Okolona messenger., 1921-09-29
VIZ ITH a step still valiant and
wv firm the old Able Constan.
tin walked along the dusty

road Of the little village where fol
more than thirty years he had been thu
cure. At the entrance of the castle
Of Longueval he stopped and mourn
fully regarded the big blue posters
fixed on the pillars.
They announced the sale Of tn,
castle, the former home of the cure'I
dear old friend, the marQuise, who haC
recently died.
And the result of the auction?
The great estate bought by two en-
tire strangers!
"Do you know who they are2" asket
Madame de Lavardens.
Eyes, Mrs. Scott is an American pos
sessing a colossal fortune. Ten year
ago Mrs. Scott begged in the streets
Of New York, they say. They are ricH
parvenus who amuse themselves By
throwing handfuls of gold out Of the
window, and who will turn up theil
noses at us and care nothing for om
traditions or our life"
Such was the story.
But when young Mrs. Scott and heI
beautiful sister arrived, to take pos
session of the castle and called i'm
medIately upon the able, he learned a
different tale. Religious, generous
amiable and lovable they proved.
And they were certainly beautiful
particularly the younger sister, Bet
tina Percival.
At the cures little home they met
Jean Reynaud, the son of that gal
liant doctor of the village who, while
advancing with the soldiers in the war
Of 1870 to carry on his work Of mercy
side by side with his dear" old friend
the abbe, had suddenly been struck by
a bullet and killed on the spot. Jean,
inherited the noble traits Of his father,
was beloved by the whole village.
But he was poor while the American
sisters were immeasurably rich.
AS acquaintances and friendships
grew, very pleasing it was to the
gentle, lovable old cure to learn that
his new parishioners. were most anxi-
Gus to extend their benefactions among
the poor in the hamlet, asking him,
indeed, to be their medium.
They had, indeed, been poor until
an inherited silver mine made them
fabulously rich. Now, they had hosts
Of admirers-Mrs. Scott because she
was frankly flirtatious; and Bettina
because, as she realized, the fortune
hunters-thirty-four Of them she
counted, including a French duke and
a Spanish noble sought her wealth.
And when, one day, they all went
over with jean to visit the, little
church, and Bettina at the organ
played reverie Of Chopin, good gentle
Abbe Constantine heart was filed
with such JOY. that the tears came to
his eyes.
But all this left a deep problem in
Jeans minds Which Of the two sis
tiers il the prettlerr' At first he was
convinced that. 1t was the Coquettish
Mrs. Scott who charmed him the more;
then he would see Bettina, smiling and
.blushing amid the sunlit clouds Of her
floating hair, and he would declare to
himself II was mistaken, the prettief
was Miss PercivaI"
The days went on and Jean and Bet
tina were often thrown into each
others company. What resulted Is
best pictured in Miss Pefcivars own
remark to her sister when one day
she exclaimed:
'He Is the first man, positively the
nrst, in whose eyes ! have not read
sOh. how glad should be to marry
that little body's millionsr"
And then as Mrs Scott went up
stairs to kiss her sleeping children
,Bettina remained long leaning on the
balustrads Of her balcony.
,'Tt seems to ne" said she, shat !
am growing 20 be very fond q this
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