Newspaper Page Text
Bhe Merry Widow
By AL'BE'RT
COPYRIGHT. 190*. BY HENRY W. SAVAGE
CHAPTER I.
The Girl With the Millions.
44 IIE widow Just now Is the
queen o f our diplomatic chess
board," sighed the Marsqyian
J ambassador's pretty wife. .She
w ill l>e hero tonight. My husband la
lianplng over the (Ministers watching
lor her.”
“But what reason?**
“Oh. be has exactly twenty million
reasons for’’—
“I don't understand," murmured M
de Jolldon.
“No? Then you are probably the
only bachelor In Paris who doesn’t
Bho was the daughter of a poor Mar
no via n farmer —no dowry hut her
lieauty. An enormously rich old hank
er named Sndown, wealthiest man In
Mnrsovla, fell In love with her, mar
ried her and did her the exquisitely
graceful favor of dying a week Inter.
She Inherited Ids whole fortuuo—s3o,-
000)000."
“And now I suppose she has come to
Paris to spend It?”
“Oh. the money Is snfe enough for
the present, 1 lielieve, in the Bank of
Marsovhi. But my husband wants It
to stay there. So does tlie Mnrsovlan
government. Ours is not u rich noun
try, M. de Jolldon. That's why anew
white hair appears In my worthy hus
-1 land's head every time one of your
Parisian lady killers makes love to her.
It's all absurdly simple.”
“Well,” laughed De Jolldon, "his hair
needn’t turn whiter on my account
I’ll bo tin one Frenchman who won’t
make love to Mine. Sqdowa.”
“But you must.”
“What?"
“You must marry her, at any rate."
“Are you mad, Natalie, or Is this"—
“It Is no Joke, and I’m not mad.
l’v thought It nil out.”
The ambassador's wife glanced nerv
ously a 1 k>ut her. She and De Jolldon
were ensconced in an alcove of the
anion.
It was the night of the embassy
ball. From the adjoining ballroom
•caihe the strains of n waltz, and the
soft gliding of hundreds of dauctng
feet Guests were passing aud re
passing along the great hallway aul
broad stairs at the rear of the salon.
But for the moment the two had the
Tooin to themselves.
“Listen.” she said. “My husband sus
pects unthlUK thus fur, but ho Is cer
tain to In time unless"—
“Unless I divert Ills thoughts by mar
Tying some one else? I can't, and you
know 1 can’t, for I’’—
“Hush! You mustn’t say It. I am a
dutiful wife. Ami -wtint are you do
lug?" she queried as ho snatched up
her fan from the table. With the
pencil that dangled from bis dancing
card IK> Joltdou scribbled three words
ou one of the ivory sticks of the faa,
then handed It to Ills hostess.
Natalie, with a little catch In her
breath, slowly read the words aloud:
“I—love—you!”
"Why did you write tht-?” she
asked
“Because you forbade me to say It,”
he retorted.
“Tell his excellency I have’ come
buck,” bioke lu a voice at the door.
Asa servant hurried off with the
message the speaker waddled luto the
room. He was a stout, ungainly little
man, clad in the quaint national cos
tume of Marsoviu. Bald of head, pop
ping of eye and with abnormally long
rod mustache, his was a personality to
excite laughter In a mummy.
The newcomer was Nish, messenger
and clerk of the embassy At his ap
proach Natalie mxl De Jolldon slipped
nwtiy to the ballroom. A moment later
n tall. lean, fussy man with hooked
mxse and mincing gait trotted down
the stairway und into the salon.
“Well, Mr. Nish.” he asked peevish
ly, "did you find Prince Dnnllo at
home?”
“No. your excellency.* faltered the
little man. *'lTe’
“Jhd yon go then \\ as T told you, to
file American bar at" -
“Tos. sir. But he was uot at home
there tonight"
“Odd lie’s usually very much at
home there. I’m told. So you fulled
in your misaumj You couldn't flud
him?” : v
“Oh, yea, your excellency. 1 found
him—that Is to say, l”
“Oh, you found him at last? That’s
better. Where?”
“At Maxim’s, yeur”—
“Maxim’s, eh?” snorted Ambassador
l’o|K>ff scornfully. “Idling away his
time, as usual, when”—
“Oh, no, your excellency, not ex
actly ‘ldling,’ if 1 may say so. He
seemed very busy. There were a num-
ber of bottles and”—
“Was he sober?”
“Not distressingly so, your excel
lency. In fact, if I may”—
“Dll you give him my message? Did
you tell him?”
“I gave It word for word, sir. I told
him Ills country was calling for him
and tint your excellency desired his
Immediate presence at the embassy.”
“Well, what was his answer?”
“He said. ‘Give my country my re
gards and tell It to go to' ”
"Where?” snapped PopofP as Nish
paused in embarrassment.
"I'd—l’d ra flier not say, sir; no place
I’m at all familiar with.”
“Oh, the ingrate,” walled Popoff,
“the ingrate! Here he has been em
ployed at the embassy ail these months,
and I’ve winked at his loafing and his
dissipation, and the very first minute
1 really need him he refuses to
-come."
"Oh, no, your excellency," pleaded
Nish; “scarcely as bad as all that, if
I may say so—not ’refused’ exactly.
He will come. At least he promised
to.”
“Ah. that lifts a load from my brain
if he promised he’ll come! Diplomat
loally sjieaklng, Prince Danilo’s word
is as good as* his bond.”
“Dlpksnatleally speaking, your excel
lency,’’ affirmed Nish, “he ugrees to
be here us soon as be has finished the
magnum of champagne that was In the
Ice pall lieslde him when I left.”
“How much of It was gone?”
“The cork was not yet drawn, but”—
“Be on the lookout for him, Mr.
Nish. When lie comes put Ice on his
head If necessary. Sober him at any
cost.”
“I fancy It will be cheaper tlmn fill
lug bi n up. I’ll do my bast, your ex
cellency.”
But the ambassador at a whispered
word from a servant had already pot
tered fftit of the room as fast as his
somewhat shaky old legß would carry
him. and the voluble Nish ran ulong
In bis wake.
A commotion swept through th
scattered groups in the foyer—a mur
mur, a rustle, a whisper that resolved
Itself at last Into the excited phrases;
”'ihe widow has arrived!” “Twenty
millions and unincumbered!” “Widow
of Sudowa, tlie animated money bag!”
“A Monte Crlsto fortune for some
lucky man!” “Her name Is Sonia Sn
dowa; twenty millions—red hair, too,
but u beautyr “Twenty millions!”
"'flic Merry Widow!*’
Down the stairway from the dress
ing rooms and into the salon swept a
woman-young, beautiful, vivacious. A
light of mischief danced in her great
1 dark eyes.
Her masses of auburn hair shone
like an aureole above bor rather
pale, delicate face. About her hovered
a half score of gallants, all vying for
a word, a look, from the beauty (aud
fortune) of the Paris season.
Two men -tho Marquis of Cascada
ami the Count de St. Brioche- -were
lucky enough to claim for a moment
or two her attention.
“No, uo!’’ Sonia was saying In pro
test “At home, tn Marsovla, men don’t
E'nke such pretty speeches. Courtship
there Is very primitive and marriage
is for life. When a man makes love to
another’s wife, he is promptly shot
When a wife flirts, her hushand beats
her black and blue—a good plan. Why
not try it In Barter’
“IXiUghtful!" exclaimed Cascada. “I>o
you know, madame, we have been
counting the moments until you ap
peared?”
i can well believe it" assented So
nia. “It must have been Just like
vomiting money.”
“Oh. madame!” protested the group,
horrified.
“Don’t I know?” retorted Sonia, a
little bitterly, “it’s always like that.
IVople c-ount me like so much money.
If it is coarse for me to say so, re
member I’m a farmer’s daughter ami
thafcf in my country people call a spade
a spude.”
l’opo.T and Natalie came hurriedly in ,
to pay the!.* respect? to the guest upon
v bom Mar.'ovla's liopes so depended.
At a slga from the ambassador tha oth- •
era drew back.
“So you were shocking some of our
Paris gallants?” beamed the ambassa
dor. “What a child of nature you
are!”
“You mean,” countered Sonia, “that I
am a peasant dressed up. How I wish
sometimes that I were a real peasant
again!”
“Ah!” chuckled Popoff. “Child of na
ture, true child of nature, always
remembering the dear old days on the
farm—the bleating of the pig3, the new
laid milk, the tomatoes freshly dug
up and all the simple Joys of the coun
try! But I want you to meet tonight
some of our Marsovian nobility—for
instance, Prince Dnniio, a charming
young fellow. He'll be here presently.
Danllo is”—
But the mischief had died out of
Sonia’s eyes. Her face was paler than
was its wont, aud there was a stern
look as of pain about the daintily
cUseled mouth.
“I have already met Prince Danilo,”
she said curtiy.
"Really?” cried Popoff. Then, not
ing her change of expression, he added
with apprehension;
“I hope it was not on one of his wet
days—a charming, lovable youngster
in spite of his”—
“I am not Interested in hearing about
him,” broke in Sonia In a curiously
level, emotionless voice. “It was long
ago that we met. He will have forgot
ten me even as—as I have forgotten
him. Let us talk of something else,
please.”
Even Popoff could see something was
Beriously amiss.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
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