The Washington times., 1918-06-02
The Interesting Romance
of Beautiful Mrs. Helene
Demarest LeishmGn Who
Discovered True LOUe at
Last on the Battlefield
and May Become the
Duchess of Sutherland

to take his place among the American rep
resentatiVes abroad. He was first sent to
Constantinople, then to Rome, and finally
to Germany. At the moment Miss Dema-
rest arrived he was American Ambassador
to Italy, and his son. John G. A. Leishman,
Jr., had begun to take the continental hur-
dies with all Of the freedom that diplomacy
allows those who are temporarily immune
from local restrictions by extraterritoriaI
rights.
Young Leishman laid siege to the heart
Of Helene Demarest. He began his court
ship on board the ship, and he was both
persistent and ardent. He won. A civil
ceremony was performed in Paris, and
then they went to the beautiful Lake Como
country, in Italy, where hundreds of per-
sons have gone to find rest and comfort
from the very atmosphere. There the civil
ceremony was supplemented by the reIi-
gious rites, and thus thoroughly harnessed
the young people started on their way in
life
But even a double BIT in the hands Of a
man who was not skilled in the using Of
the reins was only to prove more of an
annoyance than a restraint to the girl.
The Leishmans had made quite a splurge
abroad. Martha Leishman had married the
Count de Gontaut Biron, and Nancy Leish-
man was later to become the Duchess of
Croy.
But the Leishman course in Europe was
by no means smooth. In 1912 the Ambas-
sador made a bad guess concerning the
probable actions Of certain stocks in Wall
Street, and Wall Street firm came along
with a suit to collect $4,000 from him.
which was embellished by sundry supple
mentary proceedings designed to locate
sufficient property in or about New York
to settle the claim. There were also sew
eral rows with mere tradesmen who
wanted to sell anything from a red-hot
stove to a Persian rug to an American
millionaire and then take chances on sub
sequent satisfaction with the bargain.
Likewise the path Of the courtier led to
Berlin, whittier Mr. Leishman was trans
ferred to represent America at the court
OF the Kaiser. He astonished and de-
lighted the European continent by array
ing himself and his secretarial stan in uni
AOA AAo LAAaN AANdAACu NlG DCbL OF
Grant dentists to buoy-mark the entrances
to their places of torture
1t was a lively trail that the Pitts
burgher cut across the Old World, and in
the wake was the irrepressible daughter
in-law, still holding those ideas Of her own
and getting the experience of all modern
courts as to men, manners, kingdoms and
countries
A fly in the ointment came also when
o. E. Bodington, a Paris lawyer, came
along with a suit against Leishman, in
which he claimed that It was his gentle
efforts that made the course run smoothly
for the marriage Of Miss Martha Leishman
to the Count de Gontaut Biron For this
bit of matrimonial brokerage the lawyer
wanted $4,000. and sought to attach the
Leishman bank account in the Union
Trust Company, of Pittsburgh. to maFe
sure that first aid to young love did not
lose his percentage.
All of the while we heard nothing from
Helene Demarest and young Leishman.
II they had troubles they did not appear
on the surface OF events
But in the meantime Martha Leishman
and the Count de Gontaut BirOn fell out
She had attracted much attention while in
Paris, and was known far and wide as a
friend Of the French people. Her ready
wit and reader tongue more than once
figured in the social events CT the time.
One of her quick retorts is entitled to a
place in history, because |: shows as
thoroughly as any Red, White, Blue or
Green book in diplomatic archives the
trend of events before the war.
II was in Berlin, in 1913. when Martha
Leishman was at dinner where the guest
list held no less person thar the Crown
Prince. He said during the dinner. with
more emphasis than tact that cne day his
forces would break through the defenses
OF the French.
"on vOus attendra," quickly replied the
American girl.
We will await you," was the transla.
tion.
Maybe, when the same young man. at
the head of his great legions, broke his
forces against those same French de-
fenses at Vardun and Only won a death
roll for his pains, he recalled the remark:
"On vous attendra."
For surely they we're waiting and, how
ever undiplomatic the girls retort, II was
certainly a prophecy that one gazing in
the crystal ball Of European affairs at the
time could not have better made, even
though she we're the seventh daughter and
born on Sunday.
In the course Of time her Count died.
after she had started a suit for divorce,
and James Hazen Hyde, who had lived in
Paris after the New York insurance !nves-