The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-04-08
CHAPTER XVIII.
Two Lovely Women.

Two Lovely Women.
There was music at the Villa des
Bougainvilleas. Miss Redmond sang;
not Goodnight, God Keep You Safe,"
but other things. Ever since her talk
| with Hammet Abou she had been,
if not gay, in good spirits, more like
| her old self, and the Marquise d'Esclig-
| nae began to think that the image of
| Charles de Sabron had not been cut
too deeply upon her mind. The mar
quise, from the lounge in the shadow
| of the room, enjoyed the picture
(Sabron would not have added it to
| his collection) Of her niece at the
piano and the Due de fremont by her
side. The Comtesse de la Maine sat
! in little shadow of her own, musing
and enjoying the picture of the Due
| de fremont and Miss Redmond very
indifferently. She did not sing; she
had no parlor accomplishments. She
was poor, a widow, and had child.
She was not a brilliant match.
From where he stood, fremont
could see the Comtesse de la Maine
in her little shadow, the oriental
decorations a background to her
slight Partisan figure, and little out
of the shadow, the bright aigret in
her hair danced, shaking its sparkles
of fire. She looked infinitely sad and
infAitely appealing. One bare arm
was along the back of her lounge. She
leaned her head upon her hand.
After a few moments the Due de
fremont quietly left the piano and
Miss Redmond, and went and sat
down beside the Comtesse de la
Maine, who, in order to make a place
for him, moved out Of the shadow.
Julia, one after another, played
songs she loved, keeping her fingers
resolutely from the notes that wanted
to run into a single song, the music,
the song that linked her to the man
whose life had become mystery.
She glanced at the Due de fremont
and the Comtesse de la Maine. She
glanced at her aunt, patting Mimi,
who, freshly washed, adorned by pale
blue ribbon, looked disdainful and
princely, and with passion and feeling
she began to sing the song that
seemed to reach beyond the tawdry
room of the villa in Algiers, and to go
into the desert, trying in sweet in
tensity to speak and to comfort, and
as she sat so singing to one man,
Sabron would have adored adding
that picture to his collection.
The servant came up to the mar
quise and gave her a message. The
lady rose, beckoned fremont to fol.
low her, and went out on the veranda,
followed by Mimi. Julia stopped play.
ing and went over to the Comtesse de
la Maine.
where have my aunt and Monsieur
de fremont gone, Madame?"
ITO see someone who has come to
suggest camel excursion, believe"
"He chooses a curious hour"
Everything is curious in the East,
Mademoiselle," returned the com.
Jesse. II feel as though my own life
were turned upside down."
1--WE are not far enough in the East
for that" smiled Julia Redmond She
regarded the comtesse with her frank
girlish scrutiny. There was in it a
fine truthfulness and utter disregard
of all the barriers that long epochs of
etiquette put between souls.
Julia Redmond knew nothing Of
French society and of the Difference
due to the arts of the old world. She
knew, perhaps, very little of anything.
She was young and unschooled. She
knew, as some women know, how to
feel, and how to be, and how to love.
She was as honest as her ancestors,
among whose traditions is the story
that one of them could never tell a
lie. .r...a. ... ..1 .Hr#
Julia Redmond sat beside the Com.
tesse de la Maine, whose elegance she
admired enormously, and taking one
Of the lady's hands, with frank lik
Ing she asked in her rich young voice:
why do you tolerate me, Madame"
Ma chere enfant," exclaimed the
comtesse. why, you are adorable"
1T is terribly good Of you to say
so," murmured Julia Redmond. III
shows how generous you are"
"But you attribute qualities to me
do not deserve, Mademoiselle.'
You deserve them and much more,