Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-16

sight of man into a house he had in the
Cauca sus-melancholy mad!
For two years Villa Refine des Fees had
now been in the market for a tenant, yet
none had presented himself. Whether OF
not the house had a name for bringing ILL
luck to its inha btants, or that the price
fixed upon it was prohibitively high, it had
remained vacant, as before. Lady Camps
town could not regret this circumstance.
So long the enchanted ground behind the
rOse-waH had seemed an annex to her own
modest property, she begrudged the idea OF
Its overf1owing with noisy gay people, with
their dinners and dances, their-nQtor cars
putting up the drive their tennis ma tches
and tea parties. piano practising and per-
haps spoiled children and dogs, to invade
her sylvan Solitudes.
The one fate that Lady .CampstoWn kept
| in reserve the most painful that could
possibly overtake Villa Refine des Fees. was
for 1t to be inhabited by Americans. Now,
upon her return (although recently born
again, as it were, to new sense of the
excellent possibilities of her transatlantic
kinsfolkD she learned with dismay, from
her gardener, that the house had actually
been leased to American family, who
We're to arrive the following day! Details
of the calamity she could not at first bring
herself to acquire. 1t was enough that
her worst fears for her cherished play
ground were about to be realized. She
turned pale at thought of the changes sure
to come.
Directly after luncheon Lady Campstown
took down her mushroom hat and an Ia
vernesS cape that her maid had hung a
peg in the entry armed herself with her
tortoise shell Stick-a gift from Clandonald
by the way-and trotted down the walk of
her own garden leading out under the bam-
booS to the little green door in her neigh
boris wall. This was open, and she went
in, sadly resolved to make a final pilgrim
age to all the familiar spots henceforward
to be blocked from her view as effectually
as newspaper paragraph by the ink-marka
OF a Russian censor.
The day was glorious, earth, sea and sky
Iustrous with intense sunshine, the air
filled with OdOrs OF orange blossom and vio-
let, jasmine and rose, the palms bending
gently under summer breeze. Never had
the grounds Of Villa Refine des Fees seemed
In more perfect order. She gave one glance
UP at the cleaning house-front above the
stately balustrades, and saw that it's win
dows were open, new curtains fluttering in
the breeze In the loggia adjoining the
boudoir of the poor little dead princess.
wicker chairs, gayly cushioned. were
grouped under the rose wreaths The signs
of coming habitation were too evident.
Lady Campstown would not look again.
Sorrowfully she directed her steps along the
lower terrace. her tortoise-shell stick tap
ping impatiently upon the renaissance
birds and beasts of it's pavement. She even
hoped not to meet any of the friendly Prov
encals who worked upon the place, with
whom she had been wont to stop and talk
about themselves and families. the pros
pect of the flower crop for neighboring Gull
tivators. and affairs of the town in gen.
eral.
At some distance from the house this
terrace was rounded into a lookout, COM
mandins wondrous avenue Of palms,
their trunks enwrapped in roses and jas
mine, at the end of which the hillside fell
sharply away, revealing an unimaginably
lovely view of the sea and islands. From
here, as the visitor now seated herself to
gaze her last at favorite prospect she
saw coming toward her, beneath the arch
of palms, between borders of violets. very
tall young woman, modishly attired In
white embroidered cloth, with q large
white-plumed hat that breathed of the Rue
de la Patx, in Paris.
Lady Campstown wished that she could
believe this engaging person to be some
one who, like herself, had strayed into Villa
Refine des Fees through curiosity-a guest
from one OF the adjacent smart hotels.
| ish soul that it was none other than one OF
| the temporary owners Of the property, and
| that she herself stood revealed q tres
passer. In her intense vexation. the dow
ager arose again, striking her stick on the
| hot marble underfoot. till two little green
lizards scampered away In fright at it,
| sharp resonance.
II beg your pardon" she said In her
well-bred old voice. "I live in the next
house. and Of course had no idea that the
villa was yet Inhabited"
please don't speak Of It." was the sur
prisingly friendly answer. (The girl was
thinking, Here, surely. Is the Fairy God
mother.'o "We decided at the last minute
| to come q day earlier, 80 anxfously were We
| to get out Of gloomy, wet Paris. You zee.