New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-23


was struck at once by the beauty Of the park
surrounding a big house in no particular
stvle which they called the chateau. The park
was superb, with its spreading lawns, its beau
tfful beds Of hortensias, its majestic trees, un-
der whose shade ran clear, swift stream.
His mother had said to him; you will see
how pretty and how restful it is at the cha
teau. You will recall as you walk under the
aims that !. too, walked under them when
was a girl. Be nice TO your grandmother.
STAY with her as much as you can. The poor
old lady has had so little attention from us"
Marc had given his promise, and now that
he had arrived, after long and trying TIP
he didn't regret II. It seemed TO him that ne
could spend his whole life agreeably on this
vast estate.
Nevertheless, since one gets tired OF every
thing, when the young man had thoroughly
familiarized himself with his surroundings and
had met all the neighbors he began 70 ind the
days long and the evenings dull. So, TO occupy
his vacant hours, he dreamed OF young
beauty, blond or dark Che hadn't determined
which, with whom he walked slowly hand-in-
hand. under the shade Of the century-old trees
and exchanged tender words Of love, TO the
accompaniment Of the songs Of the turtle doves
hidden in the branches. II was poetical and 1t
was charmingl
One afternoon when he was prowling about
the house he discovered, in boudoir which he
had never entered before, photograph which
seemed 10 have been left there inadvertently.
It showed the head Of young girl, oval and
regular In shape and with laughing eyes. The
portrait caught the young dreamer's fancy I'M
mediately He kept looking at it with infinite
satisfaction.
Whose photograph was It? 1t resembled
none Of the young girls to whom his grand
mother had presented him. However, some
one from this out-of-the-way neighborhood
must be the original. The style in which the
hair was worn, not very modern, was GER
tsinly countrifed. Why had his grandmother
not spoken 10 him about her? Why had she
not let him meet her, since the girl Of the pic
ture was SO much superior to all the others
who had been brought to his attention? It
was strangcl Very strange!
Mare was about TO leave the room when he
noticed near the portrait a delicately en-
broidered handkerchief saturated with an up
to-date perfume. The fine batiste was slightly
rumpled, and the young man, without being
Sherlock Holmes, concluded that the pretty
girl Of the photograph must have left it there.
On tip.toe, so as not TO attract the I'M
known's attention and allow her to escape, he
began to explore the neghboring rooms. He
opened each door with extreme precaution,
hoping always to surprise her in some new
retreat He spent the rest Of the day thus,
searching the house from cellar to attic.
That evening, tired, disappointed and full
of bitterness against his grandmother for
Keeping from him the lady Of his thoughts, he
vent up 70 the boudoir and took possession Of
= the picture and the handkerchief Then, with
beating heart, he planted himself before his
grandparent who was sitting in the embrasure
Of tall window, knitting for the poor
"Why," he asked roughly, did you keep
from me the fact that we do not live alone in
the chateau, that young girl is in hiding
here, if, indeed, she is not imprisoned"
90" At this apostrophe the old lady let her knit
ting fall into her lap. Pushing back her
glasses, she loOhtu III aHaAelHehI a. Het
grandson.
what are you talking about, my boy7 A
young girl imprisoned in my house? You are
mad"
- 81 am in my right mind. You knew that I
would fall in love with her, for she must be
as perfect as she is pretty and since you don't
want me 10 marry her, you have locked
her up
"But tell you, my child, that don't under
stand what you are saying"
He hastily threw on the old lady's knees/his
. two pieces Of evidence.
Here is her picture; here is her handker-
chief want to see her right away!"
In an imperious tone he added:
Right away, you hear, or / shall tell the
polce!"
The grandmother. much puzzled, took the
photograph, looked at the handkerchief, shook
her head and smiled:
"Why, my boy, here is the person whom you
want to marry, on whose account you threaten
me with the police. and whom you have been
searching for all day. You have'put yourself
10 lot Of useless trouble. For the beauty
with whom you fell in love is before you-old,
white haired and wrinkled.'
"How so?"
a., at is my photograph, my dear child, taken
when was sixteen years old, and the hand
kerchief is one which carried at my wedding.
Sometimes perfume it and breathe in the fra
,rsnce close my ewes and see again all my