The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-12-14


nothing personal, nothing demanding,
in his look; the man she had known
in the little house at Gettysburg had
vanished so completely that she
thought her memory must have tricked
her in regard to him. AS for her
guardians letter-she could only be-
lieve that Avezzana had, by this time.
changed his mind in regard to her, for
he had made no effort to arrange for
a glimpse of her between the Thurs
day Of his call and Sunday. In the
drawing room after dinner, however,
| he asked her, choosing a moment
when she was protected by the pres
ence Of both the aunts, if 1t would be
a proper thing for him to ask her
to ride with him one afternoon.
"Quite, 1 should think Ann said,
dryly
Mrs. Renneslyer added. smoothly.
"In New York, of course, we are not so
| girls do many things l would prefer
a daughter of mine didn't. But you
have my permission, Ann, to ride with
Count Avezzana."
| Ann grinned a little at that; then
she recalled her last ride with the
Italian. and slow flush burned up
| in her cheeks, for the elaborate Sc
crecy with which he surrounded that
episode was making her self-con-
scious. 1t was arranged that they
would go on the afternoon before the
counts dinner for the Italian ambas-
sador, but at noon of that day the heat
broke in sharp thunder squall and a
flood Of rain, so that riding was out
of the question; Ann had an odd sense
of relief at postponing the tete-a-tete.
In the evening they all wore their
best clothes; when Mrs. William,
Fanny and Ann drove through the rain
in the big Cortlandt carriage, 1t could
scarcely accommodate their fiamboy-
ant skirts. Ann was in white, Fanny
in pink, and Mrs. Cortlandt In plum
color. The older woman talked all the
way of the charms of their young host !;
his good looks, his brilliancy and his
fine manners. Ann wondered what she
would be saying If she knew Of the
night in the little cottage at Gettysburg.
Nothing against him." she thought,
cynically, 'but probably a great deal
against mel"
The dinner was most impressive
occasion. Avezzana had engaged a
private dining room in his hotel, and
had decorated the table lavishly with
flowers, after the italian fashion. He
had secured distinguished company to
meet his ambassador; general in the
Northern army, whom he had met at
Gettysburg, an ex-minister to Italy
from Wilmington, Delaware, and an
Italian capitalist from Chicago
squat, fat, swarthy man, who, when he
talked at all, talked volubly of the pos
sibilities of the fruit trade in Ameri-
ca. The ambassador proved to be de-
lightful. He was fine-looking old
man, with white imperial, fierce,
white brows over them, which moved
up and down frantically when he
talked Ann liked him at once; 1t
would have been impossible not to
| nave uohC ~, LII iC IlulhCuldlCly SCI
about making himself pleasant, and
she was by no means proof against
such flattering attention. She sat on
his right, for Avezzana had placed the
aunts on either side Of him, and she
found herself devoting most of the
evening to a discussion of her host
"a charming boy" the ambassador
said, smiling indulgently across the
table at Avezzana. 81 knew his father
WELL and his mother. Ah-une bella
Signora, Signorina, and how she will
enjoy you, so fresh, so naive, so Amer
icani" His English was extraordinary
lily fluent. "My young friend has a
great life before him. 1t will not be
long, now, when my king will have a
united Italy; there will be no more