Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-31
ALL ABOUT AHAT.
How Arsene HOusssye MOrtaIly or.
Tended a Freneh Deputy.

RarE Correspondents New York Herald.
/ once had a hat adventure myself
1t was IN 1850. I went at the ball o
the Hotel de Vile, eseorting 3 Mime
Victor Hugo, while III. Hugo gave hi
arm to Madame Houssaye. There wa
a chair empty and the one next to i
contained hat. I took up the hai
and gave the chair to Nine. Hugo. o.
course I did not propose to hold the
hat all night, so put it on the floor. IT.
owner soon arrived. It vas a celebra.
ted duelist, II. Sherbette, a Deputy
| from scissors. He came straight to
the chair which had had the honor OF
holding his hat. He was about to at.
tack Madame Victor Hugo, but as
was talking with her, he turned upon
me.
"Is it you, Sir, who have displaced
my hat?" eyes, Sir" "Did Won
put 1t on the hoor?" "Yes. Do you
think / ought to have put it on my
head9'' But, Sir, you have insulted
me. Here is my card"
took ont card and threw it in his
hat.
Monsieur" said the Deputy, fu.
rlonsly, do yol suppose | am going
to pick up my hat?"
do you suppose" 1 said, "that
am going to put it on your heads"
Victor Hugo laughed, Madame Hugo
smiled, but Madame Houssaye was not
at all amused.
81 require, Sir" said the Duputy of
Scissors. ''that you replace my hat on
the char where it was" I began to
laugh. A little circle had gathered.
M. Saerbette finally picked up his hat
under pretext Of taking my card.
Monsieur Arsene Houssaye," he
said. 1--WE are from the same place,
re Ison more for our meeting"
. 81 await your seconds, N. Sherbette,"
I repiied.
at what hOur?" "At this hour. We
can fight as soon as we leave the
ball"
n. Sherbette bowed to the two la
dies, and went off in search of two Sec
Onds. 1 asked Victor Hugo and the
Marquis de Belloy to act as my wit.
nesses in this ridiculous affair. III.
Sherbette's seconds soon appeared. 1t
was decided that we should fight with
pistols at 20 PAGES at the Bots de Bou-
lOgne at daybreak. It was then hardly
midnight, but we resolved TO pass the
rest Of the night at-the ball. At that
time was very fond of Waiting.
They told Madame Houssaye that the
affair was amicably settled, so that we
amused ourselves pleasantly until
nearly dawn.
AS il-luck would have it, we all met
in the clOak-room, principals and
seconds. at is a nuisance" said one
of Sherbette's seconds, ''to go to the
Bots IN this snow storm" Come"
said the other laughingly to M. Sher- !
bette, Gas you are the injured party,
you can apologize. 'Never !" said
N. Sherbette.
The two seconds came to me. "Say |
one word to free us from this task. |
We want to 90 to bed" ''Neverw |
l cried in my turn. NJ Sherbette put |
on his hat with a slant over the right |
ear. 1put on mine with slant over
the left. The four seconds besieged |
Us, and SAID they would not accompany /
US unless We were more gOOd-natured |
about it.
After al" said Victor Hugo, 81
think that Arsene HOussaye, having
only III. Sherbette's hat, might |
make his apologies to it."
At this moment word from III. Sher-
bette changed the face of things. eff
NJ. Arsene Houssaye declares that in
my hat he did not mean to
1ffend me 1 viii hold myself satisfied
with this declaration"
1 declared that l had not aimed at
NJ. Sherbette under his hat and the
luel was at an end. 1t was agreed In
the verbal proces-verbal, that whenever
We met thereafter we were to salute
zach other by a touch of the hat.
ARSRNE HOUssAYE.