Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-05-01
Fact stranger than Fiction.


We take the following extraordinary 70
nance IN real life, which though told IN
n column. contains more than plot e.
nough for two or three modern novels;
During the first three years OF the
reign Of Louis Philippe, man lnhabi-
ted n magnificent hotel in the Faubourg
ST. Honore, not far from the Place Bea-
yeau. His fortune was immcnsc-hls
disposition sa,urnine. He saw no one,
and occupied small apartment on the
ground floor, which. apartment was decI-
delly the most inhospltable in Paris
AS for The other rooms III the hotel, they
were always empty and closed. This
strange parsonage went out every day al
midday. and returned al O'Clock in the
afternoon the rest Of the time he was
invisible. His only relatives lived at Pc
rigord, with the exception of nephew
whom he had brought to Paris, and sent
to collcge-a handsome boy, active and
bold and fair as a Saxon. The uncle
and nephew dined together every Sun
day. and after dinner, the old man said
TO the young one, slipping a louis dor
into his hand" You will be my heir"
and the inheritance consisted OF sew
Ell or eight millions at least. Every
Sunday and Thursday morning, the pro-
prietor of the Place Beauveau received
a visit from a beautiful and elegantly
dressed woman. She always came in
carriage, entered the garden and return
ed at noon on Sunday, and on Thursday
at midnight. On no other day was she
ever seen at the hotel. This state Of
things lasted for some years. The schol-
ar was growing into young man the
single louis had been replaced by doub-
le one, and still the old man said You
shall be my heir = to which the nephew
sometimes replied Heir or not, have
time to watt
The truth is, that the millionaire was
dry as rattan, green as bunch OF hol-
", and strong as an oak. One Wednes-
day morning they found him dead in his
bed. A charcoal fire, half consumed,
burnt on the hearth there had been as
phyxia, or congestion OF the brain. JUS
tice came and sealed up everything =
The relatives duly notified, came, and
before witnesses, proceeded to the open
ing of the desk where the papers OF the
defunct were kept. A will, written in
Ike testaior's own hand, left, as sole leg
alec the lady who had paid the Sunday
and Thursday visits TO the hotel of the
Place Beauveau, with the single charge
of an annuity of two thousand four hun
drei francs to the nephew Of the de
ceased. The family attempted to set
aside the Will A thousand rumors as
to the cause Of the sudde1 death pre-
vailed but spite of rumors and law pro-
ceedlngs, the lady was maintained 10y the
tribunals ~ possession OF the goods and
chattels which constituted the wealth OF
the millionaire. The nephew, who
should have had an income of three or
four hundred thousand francs, had only
all annuity of hundred louis. Rich,
he would have been sportsman poor,
he became sailor.
Eight or ten years rolled on. The
sailor, IN cruising round the world, had
doubted his small fortune. Chance led
hm ~ Pans, aud having at the moment
no ,o4 age To make to Vera Cruz or Cal
cutin, he paraded the Boulevard, bellev.
Ing that man who has FIVE or six thou
sand livres "A year, has a good right TO
bask ~ the sun.
one day whilst crossing the Tuillerles,
he me, young girl walking and leaning
on The arm of a mlddle-aged woman.-
The woman was respectable in appear
ance, and the young girl he thought the
most beautiful he had ever seen. He
followed her, without thinking any harm
to her residence in the Rue de Bac.-
The next day, and without any settled
purpose, the sailor was again travcrsine
the garden of the TuiIeries. The sam,
woman and young girl were walking
there again. He caught the young glrl'
eve, aud she blushed celestial rosy red.
The same thing took place for severa
successive days but on Sunday, insteac
Of gong To the Tuilleries, he beiooL
himself To ST. Thomas d'Aquin, where
at the first glance, he caught sight of {
little brown head, from which he coulC
no: turn his eyes. Although bold an,
resoluie as a rover, the sailor was, by ma
ture, sentimental and romantic. On'
day, The young girl had dropped DO
queI Of vIolets, which he pounced upo'
aud wore next 10 his heart as a talsman
Ma foi,' said he 10 himself, OF,
morning, | should like to have that lttl
girl for nv wife. must sci about ma
king inquiries on the subject.
The result of which was, that h,
learned that the young girl was i'm
mensely rlch-and with Sigh he said
Bon if she had been poor, Nigh
have married her, but rich as a fairy,
is impossible :
Thereupon he bit his mousiache, an
went home To pack up hIs irayelln
traps His trunk packed, he went I
bed, aud brfre sleep had visited his ey,
Ids, had determined to put continer
betN cen his bewIlcher and himself. III
next morning hurried note was handle
hun, requesting him 10 call al tbs olh'
al "a certain notary without "A moment