The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-07-16
CHAPTER xll-continued.

CHAPTER xIl-continued.
My dear Julia" she said to the
beautiful girl, looking at her through
her lorgnon; Il don't understand you.
Every one of your family has married
a 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
a divorce in our family I am a mar
quise, your cousin is a countess. your
aunt is one of the peeresses of Eng
land. 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, "and 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, land
/ do not wish to marry man l do not
love-"
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
flowers 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"
Its pretty song, ma tante."
II remember that you played and
sang it the first night Sabron came to
dinner" The girl continued to finger
among the chords. And since then
never day passes that sometime or
other you do not play it through"
1T has become sort of oraison,
ma tante.'
"Sabron," said the marquise, 'is
fine young man, my child, but he has
nothing but his officers pay. More
over, a soldiers life is a precarious
| one"
Julia Redmond played the song soft
| ly through
The old butler came in with the eve
| ming mail and the papers. The Mar
| quise d'Esclignac, with her embroid-
cry scissors, opened lie Temps from
Paris and began to read with her usual
| interest. She approached the little
lamp on the table near her, mfolded
| the paper and looked over at her
niece, and after a few moments, said
with slightly softened voice;
"Julia!' Miss Redmond stopped
playing. "Julia!" The girl rose from
the piano stool and stood with her
hand on the instrument.
MY dear Juliai" Madame d'Escli-
gnac spread lie Temps out and put her
hand on it. "As l. said to you, my
child, the life of soldier is a pre-
carious 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 in
the desert, around about Dirbal The
troops commanded by Captain de Sabron
were routed by the natives at noon on
Thursday They did not rally and were
forced to retreat. There was great
loss of life among the natives and sew
eral of the regiment were also killed.
There has been no late or authenic news
from Dirbal. but the last dispatches give
| the department of war to understand that
Sabron himself is among the missing.
The Marquise d'Esclignac slowly put
down the paper, and rose quickly. She
went to the young girls side and put
her arm around her. Miss Redmond
covered her face with her hands:
4 Ma tante, ma tante!" she muir
INJURED.
/ My dear Julia" said the old lady,
there is nothing more uncertain than
newspaper reports, especially those
that come from the African seat of
war. Sit down here, my child"
The two women sat together on the
long piano stool. The marquise said
4 followed the fortunes, my dear,
of my husbands cousin through the
engagement in Tonkin. | know little
What 1t was The girl was immov.