The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-02-07

at Monte Carlo did not encourage hin
to try again, and peggy's attitude to
ward the place was distinctly antago
nistic. The Riviera presenting no new
opportunities for extravaganza, it be
came necessary to seek other worlds.
Il never before understood the rea
meaning of the phrase tight money!
thought Monty. Lord, If it would only
loosen bit and stay loosened!' Some
thing must be done, he realized, to earn
his living Perhaps the role of the
princely profigate would be easier in
Italy than anywhere else. He studied
the outlook from every point of view
but there were moments when it seem.
ed hopeless. Baedeker was provoking
ly barren Of suggestions for extrava.
gance, and Monty grew impatient of the
books small economies. Noticing some
chapters on the Italian lakes, in an in
spired moment he remembered that
. <Pettingill had once lost his heart to a
villa on the lake of Como. Instantly q
new act of the comedy presented itself
to him. He sought out Pettingill and
demanded description of his castle in
the air.
"Oh, it's a wonder" exclaimed the
artist. And his eyes grew dreamy. 1T
shines out at you with it's white ter
races and turrets like those fascnat-
ing castles that Maxtield Parrish draws
for children. 1t is fairyland. You ex-
pect to wake and find it gone"
"Oh, drop that. Petty" said Brew
ster, cor it will make you poetical.
What want to know is who owns it
and is it likely to be occupied at this
season.
1T belongs to certain marquise,
who Is a widow with no children. They
say she has horror of the place for
some reason and has never been near
1t. 1t is kept as though she were to
turn up the next day but except for
the servants it is always deserted"
The very thing" declared Brewster.
"Petty, we'll have a house party
You'd better not count on that, Mon
ty. A man l know ran across the
place once and tried for a year to buy
It But the lady has ideas of her own"
or two about how to do things, watch
me. II you don't spend two weeks in
your dream castle l will cut the crowd
and sail for home"
He secured the name of the owner
and found that Pettingill had even a
remote idea of the address of her agent
Armed with these facts, he set out In
search Of q courier, and through Phi
uppe he secured a Frenchman named
Bertier, who was guaranteed to be sur
prisingly ingenious in providing meth
DDS Of spending money. To him Brew
ster confided his scheme, and Bertier
realized with rising enthusiasm that at
last he had secured a client after his
own heart He was able to complete
the address of the agent Of the mys
ferrous marQuise. and an inquiry was
Immediately telegraphed to him.
The agents reply would have been
discouraging to any one but Brewster
It stated that the owner had no inten
ton Of leasing her forsaken castle fol
any period whatever. The profigate
learned that fair price for an estate
OF that kind for month was 10,OOC
francs, and he wired an offer of five
times that sum for two weeks. The
agent replied that some delay would be
necessary while he communicated with
! his principal. Delay was the one word
that Brewster did not understand, sc
he wired him an address in Genoa, and
the Filter was made ready for sea
n Steam had been kept up, and her Goa
account would compare favorably witt
y that Of an ocean liner Philippe was
rbreathless with joy when he was paid
In advance for another month at the
hotel on the assumption that the party
might be moved to return nj any mo
ment. The little town was gay at part
Ing. and Brewster ana his guests wer,
given a royal farewell
At Genoa the mail had accumulated
and held the attention Of ths yaeh
to the exclusion at everything else
Brewster was somewhat creStfallen t,
learn that the lady Of the villa haughtl
~ refused his princely offer. He wol
the lifelong devotion Of his courier b,
promptly increee ing it 10 10000
francs. When this. 100. met with re
lection there was pause as well al
serious ,.,. etweeu the
no.
"Bertier, csciai4el brewster. q
pst have the thing now What's t.
done? You've got to help me out
But the courier, prodigal as lie was
gestures, had no words which seem
j pertinent
"There must be some way of getting
II this marquise," Monty continued re
Aectively. what are her fastest Dc
lou know anything about her?'
Suddenly the face of the courier
NV bright. II have it." he said, and
81 he faltered. But the expense
nsieur-it would be heavy"
Perhaps we can meet it, suggested
onty quietly. whats the ldeai"
= was explained, with plenty Of &C
to make it clear. The courier had