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Show But Now That the American I Heiress Has a Noble Hus-I Hus-I band and He Has Fought for L Her Like a Knight of Old, K She Never Wants Him to r wy,-. Hi i '"t if The Duke of Torlonia, who so delighted de-lighted his wife by avenging an insult to her beauty with his sword THOSE who knew the now famous "Dollar Duchess" of Italy when she was just Miss Elsie Moore, of Brooklyn. New York, U. S. A. tp-member tp-member that in her school days she cherished two wishes very dearly. She i used to whisper them to her friends and tell how she hoped with all her heart that some day they would both come true. The first of thf wishes of Elsie'-girlhood Elsie'-girlhood day dreams was that she might marry a man of title. The second was that the man she married might love her enough to fight a duel over her risk his life on the field of honor just as the knights of old used to do. 1 None of Elsie Moore's friends could see any reason why she shouldn't marry a foreign nobleman with castles and great estates and a long string of high-sounding high-sounding titles. American girls had done it before, and Elsie was as pretty as any of them and as wealthy, too. Her father, Charles A. Moore, was in democratic America the equal in power of almost any European nobleman. He was a friend of President McKinley and an influential political leader. During the Spanish war he had amassed a great fortune under the guidance of the late "Diamond Jim" Brady. And sure enough, the first of Elsie Moore's wishes came quickly true. Soon after her debut she became the bride of Duke Marino Torlonia of Italy. He was considerably older than she, but the difference in their ages was more than atoned for by his numerous proud titles. He held not only the duchy of Torlonia, but that of Poli and Guadag-nola Guadag-nola and was also Prince of Civitella-Cessi. Civitella-Cessi. The former Elsie Moore was delighted to have the first of her wishes granted, and she proceeded to lavish her fortune for-tune on the ducal household so generously gener-ously that she was nicknamed the "Dollar "Dol-lar Duchess." But the duel wish that was far more difficult. Those romantic affairs of honor are very few nowadays. The ; law and custom of the present forbid. Even for love of a beautiful woman, men of to-day seldom cross steel at dawn and fight to the death: I Yet, amazingly enough, the second I wish of the "Dollar Duchess" has lately been granted, and under as dramatic and romantic circumstances as she could have asked. And this is how it all happened. Last summer, the Duke of Torlonia determined that the beauty of his duchess should be immortalized in mar- Risk His Life Again on the Field of Honor jj The Countess of Palffy, g formerly Miss Dorothy Deacon, of Boston, one of the guests at the ball where the Duke of Torlonia had his hair pulled for slap- ping Count LovateLli's face blc for the delight of future generations. Count Lovatelli. one of the most skillful and fashionable of Italian sculptors, was commissioned commis-sioned to make a bas-relief bas-relief of her. The critics of Rome who viewed the work of art when it was completed, gave it high praise and declared that the features of the American heiress and the spirit of the West, which they so strongly expressed, had been given life in the marble. Nor were the Duke and Duchess of Torlonia Tor-lonia at all dissatisfied with the bas - relief. The trouble arose over the question of payment pay-ment for the sculptor's -work. The duke sent Count Lovatelli his check fur 1,000 lire, which sounds rather handsome hand-some until you figure out that this sum now amounts to only $35 in American money. With the check the duke sent a note saying say-ing that he would have liked to have made it more, if it were not for the high cost of living and such Count Lovatelli was frantic. He felt insulted. in-sulted. He got out bills to prove that the raw material for tJin Mnlhia.J Ml ovuijuuil'ij UKC- ness alone had cost 1,500 lire. According Accord-ing to gossip, the count was so mad he made a nasty remark to the effect that any American girl who could pay as much as Miss Moore had for a fifty-year-old duke certainly could afford to pay more than $35 for an immortal artistic masterpiece. Nor was the count satisfied with that mean dig. He craved action. He got out his chisel and went after the bas-relief. bas-relief. It was on that he took his revenge. re-venge. He distorted the beautiful lineaments linea-ments into a caricature. Instead of the lily which one hand of the figure had held, the sculptor carved a purse from which protruded an unmistakable American dollar. The duke's note was appended to the mai j e and the whole placed on exhibition in I.ovatelli's studio. It is said that the Duchess Torlonia attempted io purchase the caricature and suppress it, but the count would not si-ll it to her at any price. So matters , j t '- . t ' ' .' ' ' ''vj. :.;:;,. '." ,. ; L . , . ; .;. , .,,; , . l'r -y4C' . . ' , , .. " ; 'V ' y i . ?w, . if.. Mrs. Richcj-d Wasl burn Child, wife of the new Aj Ambassador to Italy, whose first experience with ! social affairs proved so exciting stood until the evening of the great ball in Rome for the benefit of the Anglo-A Anglo-A me ican Hospital. Held in the Grand Hotel, this was one of the most brilliant and distinguished affairs of the carnival season. All Rome was there, including the foremost of the American and English personages in the city. Richard Washburn Child, the new American Ambassador to Italy, and hi. wife were among the distinguished patrons of the affair. Many eyes were also turned to the American woman who v.ras Miss Dorothy Parki-r Deacon, of Newport and Boston, a sister of the present Duchess of Marlborough. Following the annulment by Church and Stale of her marriage to Prince Albert Rudziwill she recently married the wealthy Joseph, Count of Palffy anil Prince of Teano. Lady Sybil Graham, wife of the British Brit-ish Ambassador, and many other prominent promi-nent Britons were among those present. Wherever you looked you saw some one 1 V' A 'Ham j nl p .' ' I i $ V. ' "is nl The "Dollar Duchccs'' of rmerly Miss Eli 2 1 , Brooklyn, N. vnj5e lK happinsrs vr.. ir.-.- .rmish Coui.t -ova.eln for caricaturing her, bat who earnestly hopes he won't have to repeat the feat ' ; of note. Suddenly angiy ;: ', wo.ds rose above the soun 'v I of music and laughter :.:.t 5? ,' the tap of danicing feci on V; j the polished flocr. The ty. v" of all were drawn to a stctc-'1 stctc-'1 ly stairway, where two men si cod facing or.L another m-zr'& belligei-entiy. Duke Marino Torlcnia, nerican wj10 had been descending Italian with his wife, had encountered encoun-tered Count Filippo Lovatelli! Lova-telli! As the astonished dancers paused thoy saw the -ount swiftly draw back his right hand . They saw the "Dollar Duchess" flee hurriedly and join a circle of friends in a far corner of the ballroom. ball-room. They saw the count's hand swing out and with the white gloves it held strike the swarthy cheek of the duke. A spot of red burned bright in the cheek of the duke which had been struck, while the other cheek glowed crimson with anger to match it. According to the code of dueling, the duke should have promptly uttered his challenge and the two men should have bowed ceremoniously ceremonious-ly and parted, to meet the following dawn on the field of honor. But the feud was too deep for ceremony. cere-mony. The count sprang at the duke and seized him by the hair, while women screamed and scurried away. Nobody can tell what mipht have happened if a .trill, athletic non-combatant had not stepped between the noblemen. The Duke and Duchess of Torlonia ouickiy left the ballroom. Mrs. Richard Washburn Child, with that tact for which American hcitessc-s aro famous, moved about calming the guests and trying to get the dancing started again. She deserves great credit for her' presence pres-ence of rnind, for this 'was her first experience with Italian social alfairs and as an American woman .-he was quite unaccustomed to seeing guests at a ball fiying t each o'.her's throats. By this time the seconds for the two enemies were already in conference. Regardless Re-gardless of the strict laws in Rome against duelling, a meeting was arranged. The affront offered to the "Dollar Duchess" Duch-ess" through the caricature of .her likeness like-ness was to be sustained or avenged. It was to be coffee and swords at dawn. The two noblemen and their seconds and physician in attendance repaired to the Aventine, one of the historic seven hills of Rome, while the sky was yet gray. They removed their coats and chose their rapiers. The gentleman presiding in accordance with the rules of fencing stepped forward for-ward and elevated his sword. The two adversaries advanced, saluted each other punctiliously and crossed their blades over the sword of the referee. "On guard!" the referee commanded. "Engage!" Thurst, parry and riposte, they attacked one another with fiery enmity. Rapier struck rapier and the' Aventine Aven-tine .Hill, which often had heard the clashing of steel in-the tumultuous days when the barbarians had descended on Rome, heard that grim n on! more. F . ; -i - 3 . f.nd .1 counter atta :k. Aftj .. h a--saui; had react .1 - fondvM t iiai ' d t ic 1 me apjj during the fifth assault, wlj j ,, men had been lightir r v. :tli Uj I bst eighteen -mfatttm tnl 1 spurted from the wound. The .-culpt j ,n fell to the gro-n-l H- a graa which hi- opponent m privileged to give. -M the duke w examined the WJM " V- tinuc the combat. 1 I e noblemen left the f:eKI otJ l.t! refusing t . ' ltM j fend ng piece of sculpture .still r , ,; rount , Kvidentlj the embers of the qusrM W been qu The Puehess of Torloma is 'aljH 1 ,r,jrt 10 pTen t?M encounter. Delighted as she s " Wjj food's romantic dream oM. -- tk:;;cnae; fair is quite enough. e 1 9 |