The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-08-05


ice. He did not know an orchid from
n hollyhock, but no man In the army
was a better judge OF a cavalry horse,
and IL q Wagner recital bored him 20
death his spirit rose nevertheless TO
the bugie. and he drilled his troop I'M
iii he could play with Il and snap II
about him like whip.
shirley Claiborne had been out OF
college a year and afforded pleasant
refutatlon of the dun theory that adj
vanced education destroys girls
charm or buoyancy, or whatever II Is
that is so greatly admired in young
womanhOOd. She gave forth the i'm
preston Of vitality and strength She
was beautifully fair. with a high color
that accentuated her youthfulness. Her
brown hair. caught up from her brow
in the fashion OF the early years Of the
century. flashed gold In sunlight.
Much Of Shirley's g'rlhoo1 had been
spent in the Virginia hills. where Judge
Claiborne had long maintained refuge
| from the heat OF Washington. From
childhood she had read the calendar Of
spring as Il is written upon the land
acape itself Her fingers found by in
stinct the first arbutus. She knew
| where white violets shonc first upon
| he rough breast Of the lillsides, and
particular patches Of rho1o1endrOn
lad for her the intimate interest OF pri-
;ate gardens.
As the Claiborncs fingered at their
! table n short stout man espicd them
| from the door an l advanced beamingly
| "Ah. my dear Shirley. and DIX, Can
| il be possible? | heard only by the
| merest chance that you were here. But
| switzerland is the real meeting place
Of the world"
The young Americans greeted the
newcomer cordially A waiter placed
n chair for him and took his hat Ar
| thur Singleton was an American.
| though he had lived abroad so long as
| 10 have lost his identity with any par
| ticular city or state OF his native land.
| lie bad been an attache Of the Ameri-
can embassy at London for many
years. Administrations changed and
ambassadors came and went. but Sin
gleton was never molested. IL was said
that he kept his position on the score
! OF his wide acquaintance. he knew ev
cry one, and he was a great peddler Of
gossip. particularly about people in
high station.
The children of Hilton Claiborne
were not to be overlooked. lie would
impress himself upon them. as WAS his
way. for he was sincerely social by in
stlnct and would 90 far to do kind
ness for people he really liked.
"Ah me. You have arrived Oppor-
tunely, Miss Claiborne. There's mys-
terry In the air-the great Suoebel Is
hereunder this very roof and in a
dreadfully bad hrmor. lie Is dan
gerous mana very dangerous man,
| but failing fast Poor Austria, Count
Ferdinand Won StrOebel can have no
successor He's only a sort OF hold
over from the nineteenth century. and
with him aud his emperor out OF the
way-what; For my part | see only
dark days ahead" And he concluded
with little sigh that implied crum-
bling thrones and falling dynasties.
The reader OF the Neue Frele Presse.
preparing TO leave his table. tore from
the newspaper an article that seemed
TO have attracted him. placed It in his
cardcase and walked toward the door
The eyes of Arthur Singleton lighted
IN recognition. and the attaehe. mutter-
ing an apology 10 the Claibornes. adj
dressed the young gentleman cor
daily.