The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-27

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Odiot. Marquis d'Hauterive found him
self when the romance of a poor young
man began. Living in very old house
not far from the chateau-a house with
ruined dove cote In one corner of the
garden and priceless old furniture within
the main building-was an ancient lady
of the proudest ancestry who occasionally
visited the Laroques and with whom
Maxine quickly became "a friend.
She was Mile De Porhoet Gael the
last of long line sprung from the loins
of the ancient kings OF America. THE
Bourbons are a very good family she
was accustomed to say, but there are
better She was over so and poor. she
had wasted the remnants of her family
fortune in prosecuting a claim for some
great estates in Spain. One of the family
had crossed the Pyrenees with the Due
dAnjou, that prince who afterward be-
came Philip Y. of Spain. The Spanish
branch of the family had died out, and
the great possessions they left. after
being long in litigation between the de-
scendants of a family of CASTLE into
which the Porhoet-Gael had married, had
finally been claimed by the Spanish
crown as an escheat. But against crown
or grandee mademoiselle would still con-
tinue her struggle. Her idea was this
and it was an idea which seemed to
have almost entire possession of her
she was the last of long line of kings
and MOBILES. With her the name of
Porhoet-Gael would cease to exist. Some
memorial of that great race should be
left behind in tangible form. If she
recovered her Spanish possessions that
memorial should take the form of a great
cathedral.
Architects to please the old lady had
drawn plans of this memorial structure.
and mademoiselle talked and thought
about 1t as something already existing.
Maxine became a great favorite of the
ancient maiden, and to crafty her went
over her papers pertaining to her suit and
wrote off to Paris consulting M. Laube-
pin regarding her claims. Mademoiselle's
father had told her that when the Span
ish branch died out the property in Spain
would revert to the French branch and
mademoiselle believed what the long dead
father had said as if it had been spoken
by a prophet. But Maxine could find
nothing In the papers which sustained the
claims and neither could M. Laubepin,
who told him that the suit was hopeless.
Yet they did not say SO much to the old
lady, and pleased her with hope deferred
1t was the best they could do. AS
steward Maxine did much better than he
had dared hope or than his patron Laube-
pin had expected. Shrewdness and hon
esty. he found, were valuable assets in
conducting business, and he rapidly in
creased Nine. Laroques income. Months
went by in this manner, Maxine and
Marguerite gradually falling deeper and
deeper in love with each other, and
both afraid to show 1.-THE one because
of a pride which forbade penniless
young man to WOO an heiress, and the
other from a pride which forbade an
heiress to show too great a liking for
a steward, as we'll as because of a sus-
picion that II he loved her it must be
for her money.
But they walked together and they rode
together. and Madame Laroque seemed to
be gratiied that Marguerite had found
some other admirer than M. de Bevallan.
Maxine discovered the attentions De Be-
vallan was paying to Mademoiselle He
loun-saw them waiting at night together
in the shrubbery and at the first favor
able opportunity spoke to the girl in
fatherly way about the perils she was in
curing. To his establishment he found
that Mademoiselie Helouin had fallen in
love with himself. In fact. she frankly
avowed it and when he as gently as could
assured her of his undying interest In her
welfare, but at the same time giving her
to understand that he could not return
her love, the spiteful spirit of the woman
woke In her and she accused him of wish
ing to marry Marguerite for her money;
also OF living a double life what rea
son she could not GUESS. Hut was he not
the Marquis de Chainpecy Il. IIauterive?
All. yes. she knew who he vas and She
would expose him Some sinister motive
had induced him to come thus disguised
into the Laroque family.
The next daysfrom certain change
In the manner1 of Marguerite toward
him and from the manner in which tho