Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-05-19

great hall the tinkle Of little bell of
some soft metal. It approached, and
with it the sweeping stir of heavy
siiken garb. The door opened, admit
ting a still greater blaze of light, and
there swept into the hall, as though
swimming upon the flood of this added
brilliance, a figure striking enough to
arouse attention even at that time and
place, even among the beauties of the
court of France There advanced,
calm and stately, with the gliding ease
Of a perfect carriage, the figure of
woman, slender, with full bright eyes
and somber hair.
She stepped to the place at the re-
gents right hand, with head high and
eyes undrooping. For dramatic in
slant she paused, as though in the re-
hearsal OF part-a part of which it
might be said that the regent was MOI
alone the author. This triumph OF
woman over other women, this tri-
umph of vice over other vice, OF eff
could not have been SO planned and
executed by any but woman. One
another these beauties might tolerate.
knowing one another's frailties as they
did; yet the elegance, the disdain, the
Indifference of this newcomer-this
they could not support! Hatred sat
in the bosom Of each woman there as
she swept her courtesy to the new
guest of the regent, who took her place
as of right at the head of the board
and near the regents arm
Our gentle.en are somewhat late
this evening" exclaimed Philippe.
tbs too bad the Able Dubois could
not be with us tonight to administer
clerical consolation"
"Ah! lie drole Dubois." exclaimed
Mademe de Tencin.
And that vagabond, the Due de
Richelieu-but we may not wait.
Again ladies. the glasses. or Bechamel
will be aggrieved. And finally, though
| perceive most of you have graciously
unmasked, let me say that the moment
has now arrived when we make plain
all secrets
He turned his gaze upon the woman
at his right. AS though at a signal, she
half rose, unclaspeG the circlet of gems
at her throat, and swept back across
the arm of her chair the soft garment
which enveloped her.
A sigh, a long breath of amazement
broke from those other danes of Paris.
Not one of them but was stated with
the blaze of diamonds, the rich, red
light of rubies and the fathomless
radiance of sapphires. Silks and satins
and cloth of gold and silver had few
novelties for them. The costumers of
Paris, center of the world of art, even
in those times of unrivaled extrava-
gance and unbridled self qualification,
held no new surprise for these beau
ties, possessed so long of all that their
imagination required or that princely
liberality could supply. Yet here in
deed was a surprise.
AS she stood at the regents right,
calmly and composedly looking down
the long board as she arranged her
drapery before reseating herself, this
in the full costume Of the American
native! A long soft tunic of exquisitely
dressed white leather fell below her
hips, intricately embroidered in the ma
tive bead work of America, and stained
with great blotches of colors done in
the quilts Of the porcupine- heavy
reds sprightly yellows, and deep blues
Down the seams of this 1oose-fitting
tunic depended little waving fringes.
The belt which caught it at the waist
was wrought likewise in beads. Be-
meath the level of the table, as she
stood, the inquiring eyes might not
so clearly see; yet the white leggings,
fringed and beaded, and covered by a
sweeping blanket of snowy buckskin
might have been seen to finish at the
ankle and blend in texture and orna-
mentation with tiny shoes, which COW
cred the smallest foot yet seen in
Paris-shoes at the side of which there
dangled the little bells of metal whose
tones had told her coming.
Here and there upon the bead work
of the native artist, who had made this
attire at the expense of so much pa
tient effort, there blazed the changing
rays of real gems, diamonds, rubies,
emeralds-every stone known as pre-
cious. AS the full bosom of the scorn-
full beauty rose and fell there were
cast about in sprays of light the refiec-
lions of these gems Bracelets of dull
beaten metal hung about her wrists.
In her hair were ornaments of some
dull blue stone. Barbaric, beautiful
fascinating, savage she surely seemed
as she met unruff1ed the startled gaze
of these beautiful women of the court,
who never at even the most fanciful
bal masque in all Paris, had seen cos
tune like this
Ladies, la yoila! spoke the regent.
1sMa belle sauvagel"
The newcomer swept a careless cour-
tesy as she took her seat. AS yet she