Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-12-14

four-in-hand, driven by
a handsome, a~quiline-faced young
man, so dark of skin that he might
we'll have passed for an Italian. At
the heads of the impatient horses
stood an impressive English groom.
Young Lord Believer, who was driv-
ing his own coach, scanned eagerly,
from under the brim Of his smart
bowler, the persons who came crowd
ing out Of the station. His eyes light
ed with pleasure as a girl appeared
in the doorway, followed by an older
lady, and two porters, carrying lug
gage and wraps. A dash Of Partisan
smartness in the lines of the weil-cut
travelling dress and the perfectly fit
ling boots, a more than Anglo-Saxon
trankness and independence of car
rage, announced the girl as an Amer
lean.
A driver bent down from the box
of his carriage, and, in answer to a
question from the young lady, in ele-
mentary Italian, demanded IA francs
for the drive to Amalh.
LUZ DdCuChCl Bays LAO ldAtn 10
five or six." expostulated the girl. Her
Italian was fluent, If the grammar
was a little shaky.t Lord Believer,
from his high box-seat. heard every
word.
"~Baedeker!" The Italian driver
snapped his fingers with a gesture of
contempt. Fourteen francs Is the
fare"
The girl bit her lip. She thought
she was being cheated and that made
her angry.
Perhaps we had better take him
and have done with it, dear" suggest
ed the elder lady. "It doesn't matter
much, you know. There are not
many carriages left. If We bargain
too long we may get none"
Mamma" exclaimed the beauty,
81 hate to be cheated"
She looked around, and catching
sight of Believers paving. glossy bays,
her pleased eyes travelled in one
glance up to the boX-seat, where the
young man sat looking eagerly down
on her.
why, mamma" exclaimed the
girl, "if there isn't a perfectly lovely
coach, and / believe the man wants to
drive us!"
Its sure to be more than the cab,
dear"
How much to drive us to Amalfi? ?"
cried the girl.
Five francs each, ladies'" was the
prompt answer in good Italian, the
language in which the coachman had
been addressed.
"Bene." came the quick reply, and
the girl signed to the porters to put
the bags and wraps inside the coach.
The groom, hiding a grin, ran with
a ladder; the elder lady mounted to
a place behind the driver, the beauty
climbing to the box-seat. With a
flick of the long whip the bays dashed
forward.
81 call this too glorious for words!"
The beauty's cheeks were tinged with
carmine, brought there by the ting
ling sea air that blew up the ~ravine;
her eyes sparkled. aren't we in luck,
mamma, to have got seats in this
splendid coach, and with such a
driver, too? See how well he handles
the reins! And his profile looks as
If he were cast In bronze"
"Take care, Lesley! Are you sure
he doesn't understand you. dear?"
"Oh, that's all right! Very few OF
these Italian drivers know more than
two or three words of English"
Then the girl began to talk Italian
to the coachman and he answered her
in the same tongue, fiuently and cour'
teously. Believer could speak Italian
nearly as we'll as his own language
and Lesley's knowledge was not deer
enough to detect his few slips. He
felt guilty, but dared not betray his
nationality, lest the ladies should in
sist on being put down at the next
village.
well, mamma" cried Lesley, turn
ing in her place, we've had a splen
did time in Europe, haven't we
We've seen and done such a lot O.
things. But ] believe / like Italy bes'
Of all. OF course, Egypt was gor
geous and Greece was lovely"
"And England" prompted tn,
mother.
england was sweet. But it wa
disappointing in one way. Only fame.
our not meeting one single. solitary
real, live lord. / shall be ashamed t,
go home. My country expected 1t 0
me. And-I failed. Such a sham,
we should have missed Lord Believer
When / brought three new dresses d
purpose, tool"
Believer started. This was a mic
scrape he had got himself into. Blu
he didn't see any way out of 1t now
He could not suddenly exclaim, .Be
hold, l am Lord Belever!" He ha
seldom been more uncomfortable
but the worst of 1t was that he foun'
himself base enough to snatch a feal
full JOY from the situation.
II dare say he would have bee,
most embarrassing when you came t
know him." the girls mother proceed
ed to coDSole her.
"But the Dering-Lacys said he wa
awfully clever and g~oodlooking, don
you remember? I was SO looking fol