Oxford Democrat., 1913-11-18
LA Is
A Story Showing the Pow.
er Of Beauty Without
Conscience For
Evil
By F. A. mitchell

: 1- +
y By F. A. mitchell +
4-i-ii.isssi-s-s-s-ss-t-is-t-s-i-i-i-i-i-i-si-i-
Alexis Alexandrovich. tall, slender
youth of fifteen. while hunting rode up
to a peasants cottage on his fathers
estate in Russia to ask for a drink Of
water. A little girl. not more than
seven years Of age. stood In the door
looking up ut him with the mild blue
eye indigenous to northern climates.
Her hair, too. was Of light hue. but
her cheeks were pair Of roses. AS
she looked ut the young man her face
broke into smile. revealing white
teeth. while dimple appeared In each
cheek. Alexis forgot about the drink
Of water, so enraptured was he in the
. beauty of the child.
"Lalsr' he exclaimed.
The girl continued to look at him
and, Notwithstanding her few years.
perceived that she was admired.
"Do you know" he asked. why l
call you Lais?"
mo"
II will tell you. More than 400 years
/ before our Saviour came upon earth
an Athenian general captured pic
! turesque village on the island Of Sicily
Among his prisoners was little girl
about your age. so bewitchingly beau
tiful that he carried her back with him
to Athens. where great artist painted
her as a nymph at fountain, and all
the great men of the time were enrap-
tured with her."
"Did they give her pretty presents?"
asked the child.
Alas. Underneath all this beauty
turks the viper-the desire to use the
charms to obtain pretty presents" "
One day the child might not only Sc
cure the presents. but ruin those who
| gave them to her.
This was the first meeting between
Alexis Alexandrovich. the son of Count
Alexandrovich, a Russian nobleman,
| who dwelt. as his ancestors had dwelt
before him. Oh his estate, kind mas
| ter to his serfs and humble subject
Of the car The boy received cup
Of water from the child. and as she
handed 1t up to him he noticed the
beautiful shape Of the arm and hand
that extended It. And as tender as
were her years out Of her eyes came
look to charm him. He laughed that
one 80 young should show such a dis
position and rode away. leaving the
child gazing after him.
Alexis. who was studying at the
time to enter the university, found
when he returned to his books that the
face and figure Of the child kept thrust
ing themselves between his eyes and
the page before him. AS soon as his
school hours were ended he went again
to the peasants cottage, making ex-
cuse this time that he wished to bor-
row from her father gun with which
| to shoot birds. The man was intent
on the matter Of the gun, but his wife
noticed that Alexis had not come for
gun. but to feast his eyes on her lit
tie daughter. After Alexis had gone
she said to her husband:
II foresee great things for our Katia.
Such beauty must elevate her to q
higher rank than ours. Did you notice
the admiration in the eyes of the young
count?"
mo"
1T was plain to me. He will come
here at times to gaze at her, and II her
beauty holds when she comes to WON.
anhood he will marry her. and. instead
of spending her days In this hut. she
will live up on the hill and be cOun
tess"
Many were the excuses Alexis made
to see his Lais, as he called her. Now
| II was fishing tackle. now his horse
needed a shoe-for the peasant WAS /!
smith-but whatever 1t was he wanted
his eyes never left the child while he
was at her fathers place. and Lais
knew that she had made her first cap.
tive. When Christmas came AMI
brought with 1t little ring from Alex
Is she gave the kiss he asked for. but
after he went away her young brows
knit, and. her mother asking her II she
was dissatisfied with her gift. she
pouted and replied:
"Yes. There is no gem In 1t"
Alexis went to the university: but.
though he left his father. his mother
and his home behind him. he could not
leave his Lais. Those innocent eyes
that delicately rounded face, those ex
Quisitely curved lips that seemed form.
ed only to be kissed, were present IN
his memory and in his thoughts dur
Ing his absence, and each year when
he returned she had grown a year old
er, and instead Of losing her childish
beauty there was added to 1t that Of
budding wOmanhood.
And now the countess had learned
the secret that her son was infatuated
with a peasants daughter. Realizing
that such passion could not be eradi-
Gated by argument, she said nothing to
him. but arranged with her husband to
send Alexis away as soon as he was
graduated from the university. The
count went to st. Petersburg and OBJ
tanned a government position for his
boy. But. alas. 1t came too late! The
day the appointment arrived Alexis In
formed his parents that he had mar,
ried the blacksmith's daughter.
There was nothing for 1t but to ac-
cept the situation. Alexis assured his
father and mother that his wife's beau
ty would gain her an entrance into
any society. An elaborate wardrobe
was procured for her, and when her
husband set out for the capital to enter
upon his duties he took his young
bride with him.
There was no disappointment In the
reception Of the young countess at tue
| capital. From the moment she ap-
peared Mt court she created q sensa.
| ton. The czar showed his admiration
upon receiving her, and the men Of the
imperial family We'd with each other
for her favor. The first painter In St.
Petersburg begged to paint her. Her
husband, fur from fearing that he
would be ignored from having peas
ant wife. began to dread the attention
Of men who were loading her with
every attention. 1t was not long be-
fore certain grand duke fell under
tho fpfuonco NJ tho countpSs' beauty