The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-02-02
How RAOUl Was MARRIED.

NY friend Raoul was married day be-
fore yesterday at Sainte Clotilde.
/ arrived at the church; there was an
immense crowd, and the ceremony had
already commenced. The priest fin
ished his address, and ended it by this
sentences "Be therefore united on
this earth until you are finally united
in heaven" was unable to keep back
@ little exclamation. Raoul was not
wedding young girl. He was marry
ing the pretty little Countess Jeanne de
Charmelieu, the widow of my friend
CASTOR de Charmelieu. This lovely
woman was destined to make my friends
happy-Raoul after CASTOR. On the
earth nothing would be more simple
CASTOR having withdrawn himself, there
remained Raoul; but there above, in
heaven, for the final union there will
be two of them-Gaston and Raoul,
the first and the second husband. L
fell into most profound reflection.
That sentence of the priest of Sainte
Clotilde probably made part of all
the little discourses he delivered in his
marriage ceremonies. He had most
likely made the same promise to CASTOR
five years before. He had probably
told him if he lived and died in
Christian manner he would meet his
little Jeanne again among the angels,
Che archangels, the thrones and the
rulers.
In the meanwhile there was great
confusion on all sides of me. The large
organ peslcd out Mendelssohn's we'd
ding-march. L followed the crowd,
which took me to the vestry-room. My
hand was shaken by the bride and by
Che bridegroom, but l did not speak
single word TO either of them. / don't
think i should have been able TO resist
saying to Raoul, did you hear and
really comprehend what the priest said
about the final union? There will be
$wo of you for your final union" L
qpiitted the church, and made two or
6hree calls. went homes l went out
riding dined at my club; went to
Che opera; and all the while this foolish
hea mastered me: Glow will they
CASTOR and Raoul-clear this up in the
other world?" i went to bed, and to
eaeep, and it was there that the dream
isegan-a dream, don't forget it; it is
dream.
found myself in Paradise. In the
station was great movement of the
trains. The cars left empty and came
back full. The station-master was
Saint Thomas. / talked to him, and he
IN very cbliging way explained to me
the organization of the service. The
trains, he said to me, leave the earth,
touch at the Internal Regions, and at
Purgatory, aud stop at Paradise. Just
at present we have great many people
herc--a great many. They have an
noyed the sainted Father little in
these last few years, and he has had a
little air of persecution put in the re-
Agion which has warmed up the luke
warm and has decided the indifferent.
The council is On excellent thing and
does us great deal of good In short,
we are very well contented indeed.
There has been for several months q
constant increase in the number of
passengers for Paradise. Every day
when the trains leave the earth it is
necessary to put on more cars. / will
let you Judge of things for yourself.
Ten minutes after 7. The eX-
press is about to arrive. Certainly, we
have express trains from the earth
don't you hear the whistle? We have
taken the French organization because
IL is tho best. But our communications
with the planets are as YET not COM
plete. Look we'll now, the train ar
rives. We have as you see carriages OF
three classes--first, second and third
"a van for baggage, and a compart-
mcnt for dogs The people are
getting ont; give good at
tention ard rememhor that no
great people 60 second-class. The
small shopkeeper goes little. She is
generally partisan of Voltaires phil
osophy. A free thinker and critic is
the little shopkeeper. In the third
class there is q great crowd; either all
bad or all good. There is also crowd
IN the first-class. All! One must know
too that the rich have the greatest OPP
portunities for getting their salvation.
They have all their time to themselves.
and, even admitting that they give the
greater part of it to Satan, they can al
way find, at great intervals, an hour or
two to get in with thar religion. God
is not so black "a He Is thought to be.
He contents Himself with very little.
just stay here two or three days and
you will see at least fifty trains, and in
them you must assuredly see some one
you know. You will yourself perceive
that one can gain Paradise very cheap
ly.'
He il q gossip, this Saint Thomas. He
talked, talked, talked but / had not
been listening to him for several mo-
ments. My widow of Sainte Clotildel
The wife of CASTOR the wife of Raoull
II was shel L had seen her pretty head
appear through the portiere of the
sleeping-car, and beside, light and act
i've, she had lightly jumped from the
car, and in doing this she showed her
ankles, which were charming. She ran
oil around crying:
paradise? Where is Paradise? I
have my ticket"
remembered having seen her one
dey in the station at Compiegne getting
out of a special train which was taking
che guests of the Empress to her cha
feau. and on that day. too. she showed