Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-01-16

ulO uOI very SASoIly oCShO
W for herself at long moments
the doublet and hose Of
man, perhaps also his sword, as well
as his attitude in the viewing Of life?
think not. To a very small number
Of those ladies Of great curiosity 1t
has been granted that they climb to
those ramparts of the life Of man,
but it was needful that they be stout
Of limb and sturdy Of heart to sus-
tain themselves upon that eminence
and not be dashed below upon the
rocks Of q strange land. l, Roberta.
marquise de Gree and Bye, have OBJ
tanned glimpses into far country, and
this is what I bring on returning, not
as a spy, but, shall say, laden with
spices and forbidden fruit?
And for me 1t has been a very fine
dash into the wilds Of a land OF
strangeness, and I do not know that
have yet found myself completely re-
turned unto my estate of woman.
first began to realize that was
set out upon a great journey when !
stood at the rail of the very large ship
and watched 1t plow its way through
the waves which they told US with
their splendor hid cruel mines. l felt
the future might be like unto those
great waves, and 1t might be that 1t
would break in sparkling crests over
high explosives. / found them!
l had seen a fear Of those explosives
Of life come in my dying fathers eyes,
and here l stood at his command out
on the ocean in quest of woman's
fate In a strange country.
"Get back to America, Bob, and 60
straight to your Uncle Robert ar
Hayesville, in the Harpeth valley. He
cut me loose because he didn't under
stand when married your mother
out of the French opera In Paris.
When I named you Roberta for him
he returned the letter sent, but with
a notice of a thousand dollars In Mon
roe & Co. for you. I didn't tell him
when your mother died. Yes, I've
been bitter. But these German bull
let's have cut the life out Of me, and
see more plainly. Get the money and
take Nannette and the kiddie on the
first boat. There's starvation and
maybe worse In Paris for you. Take
the money-and-get-to-Brother Rob.
ert. God Of America-take-them and
guide
And that was all. I held him In my
arms for a long time, while old Nan
nette and small Pierre wept beside
me. and then laid him upon his Pill
low and Strengthened the little tricolor
that the good sister Of the old gray
convent In which he lay had given me
to place In his hand when he had
begged for 1t. My mothers country
had meant my mother to him, and ne
had given his life for her and France
In the trenches of the vosges. And
thus at his bidding was on the very
high seas of adventure. From this
thought of him l was very suddenly
recalled by old Nannette. who came
upon the deck from below.
lie bon Dieu." she sighed as she
settled herself in her steamer chair
and took out the lace knitting. "Is It
not of a goodness that have tied IN
my stocking the necessary francs that
we may land In that America where
all IL OF such a good fortune? And
also. by my skill, we have 160 francs
above that need, which must be al
most a hundred Of their huge and
wasteful dollars. All IL well with u.s."
And az she spoke she pulled up the
collar Of Pierre's soft blue serge blouse
around his pale thin face and eased
the cushion behind his crooked small
back.
.Ts-is that all which remains Of TIE
$500 we found to be In that bank,
Nannettey' asked Of her with a great
uncertainty. Ny mothers fortune, de-
scended from her father, the Marquis
de- Gres and Bye, and the income Of
my father from his government post
had made life easy to live In that old
house by the quay, where 30 many
from the Faubourg St Germaine came
to. hear her sing after her fortune and
children took her from the opera-and
to 20 for the summers In the gray old
Chateau dc Grez-but Of the invest
ment Of francs or dollars and cents
had no knowledge. In spite OF my
claims to be an American girl Of much
progress Ny mother had laughed and
yery greatly adored my assumption Of
Ian extreme American manner, copied