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The Merry Widow
By ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE
COPYRIGHT. 1908, 'BY HENRY W. SAVAGE
CHAPTER 111.
The Garden Fete.
mHE gardens of Mme. Sonia Sa
dowa’s villa, just outside I’aris,
were gayly decorated for a
lawn fete. The grounds were
dotted with laughing groups of bright
ly dressed men and women, for Sonia
bad particularly requested that all her
Mursoviun guests wear their pictur
esque native costume, and the result
was a veritable kaleidoscopic carnival
of color, a perfect riot of gorgeous
hues and striking figures.
Ambassador l’opoff, his long, lean
figure draped in vivid green, was pac
ing (lie alleys of the garden near the
entrance gate, pausing nervously now
and again to scan late arrivals in
F( .eh of someone. At length he de
scried (lie man ho sought. Nish was
Just bustling into llie grounds, and the
ambassador at once beckoned to him.
“Now, then, Mr. Nish,’’ cried Popoff
ns soon as the little clerk had sham
bled within earshot, “I told you to
bring Prince Danilo here and not to
leave him for an Instant until”—
“lie wouldn’t let. me stay,” explained
Nish, "lie says he won’t come. He’s
giving a party—if I may say so, a
very gay”—
“And for the sake of a lot of pleas
ure seeking idlers the prince refuses
to obey my orders and come to Mine,
t&onla’s?”
“Yes, your excellency. He positively
refuses to come. And when 1 say
‘positively’ refuses I— Here he is now!”
Danilo, resplendent in the uniform of
a Mursovian captain of'hussars, stroll
od nonchalantly forward, with a care
less nod that quite ignored the ambas
sador's glare of reproof at his late
ness.
“I understand, prince,” began I’opofC
coldly, "that you positively refused to
obey my”—
"So 1 did, so 1 did,” assented Danila
cheerfully. “But at the lust moment I
changed uiy mind and my clothes, and
here 1 am. I've postponed my party
for an hour or so. You see, 1 remem
bered my promise to help you scure
away from the widow any Frenchman
who seemed Inclined to make love to
her. That’s why I came.”
“Good!” approved I’opott, rubbing his
hands gleefully. “Very good! And
where do you expect to begin?”
“With the most dangerous suitor
Who Is he?” ,
"Well,” replied Popoft confidentially,
“I’ve had my eye on her, and it seems
to me that l)e Jolidon”—
“I>e Jolidon!” exclaimed Panllo
“Impossible!”
“Why Impossible, pray? I think I
have as good eyes as any man. I
think, sir, 1 can detect love when I
see It. And from the way De Jolidon
looks at the widow -why, man, 1 don’t
know a single thing that doesn't point
toward his being in love with her.
If”—
“If I may say so, your excellency,”
put in Nish, shuttling nervously, “I
think I could tell you of a ‘single’ thing,
or. rather,” he added, chuckling, "when
1 say ’single’ 1 mean ‘ranfried.’”
“Mr. Nish,” interrupted Popoff, “if
you can stop wriggling around like an
Inebriated eeutiped long enough to
talk plainly, will you do me the honor
to put ymiv blitherings into plain
words?”
excellency,” stunm'ervd
Nisb, "1 happen to know M. de .Toll
don is already bead over heels in love
with a lady who has a husband. He” —
“Mr. Nish.” thundered Popoff. "you
are demeaning yourself to the con*
temptible act of talking scandal! Are
you aware of that, Mr. Nish? If so,
go ou talking it and tell me who she
is.”
“You fool!” whispered Daniio in
Nish's ear. “Everybody but the am
bassador himself knows it is iltne.
Popofr whom 'De .Tolidou loves. Be
careful!”
“Well, Mr. Nish,” repeated Popoff
majestically as he eyed the squirming
clerk with lofty majesty, “I’m wait
ing to hear the name of the lady that
Dc Jolidou is in love with.”
“He—he neglected to tell me. your
excellency," sputtered Nish.
"Then,” decided the ambassador, "I
shall discover her by diplomatic means,
and when 1 find who she is she shall
use her Influence to lure De Jolidou
away from the widow. Prince, will
you help me in this?”
“Leave it all to me.” suggested Da
niio, with startling wdllngues*._^Don’t
try to learn her identity yourself. Let
roe attend to the whole matter.”
“All right,” consented Popoff. “It
will be a good lesson in diplomacy for
you. Perhaps I can put you on the
right track.”
The ambassador drew an ivory fan
from ills pocket.
“Last night at the embassy ball,”
said he, “Nova Kovitch, who used to
be one of my attaches, brought me
this. He was crazy with jealousy.
He’d just picked up the fan; said it
was ids wife’s and that some man had
Written ‘I love you’ on one of the
sticks. He was going home to beat his
wife and make her confess who the
villain was when I persuaded my wife
to save poor Mme. Nova Kovitch by
pretending the fun was her own. Ah,
but my wife is a bom diplomatist!
Nova Kovitch was convinced, and I
pocketed the fan for future reference.’’
Danilo took the trinket from Popoff’s
hands and read the penciled inscrip
tion.
“Why,” he said on impulse, “this is
De Jolidon’s handwriting! How does it
happen that he”—
“Then,” squealed Popoff in triumph,
“|t is Mme. Nova Kovitch lie loves.
The whole thing is absurdly simple
when a brain like mine is brought to
bear on it!”
Delighted with his own astuteness,
the ambassador pattered off to join the
other guests, leaving Danilo, fan in
hand, blankly facing the astounded lit
tle clerk.
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THE MERRY WIDOW.
“Nish," ©fcterved the prtnqe, “do you
suppose It’s possible De Jolidou can be
in love with Mine. Nova Kovitch as
well as with Mine. Popoff?”
"Pd—l’d like to think so." murmured
Nish as he started faithfully off in the
wake of his chief. “I’d like to think so.
It it would make it less exclusive,
less of a monopoly. And to think his
excellency never recoguized his own
wife’s fau! Where ignorance is bliss
why read up on divorce laws?"
Laying the fan on a nearby table.
I audio was turning away when a voice
behind, him called mockingly:
“Still in retreat? So you are afraid
of me!”
Whirling about, the prince faced
Sonia. She was bewitchlngly pretty in
the black and gold Marsoviau dress
that snowed to fullest advantage every
willowy line of her figure.
“I’m not retreating.” he contradicted,
“o. ly skirmishing in light cavalry
fashion.”
“And you are going away like that?
Oh, you stupid man!”
“I can't tell what you mean,” he an
swered, puzzled.
“And I shan’t tell what I mean,” she
rejoined. “By the way,” she added,
“how do you happen to be here? You
declined my invitation.”
“I’m here,” he replied bluntly, “be
cause I’m making it my business to
get rid of every Frenchman who shows
signs of proposing to you.”
“But why?” she asked in wonder.
“For my own amusement; that’s all.”
“You—you don’t happen to be in love
with me yourself?” she asked, a tinge
of wistfulness in the light mockery of
her tone.
“Certainly not!” he retorted, with
suspicious promptitude.
"You're very, very rude!” she re
proved. “But since you don't love me
you ought to be able to give me good
advice about accepting a man I really
want to marry.”
“Oh!” growled Danilo, chagrined.
"Then there is someone you want to
marry ?”
She nodded.
“Whoever the man is, he's after
your money,” he sneered.
“No,” she contradicted. “He is not—
not this one.”
"You said all men were alike.”
“This man is different. He loves me.”
"Then marry him! What is it to me?
Marry any one you want to.I don’t
care. And I’ll dance at your wedding.
I’ll dance till I wear holes through
both my shoes.”
“You silly boy!” she scoffed. “You’re
jealous!”
“Jealous?” he raged. “Jealous? I
jealous? That’s a good one!"
Words failed him, and he stalked
•way to a nearby summer house,
where he paused, lost in seeming con
templation of the little building's archi
tecture.
The neglected fan lying on the table
caught Sonia’s eye. She picked it up
idly and opened it. The words “I love
you” met her gaze. Quickly she glanced
nt Danilo.
“I understand,” she murmured to
herself. “He vowed he*d never say It
to me, so he’s written it.”
Noting that Danilo’s back was to
ward her, she furtively lifted the fan
to her lips and kissed the written
words. Then as she restored it to the]
table she whispered:
“Just the same, I’ll make him saj
It. He shall!”
She crossed to where he stood.
“Have you nothing to say to
prince?" she asked.
“Only one thing—goodby!”
“Goodby!" she echoed. “Y’ou
you’re not going?”
“I leave Paris tomorrow morri
by the first train—forever!”
“Then you won’t be here, after/
dance at my wedding?” f }
“No!” % #<
“But you promised. -And now f
pose. I shall never see you ag/ b
when I'm married I shall live I:/
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“I thoughtf “ ore Patriotic.”
he sighed, ff ,Ul and la * : .von
should turn/ . 0,1 •' ollr native
land. marry ehluan :iud settle
here.” /,
"Yet it ii have de cMed,” she
answered, f l' l ol| ab’.y the last
time I sh/° l ‘ r nativc costume
r dance f at *°“ al dau s. To
day’s fet f farewell to old
times.” ,
"No- of. cost "ws would
4~'- **-
“The/ ent isn<t ann onnced
y %s:ry • <*.
leave!
.. A #n’t dance at my wed .
1 not.”
••/f." sh t ori ed, a sudden !
fshing through her mind
an* 6r pale to dazzling
an fe with me now’”
r 1 ~o ut her slender white
n / adur ement that no mor
“fd resist. |
To Be Continued.)
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