THE STORY OF AN UGLY GIRL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 25 April 1914, Page 9

THE STORY OF AN UGLY GIRL.

By Liautenant Murray.

Jentone forms the frontier *o\vn be- < tn France and Italy 4 , and. m mi.uy parts looks as old in its quaint and rusty architecture as the lofty mountains which hem it in to the very verge of the Mediterranean. Like j Nice, from which it is separated <-n!y I by Monaco, it is a. great resort for invalids from, all parts of Europe, which circumstance has created a demand j for modern dwelling houses and hotels. A fine addition has thus been made to the ancient town, and visitors from abroad add an element of life and prosperity during the winter months. It is half French, half Italian, and the language, manners, and customs, and ••general surroundings, are those cf both ! nationalities. Just at the verge of ' Mentone, where the long railroad bridge, or viaduct, spans a vast chasm, the connecting link between th« two countries, the Alps. commence to pile themselves up ia a most amazing fashion among the clouds, where ■their peaks are lost to view except in "the clearest weather. It is in this frontier town of Mentone that our story opens, and where we will" ask the reader to follow us. There residea in the town a family named Delorme, which at the opening ' of our sketch consisted of a rich old I father and a daughter, Victorine, aged twenty-four years. The parent was a man who had amassed his large proJk perty by long year sof self-abnegation -and labor, and now in his old age exhibited such dislike to part with any jfortion of it as to entitle him to the Tiame of miser. tis daughter, Victorine, was so ugly j in. matures that we hesitate to describe I ier. It is enough to say that children •would cover their faces when €hey met lier, and run away crying with actual fright. In her figure and personal appearance generally, Victorine was well enough xmtil you came to look her in the face; then you were pretty sure to Tealise an involuntary shudder. Na- | ture had not dealt kindly with her; «he was simply hideous. , And yet Victorine had net been without ■ suitors, young tradesmen and .others, who presumed that she would receive a, wedding portion commensur&te with her father's- wealth. This, "^however, was a mistake. Those who,' mastering their sense of aversion, made love to the Ugly Girl of ■ Mentone, as she-was-eaUedy-and-finally-propAsedy were met by the old miser as follows: "Take her; yes, sir, as soon as you please; but no dowry. I won't give ler a sou." "Mademoiselle will have her 'dot,' of course," the adventurer would suggest. "I tell you, not one sou," reiterated the miser. And so tb.3 several advances had -ended; Victorine, however, was not at .all disconcerted. She declared that her ■time would come by and by, and that there was time enough. "But the years are passing," suggested her old family nurse, who was jn^id-of-all-work in the Delorme housejp^liqia, and who really had some regard lor her ugly mistress. , "No hurry, no hurry," replied Vic■torine. "You known you are not handsome," ■continued the old servant. "Yes, Babette—l know that; but, with good dress, and good manners, -And pretty jewellery, I shall pass." "You think fine feathers make fine 3birds," said Babette. "Exactly." "Poor child, you will be disappointed. '"Do not worry ,my good Babette. I shall marry in due season, and I sbjil marry only a nice husband— iiajidsome, witty, attractive. You will see." Even Babette could not but laugh ■at her mistress' pretensions when she looked into lier shockingly ugly face. But Victorine held hsr head higher than ever, and her nose seemed to Lave taken an extra degree of propensity as to turning up. It was of the most retrousse form, while every tjay her chin, as if taking lessens off lier nose, adopted more and more the same charactei-istic. Her eyes, one of •which was set very low, the other very -Hugh, bulged out awkwardly, while ncr high and receding forehead was lumpy and red. TJie proverbial experience of all misers was the lot of the old man Delorme, cf Mentone. He suddenly died, quite unprepared in a business or a moral sense, and left, of course, all his money to his slaughter. Victorine went through the usual ceremonies over her father's resnains; but as soon- as he was fairly Iruried, she called Eabetis, and told her that they would have a regular house cleaning and repairing. "Affairs have been neglected too long," she said. "That is true," replied the servant. So carpenters, painters and cabinetmakers were duly summoned, and the house by degrees assumed quite an improved appearance. After matters had bepn completed in the way of repairs, Viciorine patiently awaited and hoped that" jsuitors would by and by appear. But the fact was she had grown more than ever, and it seemed as though noiL-tig" less than the necessity terror.

SHORT STORY.

of choosing between suicide or marriage would induce any one to approach her with proposals, notwithstanding her three hundred thousand francs, that being the sum left by her father. Victorine purchased fine dresses and handsome jewellery, she took music lessons, she strolled about the promenades of Mentone in gay feathers; but no suitors appeared, and, sad to tell, she was already twenty-eight years of age. Still she did not despair. "But where is that witty, handsome, attractive husband?" Babette asked. i "Time enough," replied Victorine. One night, at a'ooiit one o'clock, the neighbors of Victorine heard the discharge of a pistol and 'several succeeding shots, and every one rushed to doors and windows to see what it meant. It \:as soon seen that a man was descending from Victorine's room by her spout, and that she had fired after him, and called out vociferously: j "Stop him; stop him!" A night guardian, brought to the spot by the discharge of firearms and the vigorous shouts of Mademoiselle Delorme, seized the culprit before he could make good his escape, and carried him away triumphantly to The story was in everybody's mouth in twenty-four hours. A villain, intent doubtless upon robbery, had forced an entrance into Victorine's ] chamber in the middle of the night, when his movements awakened her from a sound sleep. She sprang up, seized a loaded pistol, which her father had always kept in a drawer near at hand ,and shot the robber, so that he could not make his escape. She became a heroine at once. The story was magnified, and appeared in all the papers even as far as Paris, where, with the usual license, the reporters added any amount of romantic fiction to the story, making out Victcrine a perfect Venus for beauty and attractiveness. So laudatory of her were some of these descriptions that even she blushed when she read them. People came from far and near to see her. Indeed, Victorine "awoke one morning to find herself famous." In the meantime, the wretch who had been arrested and incarcerated in prison was brought up for trial. "Who are you ?" asked the judge. "Justin L"avalle," was the answer. "Your business?" "Cabinetmaker." "Did you work on the late repairs at the Delorme mansion?" "I did." "And then conceived the idea of robbing the house?" "No, monsieur; I am no robber." "Why this midnight visit, then?" "Ah ! monsieur " "Well, confess the truth." "I was impelled by the mad ardor of my love!" "Love?" "Yes, monsieur; I was desperately j in love with Victorine Delorme!" The lady was in court, though veiled, and the judge, turning toward where she sat, addressed her: "Do you think the prisoner stole anything?" "I do not," she replied. "And that he tells the truth now?" I asked the judge, regarding her ugly ! features doubtfully. "I fear it is so," she answered, with \ assumed modesty. "Do you desire to proceed against him?" "Monsieur, if I might do so, I would intercede for his discharge. He has seen the folly of his attempt. i This led to great surprise and high approval. Her generosity and candor were lauded to the skies. After proper admonition, the prisoner was finally discharged. The account of his brief trial and forgiveness was fuel added to the flame that already burned in the public mind touching Victorine Delorme! What fascination to rob a I man of his senses thus. Those who had always thought her so ugly began to talk about her improved looks. "Brave lady!" "Not so bad-looking, either." "Generous, to forgive the chap." "Most women wouldn't dare to shoot a burglar." "Poor fellow, he couldn't help it. He was dead in love with her.. He was crazy." Such were the remarks of the crowd outside the courthouse when the prisoner was discharged on that memorable day. In the meantime the newspapers still teemed with praises of the brave heroine, and strangers, especially young Englishmen, came to Mentone solely to see Victorine Delorme. They sought to be introduced, and in such numbers that it became a favor to find opportunity to grasp her hand. She was a 'heroine, and rich! That was enough. One of the Englishmen proposed at cmce, but Victorine said she must take time to consider. Men are like sheep—when one goes ahead, the flock will follow. Another, and another proposed. Victorine was the rage €>f the hour. She played her card* well. Finally she selected the one nftjst remarkable, for hia good looks, and atf /she secret-

Ily found out, for his wealth also, and jon him she deigned to smile. He was j encouraged, and at last accepted. All Mentona was in an uproar—the ugly Victorine had made the best match of the ■'season. The women turned green w\Ul envy and jealousy, but all to no effect, for tb.9 grand ceremony took place at the English Church, and was afterward ratified at the Catholic ' cathedra], as Victorina Delorme was a Romanist. In the meantime, the cabinetmaker, Lavalle, prospered and was happyIt vras never publicly announced, but the knowing ones discovered before the close of the year that the midnight visit of the cabinetmaker, and the repulse with a pistol, was all prearranged between Lavalle and Victorine for her own purposes!