Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-01-12

1Do you think sof Oh. you're laugh
Ing at me You think | am swfully
silly and countrified and"
"You precious kidd" exclaimed
Philip. sitting bolt upright In alarm
and then. as the startled look came
into the blue eyes again, he went on
very quickly and gently Excuse me.
didn't mean to be rude-or fresh.
| But I've been pretty sick. and It's .
long time since | have laughed, or
felt able to laugh. Please go on about
| the little French countess. Did she
fall In love with him. too7"
"Oh. yesI Head over heel At
first sight. too Just like story
"Such things do happen
Yes. suppose so, said the present
| Blanche. trife hurrledly. once In
great while. and ever so long ago. OF
course. So they were married, Al
though her family wasn't very en-
thuslastic about her going across the
sea to an unknown wilderness-buf
as all the rest Of them were guillotined
not long after. she was better of than
| they were anyway. or course Col.
onel Mosesabrought her to Hamstead
| to live. She had fortune In her ows
right, and wonderful trousseau--
| great boxes and chests of linen and
lace and clothes and silver and jewels
and books. and she had furniture
sent, too. from the chateau. And my
neutrality-suspicious. built her
big brick .house-the handsomest one
anywhere around here-and-".
Its lovely story. What happened
next7'
THE rest OF 1t isn't SO lovely. It's
rather sad The other farmers wives
IN Hamstead didn't care for Lady
Blanche. think they were little
| jealous OF her because she was SO
| much richer and more beautiful than
they were. and she couldn't talk@ Eng
| lish well enough to make them IN.
derstand that she wasn't naughty and
cold. as they thought. but just as gen
| tie and 'onely and anxious to be friend
| iy as she could be. And--for long
time, she didn't have any children.
That was considered almost disgrace.
| In those days, 1t seems! !"
what was the end of the storyr'
Philip asked. gently.
4When she had been married about
five years, she had twins-a boy and q
girl. She wasn't strong, like most OF
the pioneer women. She died.
Moses Manning never got over It."
Blanche went on, after a long pause.
HE didn't marry 4 second time, the
way most OF the settlers did. when
their wives died-some Of them three
or four times And he never called
his place anything but Lady Blanche
farm, after that--It's never been called
anything else, ever since. When the
twins. Moses and Blanche, grew up.
he built them each a house on his own
place, and as the boy wanted to be 4
lawyer, he built little office connect
ed with the big brick house. for him
| They both married-the children of
| other nioneers-and had large fam
| lilies, and inherited Lady Blanche's for.
| tune. of course. The houses have
never gone out of the family. Mother
and Paul and / live In one-the biz
brick one-and Cousin Jane Manning,
who's never married. In another, and
Cousin Seth and his children In the
third. or course the fortunes been
"a
very large any more, but It's enough
to make us comfortable, and give us
a good education. If we want It Paul
and | didn't specially. and Mary, who
/ loves books, had to give up going to
| boarding school when she was al
most ready for college, because her
mother died. and there wasn't anyone
else to look after her father and the
little boys. All the other families In
Hamstead have kept on feeling that
the Mannlngs are little different from
the rest Of them. We wish they
wouldn't-Ml except mother--I think
she rather likes tt-but they do And
there's always one Blanche In each
generation. There's 4 queer supersti-
tion about that
what Is it7"
"Oh, can't tell you'll You'd think
1t was awfully conceited and--fresh
and
Il wouldn't-please-"
But the girl, laughing, shook her
head, and got to her feet. Have you
any idea what time 1t Isl" she asked.
mo. | haven't don't care what
time 1t Is. And | won't tease you to
tell me about the superstition now, II
you don't want to-that Is. II you'll
promise to-teIl me some other time.
You--you'll do THAT, won't your"
The girl hesitated, and. for the first
time, blushed. Then she smiled.
where were you thinking OF go
ing?" she asked, before you decided
to have swim and left your motor
beside the road?"
ITO Burlington, to visit some friends
who have big summer place near
there. But can't get there tonight,
now, can II" he asked, pleading In his
voice.