Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-01-06

! swer astonished me beyond ali expec-
tation.
THE best hotel, senor," he said, SIS
the villa San Jorge. Am / wrong IN
supposing that you are the English
man for whom General Fordibras is
waiting?"
1 concealed my amazement with
what skill 1 could, and said that ] was
delighted to ear hat General Fordi-
bras had returned from Euorpe.
II will go up to tho villa at once" /
said to the customs officer. IF a car
riage is to be had, let them get it ready
without loss Of time"
He replied that the villa San Jorge
lay five miles from town, or the slope
of the one incOnsiderable mountain
which is the pride OF the island Of San
ia Maria. IT would be necessary to ride,
n h general had sent horses. He
trusted that / would bring my servants
as they would be no embarrassment to
his household. The cordially &c The
message, indeed, betrayed an anxiety
| which carried its own warning. / was
expected at the house, and my host
was in a hurry. Nothing could be more
ominOus.
Does the general have many visitors
from Europe?" l asked the officer.
"a great many sometimes" was the
reply; but he is not always here, senior.
There are months together when we do
not see him-so much the worse for
u.s."
"Ah, a benefactor to the town, I sect"
"A generous, princely gentleman, ex-
cellency-and his daughter quite a little
queen amongst u.s."
rs she now at the Villa San Jorge?"
She arrived from Europe three days
ago, eXcellency."
l had nothing more to ask, and with
out the loss Of a moment / delivered
my dressing bag to the negro servant
VINO approached me in the generals
name, and mounted the horse which a
smart French groom led UP to me.
Okyada, my servant, being equally
cared for, we set off presently from the
town, q little company, it may be, OF
a dozen men, n began to ride up
ward toward the mountains.
We followed a dangerous path up the
hillside; but anon this opened out some
VIVA and crossed a modern bridge of
iron above a considerable chasm, the
glistening walls of which the torches
showed me forbiddingly. Having passed
thereby, we found ourselves upon a
plateau, the third OF a mile across per-
haps, and having for it's BACKGROUND
tie great peak of the mountain itself.
How the land went upon the ava
SIDE could not make out in the dark
ness. l observed the lights of a ho,lse
shining very pleasantly across the park.
This was the home Of General Fordi-
oras. Five minutes later the barking
or hounds, the sudden flash of light
from an open door, and a figure in the
shadows, gave us welcome 10 the Villa
san Jorge. l dismounted from nv horse
and found myself face to face, not with
hubert Fordibras, but with his daugh-
ter. Joan.
She was prettiIy dressed in a voune
girls gown of white, but one that evil
IDENTIFY had been built in Paris. I OBJ
served that h wore no jewelry. and
That her manner was as natural and
simple as l might have hoped 1t to be,
A little shyly, she told me that her
father had been called to the neigh
ooTlng lsiano OF st. Michael's and might
not return for three days
And isn't it Just awful" she said
the American phrase coming p~rettily
enough from her young lips, isn't II
awfui 70 think that / shall have TO en-
terrain you all that long while!"
But don't think you are going away
from him in q hurry!" she added. "Peo-
PIE never 40 who come to the Villa
san Jorge. They stop weeks and
months. It's just like heaven, YOU know
II you know what heaven is like. We
nave given you 'Bluebeard's ROOM he
aus or the cupboard in it-buf vol,
nay look inside If you like"
ana my servant? / hope he won't
give any trouble He's a Jap and he
hves on rice buildings. If he is in your
q don't hesitate to saw So"
How could he be in the wav9 Re
sides my father quite expected him ),
iNiolloWed q huge mulatto whom she
called General Washington upstairs TO
a room they had prepared for me. The
house, as much as / could see of If
appeared to be a bungalow Of consider,
able size, but a bungalow which
emerged at it's rear into q moro CHI
stamina building carrying an upper
story and many bedrooms there. NV
own room was furnished in excellent
taste. but without display.
returned TO the hall, where loan
Fordibras awaited me. The dining room
OF the villa San Jorge had the modern
characteristics which distinguished the
upper chambers. There were we'll
known pictures here. and old Sheffield
plate upon the buffet. The chairs were
American, and a little out OF harmony
with some finer Spanish mahogany and
a heavy Persian carpet over the mar
Cuet.
Our talk at the table was altogetbar
OF frivolous things. Not oniv nv or
much as a look did Mistress Joan re-
Ndil ~ hV hilt Conversation Intimate
and outspoken, which had passed he
tween us Mt Dieppe. I might have
beer the veriest dreamer to renemhar
it all-the half expressed plea for mir,
on her part; the doubt upon mine How,
could n believe 1t of this little RI,
quette-prattling of the theaters of
Paris. the shops OF Vienna, or the ia !
nous Sherrys of New York. Had we
been a supper party at the Savoy. the
occasion could not have been celebrat-
ed with greater levity. or the histor1-
Ga these people I learned apsoiurerv
nothing at all that / did not know Al
ready. They had a house on the banks
of the Hudson river. an apartment in
Paris-in London they always STAYED
at hotels. General Fordibras was de-
voted to his yacht. Miss Aston (she
was there too) adored Jane Austen.
and considered the Imperial theater to
be the Mecca OF all good American Ia
dies. Nonsense. / say, and chiefly i'm
material nonsense. But two facts came
to me which l cared to make note of.
The first OF them dealt with Joan
Forbibras' departure from Dieppe and
her arrival at Santa Maria.
MY, / was cross!" she exclaimed
apropos; 'just to think that one might
nave gone to Aix!"
Then you left Dieppe in a hurry?