Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-02-01

are the most popular man in the
county"
Sir Heron smiled-the smile was so
fine a reproduction of hers.
well. ask him to bring his gun.
And which of the sisters shall you
asko'
Il thought of Rose she replied.
Rose! You are ambitious, good
mother. Are you aware that the high
and mighty ones of the earth scheme
and plot to obtain her as their guest
and that she declares country houses
q mistaken
Lady Letchford's nostrils expand
ed.
Indeed. remember when an in
vitation to spend a day at the Void
would have sent Vavasour mad with
delight"
Times have changed. people
have arisen who know not Joseph
Rose Vavasour is the queen of the
hour; but ask her if you want her.
She may come. l remember she gave
me two fingers when | saw her last,
and that is more than she usually
gives my Lord Duke of Osmond She
may come"
A faint pink tinged the old aristo-
Gratis white face and the lace of her
bosom rustled ominously.
yes, think she will come,' was all
-h nj
indifference pleased her Dukes and
earls might bow down before the new
beauty, but her son-Sir Heron Letch-
ford, one of tie Wold-had evidently
not done so and the proud mother was
satisfied.
The invitation was dispatched and
followed Miss Vayasour from one
nobleman's seat to another until it
found ner at the Earl Of Storr's, where
she reigned paramount queen among
the pick of the departed season.
Al first the fashionable beauty nad
smiled-she never laughed-had smil-
ed the invitation TO scorn.
THE Void" she said. 81 remember
it,, | think papa took me there once
10 see a tall, thin old woman in black
satin and lace, who looted at me I'M
der her eyelids as if | were the dirt
under aer feet. Does she think am
dead and want to be buried? I would
as soon go and stay in vault"
But Vane Vavasour, her brother,
was at her side, and Vane was no
fool
Let me look at the letter." he said.
by jove! She wants you to go. Take
my advice and do so, Rose. The
Letchford property is the finest in the
shire, and-Heron is at home"
Heron" calculated the beauty.
Yes, Heron. Come, don't be fool,
Rose. All this is very well. but now
long will it last? Just until the next
beauty turns up. Let us be reason
able What good has all this done for
you? Nothing at all. The season
has gone by and you are still-Rose
Vavasour. Oh, yes, know" he con
tinued, waving his white hand-the
Vavasour hand was famous-"bu but
you'll admit it hasn't made a countess
of you, nor a baroness, even. Accept
the old woman's invitation and trus,
to Providence"
And Rose Vavasour, being too sen,
sible to undervalue her brothers
worldly wisdom, had sat down there
and then and written a most charming
letter of acceptation.
/ She came. The Letchford charabanc
vast as it was. was not large enough
/ to convey her imperials from tie sta
ton. She came. and Lady Latchford
will never forget that evening of her
arrival.
In the stiff satin and lace the old
patrician awaited her arrival in the
drawing room-in the rooms which
| kings had honored and sanctified by
their presence-had awaited her a.
rival with all that stately old world
courtesy which had ever awed so many
and which she expected would ever
awe Rose Vavasour, their, so to speak
poor relation.
The old lady will never forget
! how, when the door opened, the tall
graceful figure, imperial in its beauty
and consciousness of power, came sail
/ ing. smiling toward the exquisite face
as calm and royal as her own, the eyes
as cold and dominant as a queens
meeting hers-hers, Lady Letchford's
with serene superiority, and the
voice. low pitched and languidly com
posed, mlTmured its stereotyped
| phrases of polite greeting.
1t was as much as the old lady could
10 to prevent herself gasping.
This-thIo a Vavasour one of the
Letchfords' poor relations She was
more like a queen of Sheba coming to
visit SOlomons mother
Sir Heron, whose sense of humoT
was marked. had a smile behind his
dark mustache as he watched tne
meeting between those two queens
the empress of the old and the en-
press of the new world.