Frlnce
Zelikoff became jealous. One evening the
princess dropped her bouquet; Monsieur
de Ligny picked it up, bowed over 1t, ana
returned it to her. Prince Zelikof chose
to imagine the accident was prearrangeu'
and that De Ligny had taken the oppor-
tunity of concealing note among the
flowers. He snatched the bouquet vlo-
lentlr from his wifes hands. In her sur
prise she made some resistance; he grasp
ed her arm and pressed the sharp-polnted
diamond bracelet unintentionally into the
flesh. A little Jet of blood spurted forth.
The enraged De Ligny beheld 1t, and IN
a moment Prince Zelikoff lay stunned and
bleeding on the ground. A crowd closed
round them at once; with some difnculty
the angry men were separated, but, OF
course, only blood could wipe out such
stain. A meeting was arranged; the sec
onds made the customary formal at
tempts at a reconciliation without sue
cess.
Valerie de Zelikoff knew well enough
what the end of such quarrel must nat
urally be. She knew her husbands fierce,
indomitable temper, and she guessed the
rage that had filed De Ligny's heart at
seeing her treated with violence and in
dignity. Her heart was torn-ln very
truth she cared more for the handsome
accomplished man who loved her so des-
perately than for her dissolute, gray
haired, Indifferent husban. But her re-
ligion had taught her faithfully the duty
of sacrificing everything to right.
The morning Of the duel arrived, no one
was on the ground but the seconds, a
doctor and his assistant. The doctor
stood near De Ligny. Prince Zelikott
was known as deadly shot. one, two,
three, two Aashes, two reports, wild
shrek, and a fall. And yet neither OF
the duelists was harmed or seathed. Al
the moment Of firing the doctors assist
int had flung himself in front of the
prince, had turned up the hand which
held his pistol, and received De Ligny
shot through his shoulder De Ligny
the seconds, and the doctor rushed to
ward him; the prince had already raised
his head, and recognized Valerie de Zen
koff, his wife. The doctor explained it
He was an old friend Of the family; She
had gone TO him and besought him to al
low her to be present at the duel, urg
ing that she believed herself able to pre-
vent it, and after much hesitation he hat
Welded. The wound was not serious
one: many a woman would have beeI
glad to purchase the reputation for hero
ism that came undesired to Valerie d.
Zelikoff at so small price of pain.
The action was thoroughly French, an,
as such intensely appreciated by al
Paris. 1t was a crown of glory to he
husband, and fattered his vanity to de
gree that made him love her again as il
the olden days. Great as the triumph
was to Zelikoff, was the defeat to ID
Ligny. His amour propre could no
recover from such a terrible blow; h
had been prepared to risk his life to
well-known deadly shot to avenge an in
suit on the woman he loved, and she ha
received his bullet in her own tende
Hesh to save the husband who had S
grossly wronged her. He went away "
ill the affair had blown over, and then re
turned to Paris with very young, fai
wife, who had been taken from a conyen
TO marry him. She adored him; he wa
cold and indifferent to her; nay, he a
most hated her, when, six months latel
Prince Zelikoff died of a fever, and tn
beautiful Valerie was left a widow q
twenty-five. She passed year in seclU
sion, then she again went into societ!
and, as has been said, came to Londo
a few weeks before the close of the sei
son. She was staying in the house {
Lady Dora Amnesty, Mr.. Hastings cou
In. and her greatest friend.
Mr.. Hastings saw q great deal OF Ii
beautiful Frenchwoman, and admire
her exceedingly. She was not like an
Frenchwoman he had met before-sf
did not talk much, or gesticulate, or seei
to desire admiration. She was pale, larg
eyed, essentially spirituelle. The chi
fascination she possessed for him was Il
low, musical tone Of her voice.
II wish you would come more often
us. Errol," his cousin said; I'VE see
little Of you. am so anxious that Nj
dame Zelikoff's visit to us should be
pleasant one, and she always seems ha
pier. brighter, when you are there"
"You do me too much honor" NJ
Hastings said, mockingly.
ut Is no empty compliment indee
Errol," returned Lady Dora. Il am su
she likes you much better than any o.
else who comes here. You ought to fe
fiattered; the Princess de Zelikof's col
ness and indifference TO mems attenti
has almost become a proyeFb In far
am surprised you do not prefer a hig
bred, graceful womaa of the werid,
an uniformed, simple country girl II
that Miss Eyre. You see | have disco
cred your secret"
"Some men are foolish enough to pref
Innocence in women to 4 knowledge
the world, Dora" Mr.. Hastings q
swered cOldly.
"Some mep are foolish enough for an
thing" retorted Lady Dora. pettishS'
CHAPTER XVI
sMoA than once Sir Howard Champi