The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-09-12
A
Disappointment
By MARGARET BARR

NV Dear Helen-I have something
to tell you which am sure will in.
terest you; besides ! wish your SYN
nathy. | have met with disappolnt
ment and a loss at the same time, Oh.
dear. what a world this is!
But I must not begin at the wrong
end or there will be no story
We are expecting TO 90 abroad next
autumn. to be absent at least a 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 to be able to speak
Il well enough to enter society espe-
cially In Rome, where we have adyau-
tages in the way of introduction, con
cluded to take lessons. secured a
teacher who was born and educated in
Florence and member Of good fam.
ilv 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
advertised for one and received a num-
ber of replies. | called for several Of
them to come to see me, and after in
specting them all / chose one calling
herself yittoria. She told me her 9th.
er name. but was not interested in
that.
l chose Vittoria 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, 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 1t 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. Vlttoria 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 Clarisse and
Viboria seemed to be continually grow
ing. 1t appeared that there must be
some bond between them. | question
ed Clarisse about it, but got no salts
faction. Then Clarisse began to look
worried. Again l tried to get out of
her If there was anything on her mind,
but she would not tell me. One day
tried Vittoria, asking her what was
the matter with Clarlsse She told me
that Clarisse had a lover. She had told
her (Vittoria) about him and had intro
duced him to her. yittoria took a
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 betrayal of con
fidence.
This seemed to me very satisfac-
tory explanation. Nittorla after hav.
ing informed me Of Clarlsse's infatua-
tion and that she was trying to induce
her to give up an unworthy lover made
no effort to conceal their interest in
one another and once or twice they
asked to have the same afternoon off.
This | granted of course, wishing to
give Vittoria every opportunity to ar
que with Clarisse against yielding to
a love that would likely turn out un-
fortunately. | suppose it was very
selfish in me- but | have been 50 de-
pendant on Clarisse for so long that
to lose her through 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 drawer
containing my jewels In use, which
| kept always locked, stood open and
the jewels gone Suspectlng that bur
glars had been In the house, | rushed
to closet where kept an iron box
containing my most valuable gems. 1t,
too, had been rined. | called for Wit
toria. She did not reply. Great heav
ems! What did 1t mean? My jewels,
worth many thousands of dollars, had
been taken, and my Italian maid, who
was expected to be close at hand when
my French maid was absent, did not
answer when called.
In the midst of my confusion Clarisse
came in. When | showed her my
empty jewel boxes thought she would
faint. | was obliged to support her.
She tried to say something to me, but
her voice failed her.
"Never mind, Clarlsse," | said sooth-
ingly. 81 know what you would say.
vittorla has turned out to be thief.
She has deceived US both. She told
me that you had lover who was un-
worthy of you and she was trying to
dissuade you from him"
"She," repeated Clarisse, covering
her face with her hands. "Vittoria is
a man"
Great heavens"
HE confided his secret to me; told
me that for love Of me he had dressed
as a woman that he might be near me.
| knew | was wrong to listen to him,
but | did. My faith What shall
doT"
How women may be hoodwinked by
men. don't care so much for the
Jewels. since | can buy those of later
style, but am 90 disappointed at los
Ing my practice IN speaking Italian.
The Men Who Succeed