Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-02-02
A Dark
Horse
She Married In Haste. but Did
Not Repent at Leisure.
BY LUELLA D. COWlES.
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.
By LUELLA D. cOwLEs.

0OuQcemeQL Iuat du IudiiiCu. ooSt
think! When you left me only two
days ago told you that under no con-
dition whatever would l marry. be-
cause l knew of no man / wished to
marry, and yet here am l married.
And doubtless you will exclaim: Poor
Irene, after all my warnings! Some
one of the hunters for her ten millions
has bagged the game. And now that
he has got her and the millions he will
hang on to the money and the wife
will have to take care of herself"
But you are wrong. my dear, entire
ly wrong. I have married the best
man In the world, one who loves me
devotedly. Why will people insist that
a sordid interest must always prevail
over the yearnings Of the heart? My
case at least affords an instance
wherein love has risen superior to
avarice
But 7 must begin at the beginning
or rather, at the beginning of the end.
You know all till the 18th, the date of
my parting with you. You know that
I had promised the count an answer
on the 18th, that a new and attractive
offer from Prince Fiegenheim had been
been made to me on the 18th and that,
while the count was a delightful man.
irrespective of his title. to be prin-
cess was far more attractive than be-
ing a countess. Meanwhile General
Du Point had cabled me from Paris
that he was about to sail for America
hoping to induce me to reconsider my
refusal of him.
On looking over my memorandum
book / counted seventeen other offers.
including six titles. Can you blame
me for becoming confused? Count Pc
linski stopped at hte hotel at which l
was living and would not let me out
OF his sight The prince. who is
wealthy-he is an old man-was more
dignified, more ceremonious, but he
would not take NO for an answer.
His is one of the oldest families In
Prussia, and he is on intimate terms
with the emperor. The Earl Of Micle-
ton was at Newport when you left-he
Is the Englishman, you know-but sent
me long letter from there explaining
that with my fortune he and l could
put his castle in order and entertain
royalty.
Perhaps II there had not been SO
many and such tempting offers might
have taken up with some one Of them.
But no sooner did get my mind fixed
on the advantages of one than was
called upon to consider those Of an
other. The prince would tell me Of the
dinners we would have with the en-
peror and empress and the great social
advantages to be derived therefrom.
Then the count would describe the
jewels that have been in his family
for centuries, and the exquisite pleas
ure Of possessing them almost tempted
me to decide in his favor. But while
was thinking about them the fact
that the earl is an English peer with
a seat in the house of lords would
come up before me, and you know the
English nobility is the finest In the
world. But there Is one thing about
the Micletons that isn't a bit nice-the
family derived it's estates through one
of the mistresses of a former king Of
England.
oh, dear! My brain begins to whirl
again at thinking of all these induce
ments that were so lately pulling me
In every direction. thought how nice
it would be if they could all be united
in one man. To be German princess
and sit at the emperor's table, a peer
Buckingham palace, Polish countess
and wear family jewels a thousand
years old almost wished we could
have that system that was in vogue
in olden times-Polly Andrew, / think
it was called-whereby a woman could
have as many husbands as she pleased
q have looked the word up in the
dictionary, and it's polyandrous.) Just
think! could have been German
princess, an English peeress and a
Polish countess. Besides, could have
had real husband to love me- Heigho!
If / had had the making of social sys-
TENS / would have made them much
better than ! find them.
As l was telling you, the day after
you left found myself in a very I'M
comfortable position. l had promised
the count an answer, the prince was
Of too high rank to keep waiting, Cen
eral Du Pont, who. by the by. didn't
tell you comes of one OF the Oldest
families in France and may be presi-
dent some day, arrived from Paris.
and the Earl of Micleton came down
from Newport. What do you suppose?
Polinski was waiting in my private
parlor for his answer when up comes
the princes card. At that moment a
note liz handed me from General Du
Pont stating that he had arrived and
would call at noon Dit was then 11).
While reading his note another waiter
hands me the card of the Earl Of
Micleton.
What tcas I to do?
l just sat down and cried. But