| Show I C 0 4 fl d l a a 0 a d 0 Q 0 C Oa o L Love Famous Beauty Forgives the e k rk r r Husband Who Lavished r U f t I His Entire Fortune on Jewels for So Dutiful of er 1 1 i-fr i r ays J I I An time old-time photograph of Prin Prin- Princess Princess Princess cess Ghika taken when she was the reigning beauty of Paris and known the world over as Liane de Pougy By CARL DE VIDAL HUNT PARIS TT IANE DE POUGY once the idol- idol idolized idolized LIANE i beauty queen of Europe and the thew for tho past eighteen years wife w e of Prince Ghika of Rumania has forgiven her husband for running away with her social secretary At the very moment when she was to put her signa signa- signature signature signature ture to the divorce decree granted her herby herby herby by the Paris courts this strange woman suddenly relented and Ind rushed to the sanatorium where the penitent prince was a patient The story of this latest impulse of the very ery impulsive Liane came as IS a surprise to her friends who believed she would never forgive her husband She the petted heroine of a thousand lovo love ad ad- adventures adventures ventures ventur the puzzling puzz ng beauty who had squandered more money in one genera genera- generation generation tion tion than all the beauties in the history of old Versailles put together she who has laughed at the of monarchs and great captains of finance finance Llano Liane da Pougy of all women moved by some some- something something something thing other than money something less valuable than the cataracts of diamonds and pearls which once were her only purpose in life I It sounded untrue impossible And yet et who can say what a woman may do or may not do once her heart speaks louder than her reckoning brain t Liane de Pougy's romantic career started with a loveless marriage When he was eighteen her father made her ber marry a wealthy business man of Brit Brit- tany Liane loathed the man but ac- ac him after aCter he had promised on his word of honor that he would treat her heras as 35 his wife in name only He declared that all he wanted was her dowry and he confided to him that she consented to tone toIle ne ue his wife merely e e ehe he he wanted to escape the theoMe ohe oMe of her stern father Her filer plan was to obtain a vorce soon after her marriage and then engage m in an artistic career in Paris without having to ui y Bait vait until her majority or ask for her parents' parents r Consent tr Liane Lian was quickly disillusioned dis dis- disillusioned disIllusioned The night ni ht after y the wedding ceremony she fled from her husband through a n window and went to Paris with her herold herold herold old nurse nune The tall and md beautiful Brittany girl at once attracted the attention of ot artists and literary men in the capital At a reunion of ot the gay ay Boheme in the then Chat Noir she was toasted in red wine as a n new beauty and carried round in triumph by the students st dents and artists art ts A stage sta e engagement soon oon fol fol- followed lowed Overnight Liane de Pougy be be- became became became came celebrated for the calm beauty of ot other her face and the perfect symmetry of her figure Then began the life of ot adventure which she craved and which brought to her feet some of the known best-known men of her Ier time More than twenty million million- tires sires are said to have been ruined by her insatiable craving for tor luxuries Her fler Hervilla villa villa in the Avenue du Bois Dois de Boulogne I t a I A r t i I j i tf 4 v 4 k y f. f 11 f G y t r 4 rz 2 y F 7 p i ry j a p PA Ic ids ids' O t lr A f Prince George Ghika and the peculiar beard which for years was one of the sights of Paris was one of tho the show places of Paris and when Liane de Pougy travelled in for for- foreign foreign eign lands her beauty auty was feted as that of a queen to the manner born A little more than eighteen years ago when Liane was still considered the reigning beauty of ot Paris she met her er fate in the person of Prince George Ghika a man fabulously wealthy but reputed to be a 11 skeptic in all things per per- pertaining pertaining to love It happened at Moscow f K A recent t recen photograph of Princess Ghika showing how much she still re re- retains retains re- re retains of the that won w n her fame and a wealthy husband Tho The occasion was a supper given by a noted member of the Russian aristocracy Liane was seated in an improvised sed throne chair Through the din of revelry rev rev- revelry revelry elry she overheard a remark made by bythe bythe bythe the prince to the effect that after all her figure was not the divine thing he had expected to see Piqued by this Liane slapped the tactless prince with her slipper The effect of tho the little chastisement was not all that Liane had expected Instead of flying into a mad fury the prince humbly begged her pardon and said that he and his entire fortune were at her disposal Liane smiled smiled she she could not believe what he said That same night Liane de Pougy packed up ap and left on an early morning train for Paris There the surprise of her life awaited her On entering her drawing room she found it literally swamped with flowers The prince had used the telegraph in a real princely way But that was not all Two days later the prince arrived in person With him were two men men who carried a large lar black box It was opened for Liane and re reo revealed re- re revealed a superb collection of jewels jewels- marvelous diamond tiaras bracelets rings and a seven long string of magnificent pearls Liane looked at the treasure in amazement Prince George stood by her side smiling happily Pick out what you want he said But Dut the woman hesitated in es Jc Two TrIo days da later slater Prince Prince Ghika hika ar ar- arrived arrived rived In In person P erson at y Liane de Pougy's s 's Paris home horn With Wilh him him w were two men who w ho carried a large rge black box bo T This hi was wa opened d and revealed re ea led a collection opened of oJ jewels ewe I that amazed ama even Liane Lane It contained the most st marvelous diamond nd tiaras bracelets ra an and mOt b rings to 0 be found in In a famous r ou Paris Pam jewelry Iry establish establishment ment and d also alo a. a a seven even afo foot string airing of magnificent mag pearls Liane Lian at looked 0 at the glittering g treasure t r. r In amazement while Pr Prince nee George smiled happily Pick Pek out ou t what w a you want wan he said aid They The are all al so 0 beautiful she h murmured mu d' d that I do not no I know k ow which to o choose And n d then the t h e Prince won her heart by saying saYing Then take lak them all a athen II They are ar all aU so beautiful she gasped exi s 's I dont don't know which macaw one to take Then take them all said the prince y Liane saw that Hie he Hieman man meant what he ii said eaid Something seemed to 1 stir within her heart at the sight of such munificence ence Was Wasy y it the value of the princely gift that made her tremble with excitement Or had her soul at last been wakened Liane did not know then then- She owned the most beautiful jewels in the world but something inside of her was changed Prince George loved her and she she she-nh ah well she did not know what to make of herself Suddenly it came to her like a blind blind- blinding blinding blinding ing flash She loved the prince 1 I For Forthe Forthe the tho first time in her life lif Liane Li ne really loved a man She sent for the prince and when he stood before her she said George I love you I 1 want to be your wife and then go to a n small place I own in Morocco 1 where we can live to to- together together together gether one for the other and away from everybody At this announcement the prince fell feU upon his knees and wept He covered her hands with tears and kisses and con con- confessed confessed confessed that he was practically penniless that that he had spent almost his last sou on the treasure he ho had given her ber lie He had little to offer otTer except his love loveI I have my jewels OUR jewels dear was all aU Liane said as she sh lifted the sob sob- sobbing sobbing bing man to his feet These will give us money enough to meet our needs for fora a long time Two weeks later they were married in the aristocratic church of ot Philippe du Roule Then they disappeared suddenly and completely as if the earth had swallowed swallowed lowed them For ten years they lived their idyllic romance in the pretty little villa on the outskirts of ot Tangier They were happy even beyond their dreams and expectations for Liane Princess Ghika had buried burled her past and lived for the present and her husband only Liane LIme was the best wife that a man ever had the prince prin- told his friends She wits was anything but a spoiled plaything of luxury When they returned to Paris they thought they had been forgotten but rua 0 S b. b IQ quickly found out that people do not forget So they went to Lianes Liane's birth birth- birthplace birthplace birthplace place in Brittany a small town called Roscoff where they established them them- themselves themselves themselves selves definitely Hero Here again happiness was their lot It lasted until the advent of Marie Du- Du reader and social secretary of the princess Marie was not an ex ex- exceptionally exceptionally exceptionally pretty girl but somehow Prince Ghika became singularly attracted by her boyish youth That was just one year ago after Liane and the prince had lived in perfect harmony for seventeen years One day Marie Mario and the prince went away together Liane remained at her little villa and suffered silently Three months passed Then came a letter from Prince George in which he said My ly love I have ha made the mistake e of my life and want you to forgive me What I thought was a new inspiration in my life has proved to be a bitter I must have been mad to leave you OU after all these years of real companionship Can you forgive me met But Liane de Pougy Princess Ghika Chika did not forgive She instituted divorce proceedings She wrote her husband that nothing could bring them together again I loved you she said in her letter and I trusted you You were the only man who ever really existed in my life lite All the others never counted Through my love for you I became what 1 I never expected to become We must live Jive apart now no and forget each other It is your mistake that caused it We both must suffer sutTer through it it- Two months ago Liane Princess Ghika obtained her decree of divorce She did not hear from the prince until untila a day or so o after the decree had been granted His letter Jetter was pathetic Again I 1 say to you ou that I must have been mad I 1 left you he be wrote I 1 am mad now and want you to do only one more thing for tor me Have Piave me taken to the sanatorium of Chatenay where they keep people of my sort and let me mo end my days there if I cannot end them near you Liane did not answer that letter but instructed the director of the sanatorium to call for the prince and keep him in his Institution at her expense The prince was taken to Chatenay and assigned to toa toa toa a cheery room from which he be could see seethe seethe seethe the Eiffel Tower in the far distance t II t I 4 Daily he wrote letters to Liane begging to be forgiven even if she could not forget for for- forget forget get his crime but Liane was traveling in the South seeking peace Of mind and forgetfulness At last she was recalled to Paris by her lawyer to sign some important pa pa- papers papers papers pers in regard to the divorce and the division ision of property She hastened back wondering all the time why she had left the city at all and mentally rehearsing what she would say and how she world act when brought face to face with her ber lifes life's only love lovo again For they both would have to be present for the signing of those papers the tho attorney had writ writ- written written written ten her There was no doubt in her ber mind that she must be very cool and collected at this meeting The prince should be made to realize that everything was at an end between them The divorce had bad been duly granted and all she would do do or had agreed to do was to keep Prince George in the sanatorium as long as he be lived unless he chose to leave the place of his own volition So there was noth noth- nothing nothing ing to get excited over she thought only to look him coldly in the eye sign a few papers and then go about her own af af- fairs Liane was sure she could do all that without a n tremor of ot the heart or the shaking of her hand They met at the lawyers lawyer's office Prince Ghika was pale arid and thin thin- He had shaved off his that had made him hima a conspicuous figure on the boulevards five years ago His eyes sought pleadingly plead plead- pleadingly plea the eyes of the woman he be had betrayed But Liane looked away and spoke with the solicitor She wanted the whole business settled quickly as she had a n number of ot pressing calls calla to tomake tomake tomake make in the city So the man of ot the law gave Prince Ghika the papers to sign It was waa a difficult cult moment for Liane The prince looked so helpless But she must see it through He lIe had betrayed her and this was no time Tor or or sentiment Then came camo her turn to sign She took the pen resolutely and tried to find the dotted line Une but there was something in her eyes that prevented her from seeing rightly something wet and burning that seemed to come from her aching heart heartt Her hand trembled too too and something choked her ber Then she looked up ap and met his gaze through a mist of blinding tears A mo mo- moment moment moment ment later she was in his arms sobbing like a n child They are arc going to start life all over again in their little place in b Brittany They will be married again of course and everything will be as it used ased to be Only there wont won't be any social secretary secre |
