The Press., 1917-03-01

speaking to me my gaze was AAeu upon tue robe of state of the beautiful grandmamma.
 "Very well, then, that great Gouver- neur Faulkner can give his chastise- ment and lay his commands upon the beautiful and wicked Roberta, mar quise of Greg and Bye, in proper per son and not have the privilege of again addressing his faithful and de voted comrade Robert, who is dead. l, | the Marquise Roberta of Greg and Bye, will accord to him an interview, and, in the language of this United | States, it will be some interviewv With which resolve turned to make an answer to the faithful BonbOn at the door.
 Where awaits his excellency the | Gouverneur FaulknerT" I questioned to him.
 "In the hall at the bottom of the steps," he made reply to me. Attend him into the large drawing room for a waiting and make all of the lights to burn. Say to him that will descend in a very small space of | time,' commanded.
 Yes, sir" he made reply and de- parted. And then in my Wickedness began to commit a dissertation on the mem Ory of my beautiful and honored Grandmamma Carruthers. 1 walked | to that glass case in which reposed that gown of the beautiful lowered silk and took it therefrOm and laid it | upon a chair above tEe soiled riding brooches of corduroy l had so lately discarded. | opened the carved wood en box on the table underneath and took from ii the silver slippers and the stockings of silk, also the lace fan and the silver band for the hair. There upon l walked to my mirror and con- menced to make toilet of great care. bu. of q great rapidity.
 My first action was to take down that lOvelock and with the oil of roses to lay it in it's accustomed place upon my cheek, which burned with a beautiful rose of shame and at the same mo- ment with some other emotion that did not understand. which emotion also made my eyes as bright as the night stars out in that Camp Heaven. The silver band held closely the rest of my mop and gave 1t the appearance of the very close coiffure which is the fash ion of this day and one very sweet young rose ent into it just above the curl with an effect of great and wicked beauty.
 The cOiffure having been accomplish ed, the rest of the toilet, from the slip pers of the cloth of silver to the edge of fine old lace, now the color of rich cream. that rested upon my white arms and shoulders. was only a mat ter of few moments. and then stood away from my mirror and beheld my self therein.
 You are as beautiful as you are wicked, Roberta. marquise O. Greg anG Bye. but you go to your death in q manner befitting a grande dame of your ancient house of France. whose daughters once showed the rabble how to approach a guillOtine cOStumed in magniticence. Descend for that cold knife to your heartr' And, so speak ing, picked up my fan and made my way through the hall to the halfway of I A motion occurred.
 'LOrdee! It's the old lady come to ha'nt! exclaimed my good Bonbon. and with groan he fled into the dark ness in the back regions of the house.
 And 1t happened that his loud cry | brought response which came to me before l was quite in readiness for it. l Ac I Iag c,tn nf 1n staircase under the bright light raised my eyes. and. behold. the GOuverneur Faulkner to whom I had descended for the purpose of mortal combat stood be fore me!
 And was 1t that cruel and wicked and cold Gouyerneur Faulkner who was to scourge me and keep me in the house of my uncle, the General Rob erts, for a dishonor? It was not Be fore me stood a tall man who was of a great paleness and terrible fatigue also, covered with the dust of long, hard ride. with eyes that were full of q fear, who stood and looked at me with not a word of any kind.
 Suddenly I bowed my head and stretched out my bare arms, the one of which bore the red scar from the suppliant, I waited to receive the re- breaches that were due to me from my gOuverneur.
 And for long minute 1 waited and then again for another long period of time, and no word cam, tO me. Then I raised my head.
 For all women now in the world who have the love of {, man in their hearts and for those unborn who will they may Ee given the opportunity tc plant in the hearts of those men ct their desire the seed of fine loyalty and service and comradC ship and that they may some day look into his eyes and see that seed slowly expand into a great white flower of mate love as beheld bloom for me in the eyes of my beloved Ghuverneur Faulkner. Long we stood there and looked into the sou drinking from our hearts and the veins of our bodies until at last it was fully open. and then I went with a love cry into his arms held out tO me and press ed the heart of my tody close against his own.
 q think my heart has always known though my minds eyes were blind God, if had lost you into that hell oi war, you daredevilr' he whispered, an( tasted the salt of his tears on my Sps.
 'I am a lier' I whispered back tC him. .... 'You aIe - myself" he laughed through sob, and then, while witl his large warm hand he held my throa as a person does the stem of flower he pressed his. lips into mine untt they reached to the heart within me In a moment with my hands I helC