Evening star., 1909-06-13

By Baroness Won Hutten
Drawing BY Emil Pollak

II for thirty-fve years and that blue and golden
- May morning as he paused by the Fountain OF
IreiS. sudden realization Of the years rushed over
him with such force that ne drew quick breath
Thirty five years, he Sai aloud under cover OF the
rushing of the water and here | am old man!
But he neither looked felt old man. for lite
had been good to him. health had stayed with h1r!.
and the youth guarding quality Of lovousness was his.
AT of the fountain a small boy with
eyes like wells of ink stood with flat basket hangin
from his brown neck,-a basket full of dafodils as
yellow the young the spring itself
General de sstruve having called himself an Old
rlan turned with characterstlcally youthful shake
C.. his broad shoulders. and, as he turned sa" the
caffodis
.:Cry Nomt"
And as if the sight ol tie iovers had called halt
t. his CHEEKY thoughts nj, face changed He looked
his slXtvthree years as he beckoned to the boy ami
tought handful OF the sunny delightful things
Datfodi1S OF course would happen to me he
rluSed. making his way past the fountain The last
time sun and datfodls and loneliness and this time
after all these wears LONELINESS, and dfodlls and sun,
ih \lcoletta And then. because he was sincere
minded person whose little whlns Of Sentunentaty
amused himself. he smiled for it quite certain
that he had not thought of Nlcoletta for many years
A Nd it was true that II the rast interim since he
had thought Of her ne had thought OF many
other women And yet-Rome. May dafodils-
what could he do but remember his first love story
Pleasantly melancholy. he walked down the sunny
street recalling the old days the old friends until
the vHdness OF his back the OLD
feeling of the dead time that other May when there
we're daffodls in Rome for hin,
SO it with start that he found himself pres
e-tlv in front of an old palace with a loggla the
second story and battered and dIScolored coat OF
arms the great arched doorway
It, too had not changed and IN the courtyard in
the sun he could the large stone tank OF water
which continually softly overilowed its brink and
tricked down its mossy sides The old fountain still
taskng its square of sunlight and lolterlng it
tall old majordomo II, shabby livery nothing had
changed here.
For moment General de Str,,ve felt that he must
60 in and ask old Giantranco the Slgnora Prnc,
tessa was receiving, and then as he about to 60
his way the maordomo turned and him. and
came forward. expectant
BEFORE he realized what ne vas doing General
= de Struve produced visiting card and gave it to
the man who not Gianfranco and yet seemed 50
like him
La Sgnora Duchess he ,nurInurei ami the
fnajordomo returned ceremoniouslv
La Signora Duchessa sat her country villa, sig
Yes the little Prime pessa Nicolettina vas now AZ.
old woman an old dowager Duchess and she i.
the country
De Struve gave the man franc La o,snor,
Duchessa is at San Pandoltino. he asked rennem-
herring with slight effort the name OF the mar his
old love had married
The maiordomo spread out hi hands il respect
fuI surprise " No. signor. the Slgnora Duchess
Castel Fiordilisa, where she always goe,
De Struve thanked him and Went
At Fiordilisa,-at the old pink villa IL the cam
1agna where he had made love her where thet-
we're to have been married. where they had quar-
relied, Thirty-ive years said General lie Struve
with sigh drawing one Of the da.fodils through his
icttonhole.
THREE days later Sive>tre. General lie Struye,
valet came into his master sitting At the
Grand Hotel with air OF 5eWldered ;rnbecil,ty
which meant that something had happened
Monsieur lie General. there Is al the door
r..obile and YOU ave u go at once
The General, who eating his breakfast oonc
u in surprise. An automobie
Yes Monsieur le General very big one. red
th a footman. and am pack. and 60 Al
o-ce Madame la Duchessa i waiting the foot,ni,.
SAYS.
General de Struve who was being lio,zei in Rome
knew several Duchesses: but not who could pos