Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-03-14
THE TRTTH ALWAYS.

Monsieur Adolphe Simon was near upon
thirty years of age before he felt that he
was rich enough to take wife, yet to be
married had been the object of his exist
ence since he had reached mans estate.
Laure Leblond was young girl who diff
fered in nothing from all other young
ladies he had seen in anything except her
beauty. You might go to many balls and
parties before you found so pretty a crea-
ture, as Laure. NJ. Simon was entirely
convinced of this, and so set about making
inquiries as to fortune, family, ETC. Mon.
Simon was not ambitious; so when he
discovered that this modest divinity pos
sessed a capital bringing in two thousand
francs year, he got friend, as is custom
airy in France, to declare his intentions to
Laure Leblond's guardian, her uncle (she
had neither father or mother, and being
accepted by him, was of course not refused
by the lady.
M. Lebond, Laure's guardian, who was
rich, and generous by fits and starts, gave
the young couple ten Thousand francs to
furnish the pretty baby house Simon had
built for himself and the unknown partner
of his existence, so that they began life
without debt and with their income clear
before them. She loved her little cottage
and everything within and without it, and
she adored her husband. Such husband
he had never missed coming back from
his office by the same five o'clock train
once since their marriage, now year and
half ago.
Adolphe Simon had younger brother,
the exact opposite of himself-extrava-
CANT, impudent, reckless-he was always
getting into scrapes. The last he had got
into, finding that his brothers weak point
was his pretty sister-in-law, he had in
duced her to get Adolphe's signature to a
bill of exchange drawn on Spanish banker
at Bordeaux. Simon the younger had been
able to negotiate this bill, his brothers
signature being so good, and having re-
celved the money in Paris, he wrote q
beautiful letter of thanks to his brother and
his wife, declaring that they had saved
him from ruin Ga spendthrift is always ru-
ined and always saved to spend and be
ruined and saved again upon the next
crisis), and bidding them be certain he was
going to make fortune in Spanish rail
roads and return to F'ance millionaire.
In postscript he bid them not have the
least anxiety with regard to the money of
the bill of exchange; of course he should
pay that even before it was due.
The happy couple had obeyed him to
the letter. They had never even thought
once of the bill of exchange-Sim be-
lieving his signature had been mere form
and Laurie imagining that as the money
was had, why, of course, all was at an
end, or something of the kind; but it was
no use of her thinking she knew moth.
ing about such matters at ALL Now
what could possibly be found to disturb
this serenely beautiful life ? to bring into
this gentle household anxiety, estrange.
ment, falsehood and misery2 to make the
roses be neglected, to keep the birds and
fishes without food2 A very common
thing-a thing that is heard every day
without emotion, ring at the bell attach
ed to M. Simon's neat little gate.
Laure, who had just bid goodbye to her
husband, and was lingering with silly
fondness for the whistle of the train which
bore him away, turned from her gold fshe.
and opened the gate herself-opened it tC
paper which, if the style had been lit
tie modified, would have read thus: 81
am the law; if you don't satisfy me | will
take away your cottage, your flowers YOU
gold fish, your pigeons, and even your lib
erty; will separate you from all you love
and will bring your name in digrace"
Laure didn't at first understand all this
but the politeness of the laws emissary
soon revealed to her that this was the bill
of exchange protested and returned to hel
husband for payment.
Laure's first thought was one of Joy thai
her husband was away; to say nothing o
the money it would certainly have broker
the heart Of NJ. Simon to find his brother
was rogue. Next, she knew that though
they had sufficient, they had not one single
franc to spare, and she felt that such {
blow as this falling on her husband would
be to one so methodical, regular and pru
dent, almost death-blow. She though
only OF her dear, good husband, and with
out another idea in her head than this
she turned calmly to the emissary of tn,
law:
"Sir," said she, "Monsieur Simon il
from home he will return too late to-day