The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-01-31
ole Self Bidder Guest.
BY Emeric fIuIme-Beaman.


i rising abruptly, looked with q w0man's
instinct into the large mirror above
the mantelpiece. The reflection Of
her image showed nothing en- mal-not
q tress OF hair disarranged, not rib
hen awry, no trace Of disorder in
feature or dress-the image, indeed. OF
= very beautiful woman clothed with
the perfection Of simplicity that made
her seem scarce more than young
girl still. Half-smiling with a salts
fed consciousness of this fact, she sat
down again as the servant entered the
room and handed her a card on the
salver.
! Lady Featherstone glanced at the
card. and suddenly her face turned
pale. She looked at the servant in
terrogatively.
"A gentleman, you say-to see me?"
| Eyes, your Ladyship."
It was not customary for Lady
Featherstone to question her servants
on the subject Of a visitors appearance
but she could not at this instant for
bear from asking, What kind OF a
gentleman?''
"A tall gentleman, your Ladyship,"
the servant answered; elderly, with
gray hair-a foreign gentleman, I
think, your Ladyship."
Lady Featherstone glanced again at
the card in her hand-"Paul Gresson-
ier."
Unconsciously her pulses quickened,
the color returned to her cheeks, her
breath came oddly fast. What did
it mean? What could it mean? Paul
Gressonier! The man who had loved
her fifteen years ago and left her; the
man whose name but five minutes
since had crossed her thoughts-whose
face had risen so strangely vivid out of
the mists of long departed years, whose
voice had rung but now upon her
fancy with half-forgotten echoes of her
girlhood's days ressonier! 1t must
be some mistake, some singular IL
fusion, or else some curious coinci-
dence-no more.
| The servant coughed alphabetically
| Il told the gentleman, your Lady
ship" he went on, ''that your Lady
| ship was not receiving and could not
see visitors at this hour, but he
| wouldn't take no refusal Take UP
my card said he, to Lady Feather
| stone, and say l wish to see her par
tlcular. Does your Ladyship de-
sire me to say that you are indis-
posed?" he inquired, gravely.
/ y0tO
speaking with sudden effort. 'Show
the gentleman up
| There was little time in which to
adjust her mental attitude to an ade-
quate conception Of the emotional pos
sibilities that this quite unexpected in
cident seemed likely to create. 1t had
| happened with SO complete sudden
ness that the effect of it upon Lady
| Featherstone's mind was considerably
| iessened by the difficulty of reducing
| the utterly improbable to the prac-
| t1cally existent, the abstract to the
| actual, in the brief space of two min
| uteS.
| There was, Ia short, a strong sense
| OF unreality still upon her when the
door again opened and the visitor was
| ushered into her presence
A gentleman, tall, with grizzled
| mustache, strong, aquiline features,
| keen earnest eyes and gray hair
| brushed back from a high, wide fore
head, entered, took a step forward,
paused, then silently bowed
| sharp surprise, a certain dis
| appointment, troubled gladness, a
singular embarrassme1t-au these
sentiments were fused into the con-
| seriousness that before her stood, at
last, after long years, the lover o. her
| youth; and Lady Featherstolo's eyes
dropped before the gaze Of M. Gresson-
| Ter.
Fifteen years had changed him from
young to middleaged mana man
handsome still, but in whose appear
| ance seemed manifest the Bullets of
! adverse fortune. His clothes were
shabby-so shabby that, when he had
Invested himself in the hall below of
his rich fur coat, the footman had
looked at him askance. half doubling
the propriety of conducting such an
addressed person into the presence Of
his mistress, and marvelling not a
little at the strange discrepancy be-
tween the strangers costly, sable lined
overcoat and the threadbare garments
underneath it; for they were thread
bare and ill fitting; his boots were
| even patched, his collar frayed. his
necktie a mere cheap ribbon. Yet even
the disadvantages of such attire were
| unable to conceal in the wearer a GER
tain aspect of dignity, a nobility Of
bearing which seemed natural to him
| and independent of all extraneous aids.
IN. Gressonier!' said Lady Feath-
erstone, after brief, awkward silence,
| and held out her hand.
Lady Featherstone ah, Madame,
permit mel" With grave reverence.
M. Gressonier raised the outstretched
hand to his lips.
Madame" he murmured. 1T is
long so long since last time!''
7 adv Fnafh nrcfonn uri+br7~ox~x -