Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-04-08
CHAPTER |.

one of those preposterous structures
Of slender timber, ivy, and eyergreens,
known as triumphal arches, but which
might just as appropriately be styled
arches Of destruction, as they not sell
dom descend upon the unfortunate
heads of the individuals they are
erected to honor.
Besides the arch, which bore the
inscription, in rather groggy and IN
certain letters, WELCOME to Darra-
COURT" was placed the DarracOurt
brass band, each man thereof holding
his instrument of torture in readiness
to lift to his lips or apply to his drum
the moment the carriage he was ex
pecting came in sight.
At turn of the drive, after passing
through the great iron gates, the court
itself could be seen, and here, gath
cred in the hall, were the court serV-
ants, in new liveries and dresses,
ready to form into line directly the
band began to howl; and the butler,
stately as a duke and a great deal
more pOmpous, stood upon the broad,
stone steps, shading his eyes with his
hand, and trying to look as if he were
perfectly Indifferent to, and far, far
above the vulgar excitement which
characterized the rest of the less
noble expectants
On the broad gravel sweep, which
lay smooth as marble before the
steps with their guardian stone lions,
we're scattered half a dozen grooms,
their hands upon their belts, their
eyes turned toward the lodge.
1t might have been an empress, or
a famous general, or, say, duke at
least, that the people were lying in
wait for, seeing the ceremony and
the excitement attending it, but in
truth, the arrival they were all await
ing was that Of a young girl, scarcely
turned twenty, the heiress, indeed the
Mistress OF the Court of the vast
estate contained in a ring fence
around 1t, of the massive plate which
had been the envy of the covetOus
James, OF the cattle that browsed up
on the neighbOring hills, of all the
wealth that the DarracOurts had
amassed and inherited since they
came over with the never-to-be-for.
gotten William sIrnamed the Con
queror
Five, ten minutes of expectancy
and suspense passed. then the butler
drew out his watch, which the page
had been heard trreverently to de-
&c
it with an air of comforting upon it an
inestimable favor, remarked, solem-
ly:
The train must be ate!"
Or perhaps sne's missed it," ven
tured one of the grooms suggestively.
Mr.. Somes, the butler, turned upon
him severely.
'She?' Who's 'she?' When you are
speaking Of your superiors, sir. give
them a name. Miss Darracourt, II you
pleased"
The groom touched his hat, apollo
getically.
Miss Darracourt, l mean, Mr.
Somes,' he said humbly.
Then say Miss Darracourt,' re-
torted Mr.. Somes. mo, young man. I
don't think Miss Darracourt has
missed her train. DarraCourts are
not given to missing their trains, and
Z apprehend that if Miss Darracourt
were late the train would waltz
Il dessay. sir" said the groom, and
utterly overcome by the rebuke. he
shrank a little farther from his SUI
periOr
Miss Darracourt had not missed her
train. At that moment indeed, the
open carriage, drawn by four horses
with an outrider, had passed from the
station yard, and the faint echo OF a
distant cheer had caused the Darra-
court brass band to clutch their awful
instruments still tighter.
There were three persons seated in
he carriage. An old lady, with a /
bland and rather expression !
less face. who sat with her back to
the horses. and two young ladies on
the seat opposite. One was Miss
Darracourt's friend, companion, what
you will: a handsome girl, with fair
hair, which the wind had blown into
silken tendrils, with bluish-gray eyes.
and a complexion which is generally
termed blonde. She would have been
lovely but for a certain thinness OF
the welcomed lips. and an express
sion in the eyes which make her look
cunmng-nO, not exactly cunning
Sharp? Scarcely sharp. Let US say too
observant.
The other was Miss Darracourt
herself
To describe the mistress of the
Court is difficult
There is an exhalted parsonage
whose claims to be a critic Of general
beauty no one will deny. and he has
stated that beauty lies in expression.
If that be so, and it is so, Lucille
Darracourt was lovely beyond COM
pare. She was tall and slight. her
figure 1.-the an graceful as an IN
dams is supposed to be. but seldom is.
Her hair-wOman's chief glory. as
Prior says-was the warm brown
which is generally known as auburn:
and it is a fact that women whose
hair is of this glorious tint are al
ways blessed with an abundance OF
it. Her eyes were brown. a rich,
warm brown, like to the hazel and
darkened by the brows thick and
drawn straight across. Wonderful
eyes, witch were capable of any and
every expression which the viii OF