Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-12-13

ter of an hour. Then she went into the
drawing-rosln, read two pages of a novel,
played six pages of a new overture, sung
seven bars of a new song, gazed at her.
self in the glass, settled her collar,
smoothed the ripping bandeaux of her
glossy, jet-black hair, frightened the
buckle of her waist-band then, glancing
at the clock, uttered a cry of horror, for
all these occupations had only taken her
eighteen minutes and half. Nine. San
tine threw herself on q sofa. covered her
face with her embroidered handkerchief,
and tried to go to sleep.
She was just on the point Of succeed
ing, when gentle pressure on her shoul-
der made her open her eyes, snatch off
the handkerchief, and start up.
what is itf' said she to the pert and
dapper French maid with which her un.
Gle had provided her.
"a gentleman and card no, card
and a gentleman. Here's the card; the
gentleman is outside"
Monsieur Horace Girard, says the
card; what says the gentleman"
He wants to see you"
az don't know him
Hes good-looking."
al don't know him"
young"
al don't -"
Fashionable -"
al -"
"And came on a fine horse, with a
groom behind him q
Show him in. I think 1 ought to
know him"
Rose vanished in an instant. When a
girl is lady's maid to young widow, she
always encourages such acquaintance
as the gentleman she had described, for
she feels instinetively that there is some
thing to be gained by the introduction.
Nine. Santine, while Rose went to
fetch the visitor, again turned to the
glass, and again smoothed her hair and
tightened the buckle, and turning toward
the door, stood prepared to receive her
visitor.
She did not wait long; in few mo-
ments the door opened, and there stood
before her a gentleman fully answering
to the description given by Rose, only
that over his arm hung an overcoat, and
in his hand was pocket-book.
"Have the honor to address Nine.
Juliette Santine?" said the gentleman.
"That is my name" replied Juliette.
Not long since arrived from Peru2
"Yes."
"Then, madame, / have the honor to
lay at your feet my heart and my fortune,
and to demand your hand in return"
II do not understand" said Juliette,
really excessively puzzled. II have not
the honor of your acquaintance.
"0hl If we were acquainted, the
whole affair would be excessively COM
monplace."
Juliette turned from him in consider
able trepidation, for she imagined he was
mad.
Don't ring the bell, madame l am
perfectly sane, perfectly in my senses,
for / can see that you are one of the
prettiest-nay, by Jove, the prettiest wo-
man ever beheld in my life.
Juliette let fall the bell-rope and seated
herself calmly on the sofa. She did not
think him mad after his last speech, only
eccentric.
Perhaps ycu would condescend to be
little more explicit.
"My name, madame" said the gentle
man, sitting dswn, "is Horace Girard,
my age thirty to minute, my income
thirty-fye thousand francs per annum,
my profession misery"
" Humphl a profession that seems in
your case very well paid"
mot sufficiently, madame. Allow
me to describe my life. l get up at
eleven, my valet dresses me and sets me
down TO a good breakfast, my letters be-
side my plate; all the morning papers
are there; after breakfast my carriage
waits, or if it is fine, 90 out on foot; |
meet friend, How are your Quite
well. At the opera last night Yes.
Going to the English ambassador S
ball2 Yes; and so on with everybody
/ meet till about three o'clock Then |
60 to the Champs Ulysses; same people
saying same things every day; dinner
at six-dinner every day, theater in the
evening; same actors, same pieces every
night; 90 into society; dance tum ti-tum
quadrilles; same women, same waltzes,
same friends. How do you do2 How
are your Fine dayT Very Some
times, to be sure instead of this an inti-
mate friend will say, lend me twenty
FIVE louis, but not often. Then home to
bed, and next morning, da capO, same
strain over and over again.
rWell, ] do not see anything to com
plain of. lr.H
Nothing TO complain of Why, my
dear madam, the life Of conductor OF
this railroad, that year after year goes
from St. Cloud to Paris and from Paris
to st. Cloud, is full Of incident com
pared 20 mine. ] have been waiting,
pining all my life, for some unforeseen
occurrence. something new, something
strange. and last night found il"
"Indeedi' .
Yes You must know that on en-
tering the opera last night ! left, as l
usually do, my paletot in the dressing
room.
well"
When I came out Of the dressing
room 1 put on my paletot and went
home" rN.
Well, that is commonplace enough. "