The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-08-13

let people spoil everything by gc'Dg
about their business as they were in the
habit of doinga Some of the shops sold
window space to sight-seers, just SIS
they do at coronation"
~ dare say all this should let in
Hight, but it doesn IT,
"Don't you read the newspapersi"
she cried impatiently. She actually re-
sented my Ignorance.
"Religiously," l said, stung to re-
volt. But / make it point never to
read the criminal news"
Criminal news!" she gasped, spot
of red leaping to her cheek. "What
do you meant"
"lt is merely my way Of saying that
l put marriages Of that character in
the category of crime"
."Oh." she cried, staring at me with
unbelieving eyes.
every time sweet, lovely Amer
lean girl is delivered into the hands Of
a foreign bounder who happens to pos
sess title that needs fixing, ! call the
transaction a crime that puts white
slavery in a class with the most trifling
lmisdemoanors. You did net love this
lpusilanimous Count, nor did he care a
hang for you. You we're too young in
the ways Of the world to have any feel
ling for him, and he was too old to have
lany for you. The whole hateful bust
ness therefore resolved itself into a
case of give and take-and he took ev-
erything He took you and your fa-
ther s millions and now yon are beth
back where you began. Some ore de-
iliberately committed crime, and as it
wasn't you or the nt,-who levied
his legitimate toll,-it must have been
the person who planned the conspiracy.
I take it, of course, that the whole af
fair was arranged behind you back, 70
Ito speak. To make it perfectly fash
ionable and up-to date delivery it would
have been entirely out of place to con-
suit the nnsophisticated girl who was
thrown in to make the title good. Yor
were not sold to this bounder. 1t was
the other way round. By the gods,
madam, he was actually paid to take
you!n
Her face was quite pale. Her eyes
did not leave mine during the long and
crazy diatribe,--of which l was already
beginning to feel heartily ashamed
and there was dark, ominous fire in
them that should have warned me.
She arose from her chair. 1t seemed
to me she was taller than before.
off nothing else came to me ont of
this transaction, she said levelly, "at
least a certain amount of dignity was
acquired, Pray remember that 1 am
no longer the unsophisticated girl you
so graeiously describe l am a woman.
"True," said /, senselessly logged;
ga woman with the power to think for
yourself That is my point. If the
same situation arose at your present
age l fancy you d be able to select
husband without assistance, and I vent
lure to say You wouldn't t pick up the
first dissolute noblemar that came
your way. No, my dear countess, you
were not to blame. You thought, as
your parents did, that marriage with a ]
count would make real countess Of |
you. What rot! You are simple,
lovable American girl and that g all
there ever can be to it. To the end |
of your days you will be an American. |
1t is not within the powers of scape-
grace count to put you or any other
American girl on a plane with the |
women who are born countesses, OF
duchesses, or anything Of the sort. II
don't say'that you suffer by compari-
son with these noble ladies. As a mat
ter of fact you are surprisingly finer
in every way than ninety-nine per cent
of thenl-poor things! Marrying an
English duke doesn't make genuine
duchess out Of an American girl, not
by a long shot. She merely becomes
figure of speech. Your own experience
should tell you that. Well, it's the
same with all of them. They acquire
a title, but not the homage that should
60 with it."
We were both standing now. She was
still measuring me with somewhat in
eredulous eyes, rather more tolerant
LII II l.