The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-10
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f; CIalfe-'du uOueSI 4udu, WIZ ioNS'' 49,
and who will do everything in the
world to make her happy"
THAT" said Madame d'Arlange. lis
always understood
"The man of whom I'speak,' con-
tinued the magistrate, lis still young,
and is rich. He will only too happy TO
| receive Mademoiselle Claire without
| a dowry. Not ony will he decline an
examination Of your accounts OF
| guardianship, but he will beg you to
invest your fortune as you think fit"
Really, Daburon, my friend, you
are by no means d fool" exclaimed
the old lady.
IF you prefer not to invest your
! fortune in life annuity, your SON
in-law will allow you sufficient to
make up what you now find wanting"
"Ah! really, l am stifing,' inter
| rupted the marchioness. What! you
know such man, and have never yet
mentioned him to me. You ought to
have introduced him long ago."
81 did not dare. madam. was
afraid"
Quick tell me who is this adnira-
BILE son-in-law, this white blackbird?
| where docs he nastle?"
1T is l, madam
Really, dear Daburon is to ridicu-
| lous, he will make me die of laughing.
He is SO amusing
| After which she burst out laughing
again. But suddenly she stopped in
the very height of her merriment,
and assumed her most dignified air.
Are you perfectly serious in all
you have told me, Nj. Daburon?" she
asked.
q have stated the TRUTH muir
INJURED the magistrate.
"You are, then, very rich?'
81 inherited, madam, from my moth
err about twenty thousand francs a
year. One of my uncles. who died
dred thousand crowns. My father
/ is worth about million. Were l to
ask him for the half tomorrow, he
would give it to me; he would give
NE all his fortune, if it were neces-
sary to my happiness, and be but too
we'll contented, should l leave him
the administration of it,
Madame d'Arlange signed to him to
be silent; and, for five good minutes,
at least, she remained plunged i'll re-
Election, her forehead resting in her
hands. At length she raised her read.
Listen" said she. Had you been
so bold as to make this proposal to
Claire's father, he would have called
his servants to show you the door.
For the sake of our name l ought to
| DO the same; but l cannot do so. am
old and desolate; am poor; my grand
rhild's prospects disquiet me; that is
ny excuse. 1 cannot, however, con-
sent to speak to Claire of this horrible
mesa]liance. What l can promise you,
and that is too much, is that I will
not be against you. Take your own
Mademoiselle d'Arlange, and try to
persuade her. If she says YES of her
own free will, shall not say NO :"
M. Daburon, transported with hap
| piness, could almost have embraced
the old lady.
! From that day. his visits to the
marchioness became more frequent
He might almost be said to live at
her house. While he preserved his re.
spectful and reserved ,demeanor toward
Claire, he strove assiduously to be
something in her life. Little by little
succeeded, thanks to the most deli
cate persistence, in tanning this shy
young girl. She still blushed when
she spoke to him; but she no longer
hesitated to address the first word.
She ventured at times to ask him
question.
1t was summer time. Often in the
evening she accepted his arm, and
while the marchioness remained at
| the window. seated in her armchair
| they walked around the lawn. On
certain days she was gay and careless
as a child. Then for a week, she
would remain melancholy and defect
ed. Seeing her in this state the day
following ball. to which her grand
mother had made point of taking
her, he dared to ask her the reason
of her sadness.
ooh, that" answered she, heayine
= deep sigh, sis my secret-a secret o.
which even my grandmother know,
nothing
| M. Daburon looked at her. HI
thought he saw q tear between hel
long eyelashes.
"One day" continued she, 81 may
confide in you; it will, perhaps, bs
necessary"
The magistrate was blind and deaf
Il also,' answered he, "haye Sc
cret. which wish TO conflde to you II
return
When he retired. toward midnight
he said TO himself, "To-morrow viii
confess everything to her" Then pas
sed a little more than fifty days, dur