The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-07-14
81 EMERSON HOUGH
AUTHOR or 1HE f1IJJIyIIPPI 0UODLE
HITCTRiTJONS >byfiAGNUC .KETTNER
ccSpSRioSiT 1000 By boBBS- r1ERRrLL CO


The unspeakable tragedy of her
voice cut to my soul. But listen!"
broke out. you are young. You are
free. All the world is before you.
You can have anything you like"
"Ah, do not talk to me of that" she
exclaimed imperiously. do not tempt
me to attempt the deceit of myself!
made myself as I am, long ago. l
did not love. | did not know it. AS
to marriage, did not need it. I had
abundant means without. was in the
upper ranks of society. I was there;
1 was classified; l lived with them.
But always l had my purposes, my
plans For them | paid, paid, paid,
as a woman must, with-what a wom-
an has.
But now, SIN far ahead of my
story. Let me bring it on. l went
to Paris. | have sown some seeds
of venom, some seeds of revolution, in
one place or another in Europe in my
time. All, it works; it will go! Here
and there have cost a human life.
Here and there work was to be done
which 1 disliked; but I did it. Mis-
guided, uncared for, mishandled as
had been-well, as 1 said, went to
Paris.
"Ah, sir, will you not, too, leave the
room, and let me tell on this story to
myself, to my own soul? 1t is filter
for my confessor than for you"
Let me, then, be your confessor!"
said l. Forget! Forget! You have
not been this which you say. Do not
know"
mo, you do not know. WE'LL let
be. Let me 60 on! l say l went to
Paris. was close to the throne of
France. That little duke of Orleans,
son of Louis Philippe, was a puppet
in my hands. Oh, do not doubt
did mischief in that court, or at least
if / failed it was through no lack of
effort! I was called there America
Vespucci' They thought me Italian!
At last they came to know who l was
They dared not make open rupture
in the face of the courts of Europe
Certain of their high officials came to
me and my young duke of Orleans.
They asked me to leave Paris. They
did not command 1.-THE duke of Or.
leans cared for that part of it. But
they requested me outside-not in his
presence. They offered me price,
bribe-such an offering as would,
fancied, leave me free to pursue my
own ideas in my own fashion and in
any corner of the world. You have
perhaps seen some of my little fam
cies. | imagined that love and hap
piness were never for Ine-only am
bition and unrest. With these goes
luxury, sometimes. At least this sort
of personal liberty was offered me
the price of leaving Paris, and leaving
the son of Louis Philippe to his own
devices. | did So
And so. then you came to Wash
ington? That must have been some
years ago"
yes; some five years ago. l still
have known me, and so, no doubt, you
did. Did you ever hear of America
Vespucci'?"
A smile came to my face at the sug-
gestion of that celebrated adventures
and mysterious impostress who had
figured in the annals of Washington
a fair Italian, SO the rumor ran, who
had come to this country to set up a
claim, upon our credulity at least, to
being the descendant of none less
than Amerigo Vespucci himself! This
supposititious Italian had indeed gone
so far as to secure the introduction of
bill in congress granting to her GER
tain lands. The fate of that bill even