Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-20

looking up at him with the mild blue /
eve indigenous to northern climates. |
Her hair, too. was of a light hue. but |
her cheeks were a pair of roses. AS /
she looked at the young man her face
broke into a smile. revealing white
teeth. while a dimple appeared in each
cheek. Alexis forgot about the drink
of water, so enraptured was he in the
beauty of the child.
"Laisw 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
call you Lais?'
NO"
81 will tell you. More than 400 years
before our Saviour came upon earth
an Athenian general captured a 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 a great artist painted
her as a nymph at a fountain. and all
| the great men of the time were enrap-
| tured with her."
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
| Aiexandrovich, Russian nobleman,
who dwelt. as his ancestors had dwelt
before him. on his estate. kind mas
\ ter to his serfS and humble subject
of the ear. The boy received a cup
of water from the child. and as she
handed it 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 a
look to charm him. He laughed that
one so young should show such 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 andrfgure 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
10 the peasants cottage, making ex.
cuse this time that he wished to Dor.
row from her father a gun with which
to shoot birds. The man was intent
| ha nNo n ha I'M fe
noticed that Alexis had not come fol-
a gun, but to feast his eyes on her lit.
tie daughter After Alexis had gone
she said to her husband.
Il 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?"
No"
1T was plain to me. He will come
here at times to gaze at her. and if hei
beauty holds when she comes to won
anhood he will marry her. and, instead
of spending her days in this hut, sht
will live up on the hill and be coun
tess"
Many were the excuses Alexis made
to see his Lais, as he called her. Nov
it was fishing tackle. now his hors,
} needed a shoe-for the peasant was
, smith-but whatever 1t was he wanted
his eyes never left the child while b,
was at her fathers place. and Lai
, knew that she had made her first cap
tive. When Christmas came AM
: brought with it little ring from Alex
is she gave the kiss he asked for, blu
after he went away her young brow
knit and, her mother asking her if sh
was dissatisfied with her gift. sh
pOuted and replied:
Yes. There is no gem in it."
Alexis went to the university; but
though he left his father. his mothe
and his home behind him. he could no
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 II
his memory and in his thoughts dur
ing his absence, and each year whel
he returned she had grown a year old
er. and instead OF losing her childisl
beauty there was added to it that 0
a budding wOmanhoOd.
: And now the countess had learne
!, the secret that her son was infatuate,
with a peasants daughter ReaiZin
J. that such a passion could not be erad
! Gated by argument. she said nothing t
him, but arranged with her husband t
send Alexis away as soon as he wa
graduated from the university. TIL
count went to st. Petersburg and oil
i tanned a government position for hi
boy. But, alas. It came too late! Til
day the appointment arrived Alexis IL
d formed his parents mat he had ma,
ried the blacksmith's daughter
g There was nothing for it but to ac
eept the situation. Alexis assured hi
father and mother that his wifes beau
~ would gain her an entrance int
l. any society. An elaborate WARDROBE
) was procured for her. and when he
husband set ont for the capital to ente
e upon his duties he took his youn