Evening journal., 1912-08-01
A
Disappointment
By MARGARET BARR

Ny Dear Helen-I have something
to tell you which / am sure will in
terest you. besides. / wish your SYM
pathy / have met with a disappoint-
ment and a loss at the same time. oh.
dear, what a world this isl
But 1 must not begin at the wrong
end or there will be no story.
We are expecting to go abroad next
autumn. % be absent at least year,
and ! know no language except my
own native tongue and French. Since
we are to spend the winter in Italy
concluded to study the Italian Ian
guage In order 70 be able to speak
Il well enough TO enter society. espe-
cially In Rome, where we have advan-
tages in the way of introduction, l con-
cluded 70 take lessons. ] secured a
teacher who was born and educated In
Florence and a member Of a good fam
fly there. so I could be sure that
would get the language pure.
Having only few months for study
in order TO progress rapidly l deter
mined to engage an Italian maid. l
advertised for one and received a num-
Der of replies. called for several OF
them TO come to see me. and after in
specting them all chose one calling
herself vittoria. She told me her 9th
er name. but / was not interested in
that.
I chose vlttoria because she seemed
TO be OF so much higher grade than
the others and because my Italian
teacher. after talking with her, told me
that she spoke the language with toll
erable correctness. Since this was all
| wanted her for decided to give her
the position at once. Clarisse, you
know, Is my personal maid. who at
tends me when am making my toilet,
does my hair and all that.
Well, l found Vittoria quite valuable
to converse with. While | got moth
ing from her of the construction Of the
language. the practice Of talking with
her advanced me more rapidly than
my regular lessons. She spoke French
as well as Italian, and she and Clarisse
became very good friends. You know
how nice It is to have servants who
get on we'll together. II they are at
swords points one has no comfort. Be
sides they divided the work very well
between them. Vittoria would have
nothing TO do with my toilet. and Clar-
isse had no reason TO fear that the Ital-
ian would become necessary to me.
The arrangement suited me exactly.
The friendship between Clarsse and
vittoria seemed to be continually grow
ing. IL appeared that there must be
some bond between them l question
ed Clarisse about It, but got no salts
faction. Then Clarisse began to look
worried Again I tried TO get out Of
her IL there was anything on her mind,
but she would not tell me. One day
tried Vittoria, asking her what was
the matter with Clarisse. She told me
that Clarisse had q lover. She had TOLD
her (vittorial about him and had intro
duced him to her. Vittoria took |
great dislike to him and advised Clar
isse to have nothing to do with him
vittoria also asked me TO say nothing
to Clarisse about the information she
had given me, for Clarisse would GER
tainly regard it as a betrayal Of con
fdence.
This seemed TO me a very satisfac
tory explanation. Vittoria after hav
ing informed me Of Clarisses infatua.
ton and that she was trying to induce
her to give up an unworthy lover, made
no effort to conceal their interest il
one another and once or twice they
asked to have the same afternoon of
This l granted. Of course. wishing tc
, give Nittoria every opportunity to ar
que with Clarisse against yielding tc
a love that would likely turn out un
fortunately. l suppose it was very
selfish in me- but have been so de
pendant on Clarisse for so long thai
to lose her through a marriage or from
any other cause would break my heart
So matters drifted on. One after
noon / returned from a bridge party
and went to my room. 1t was Cla
risse's afternoon out. A bureau drawe
containing my jewels in use. which
/ kept always locked. stood open ant
the jewels gone. Suspecting that bur
glars had been in the house. rushet
to a closet where | kept an iron boS
containing my most valuable gems. It
too, had been rifed. l called for Wit
toria. She did not reply. Great heav
ensl What did it mean? Ny jewels
worth many thousands Of dollars, haC
been taken. and my Italian maid, wh'
was expected to be close at hand wheI
( my French maid was absent, did no
answer when called
, In the midst Of my confusion Clariss'
came in. When / showed her M
= empty jewel boxes thought she woult
, faint was Obliged to support her
She tried TO say something TO ne. bu
her voice failed her
: Never mind, clarisse." l said soolh
ingly. Il know what you would say
vittoria has turned out to be a thief
|, She has deceived US both. She tol'
: me that you had lover who was IN
worthy OF you and she was trying t
dissuade you from him"
} "She." repeated Clarisse. coverini
! her face with her hands. "vittoria 4
5 a man"
e "Great heavens
"He confided his secret TO mo; toll
= me that for love OF me he had dresse'
as a woman that he might be near me
knew was wrong to listen to him
but l did. My faith What shall
, 1oy'