The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-10-07
ROMANCE AND REALITY
c0pyEighs rAs FEaak 4. Mun.sy c0npany.
BY MARY r. M,eURNEY


which the two girls were sitting there
came a young Swiss woman, her
cheeks as bright in their fresh color as
the red kercheif tied about her head
in that loose distinctive fashion of the
Valais peasants.
The chalet was on the side OF one
of the smooth, green slopes that rise
abruptly above the little village Of
champery. Below that irregular clus-
ter of houses stretched more green,
down to the very hollow of the valley.
where the Vieze rushed ceaslessly over
the stones. Beyond the little river
rose the huge Dent du Midi, its Jagged
points dark against the sky and con.
trasted with the snow, which lay In
great white patches along its gray
rocks. All the hillsides were dotted
with tiny .chalets, a rich brown in the
afternoon sun, and casting long. deep
shadows in the vivid green.
The little garden In which the young
American girls were sitting was filled
with nasturtiums and shaded by big
cherry tree. Almost every afternoon
the two friends climbed the zig-zag
path and drank their chocolate there,
looking down upon the peaceful Alpine
valley.
The younger OF the two. Greta Dun.
can, was sitting on the narrow wooden
bench, her back against the wall of the
chalet, and her hands clasped behind
her head. She had wide gray eyes and
soft, rounded features. Her full dark
hair was half hidden by a broad.
brimmed garden hat, which was as
simple as her pink linen dress.
The other girl. Kate Sands. much
older and more carefully dressed-for
there was an air Of inconseQuence
about Greta-sat at the end of the
table, one hand supporting her pretty
head, and her eyes fastened on the
distant mountains at the end of the
valley. They were discussing the I'm.
portant question Of where they would
like to spend their honeymoon.
When the woman had added another
pretty jug to the collection of quaint
china already on the table plates of
rye bread and fresh butter. and an odd
little pot of honey-Greta continued:
YES. should certainly come to
Champery and take chalet for at
least month"
Say 'we,' my dear; the young man
is rather an important factor, you
know"
ooh, it's the same thing! He will
feel, of course, just the way / do"
you are optimistic. But forgive
the interruption. Go on. l am int
rested in your future existence"
well, as was saying. we shall take
chalet up on the hills here that one
where we sat yesterday morning would
do nicely-and there'll be lots and lots
of flowers inside and out, especially
peoples. And we shall walk all day
long up to the very edge Of snow,
with never a thought of turning.
And will you see anyone but each
other%
For time, no. We shall forget
every one and everything, shut in by
the Dent du Midi In this fairest. hap
piest valley in all the world"
But, oh, how bored you would get;
would SO much rather stay In New
York and have theater boxes and han.
som cabs and"
That's SO commonplace, Kate"
Greta broke in. why not choose some
lovely foreign place like this. where
one would feel like the heroine of q
story, or something different from
other common mortals2"
The older girl glanced at her quickly.
wondering if she were really serious.
She saw in Greta's eye that unsee1ng.
happy look of the dreamer. 1t checked
the laugh on her own lips. and she
said kindly:
You have wonderful dreams, Greta
but don't expect them to come true"
"Oh, but they mustI" Greta an.
swered. She was looking at the sky
above the white-crested mountains,
blushing pink from the aftergIow.
Kate" she went on ''the future seems
to stretch ahead so full of exquisite
mystery that l can hold my breath and
almost feel the romance of it! Just
now there is an intangible curtain be
fore our eyes, and when it rises
which it will soon. think what will
be there7 Oh. something beautiful.
knowl"
But the other girl was. looking down
with serious eyes into the darkening
valley, and did not answer. How
young Greta was, she thought, half
sadly!
II
It was close. sultry night in Lon.
don. several years later. The theaters
were just out, and the crown was dis
persing in all directions
A hanson cab wound in and out Of
the traffic on Piccadilly. turned swiftly
into Half-Moon street. and stopped be-
fore the door OF a small private hotel.
where a man ond woman alighted
A few moments later lights appeared
on the drawing room door. and the
woman. young and beautiful. dressed
in a decollete gown with many Jewels.
came to the open window.
do you really mean to say. Ramsay.