Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-05-13
CHAPTER xlI--continued.

.'- CHAPTER <ll--Conttnued.
my. dear Julia" she said to the
beautiful girl, looking at her through
her iorgnon; Il don't understand you.
Every one of your family has married
n title. We have not thought that we
could do better with our money than
build up fortunes already started;
than in preserving noble races and
noble names, There has never been
n divorce in our family. l am a mar
quise, your cousin is a countess, your
aunt is one of the peeresses of Eng
fand, and as for you, my dear :.
Miss Redmond was standing by the
piano. She had lifted the cover and
was about to sit down to play. She
smiled slightly at her aunt, and seemed
In the moment to be the older woman.
There are titles and titles, ma
tante: the only question is what kind
do you value the most?"
THE highest!" said her aunt with
out hesitation, land the Due de Ire
mont is undoubtedly one of the most
famous parts in Europe"
HE will then find no difficulty in
marrying" said the young girl, "and
1 do not wish to marry man do not
EoVe."
She sat down at the piano and her
hands touched the keys. Her aunt,
who was doing some dainty tapestry,
whose fingers were creating silken
fiowers and whose mind was busy with
fancies and ambitions very like the
work she created, shrugged her shout
ders.
@That seems to be-" she said keenly,
~the only tune you know, Julia" o.
Its a pretty song, ma tante."
II remember that you played and
sang it the first night Sabron came to
dinner.n The girl continued to finger
among the chords. And since then
never a day passes that sometime or
other you do not play it through"
at has become a sort of oraison,
ma tante"
''Sabron," said the marquise, lis
fine young man, my child, but he has
nothing but his officers pay. More
over, a soldiers life is precarious
one"
Julia Redmond played the song soft.
4y through.
The old butler came in with the eve
ming mail and the papers, The Mar
'elufSe d'Esclignac, with her embroid-
cry scissors, opened lie Temps from
Paris and began to read with her usual
interest. She approached the little
Noy kho
the paper and looked over at her
niece, and. after a few moments. said
with a slightly softened voice.
"Juliav' Miss Redmond stopped
playing. "Julia!" The girl rose from
the piano stool and stood with her
hand on the instrument.
+ my dear Julia!" Madame dEscIi-
igrirc spread lie Temps out and put her
hand on it. "As said to you, my
child, the life of soldier is a pre-
caTious one" .....,.. ,...
MA tante," breathed Miss Redmond
from where she stood. Tell me what
the news is from Africa. l think
know what you mean"
She could not trust herself to walk
across the floor, for Julia Redmond in
that moment of suspense found the
room swimming,
There has been an engagement,
said the marquise gently, for in spite
of her ambitions she loved her niece
There has been an engagement, Julia
at Dirbal" She lifted the newspaper
and held it before her face and read
There has been some hard fighting ii
the desert. around about Dirbal TIL
troops commanded by Captain de Sabroi
We're routed by the natives at noon oil
Thursday They did not rally and wer
forced to retreat. There was a grea
Toss of life among the natives and sew
eral of the regiment were also killed
There has been no late or authenic new
from Dirbal but the last dispatches Civ
the department of war TO understand tina
Sabron himself is among the missing.
The Marquise d'Esclignac slowly pu
down the paper, and rose quickly. Sh
went 10 the young girls side and pu
her arm around her. Miss Redmon
covered her face with her hands;
Ma tante. ma tante!" she mu
INJURED fsA
my Avar Julia" said the old lad!
there is nothing more uncertain tina
newspaper reports. especially thos
mat come from the African seat I
WAR. SIT downshere my child (
The two women sat together on tn
Yong piepo stool The marquise said
II Follow GO che fortunes, my dea
&c my husbands cousin through Ii
engagement in Tonlin. ] know a htt
What Il was" The girl was immo