The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-02-01
How RAOUL Was MARRIED.


How RAOUL Was MARRIED.
My friend Raoul was married day be-
fore yesterday ut Sainte Clotille.
l arrived Mt the church; there was IN
immense crowd, and the ceremony had
already commenced. The priest fin
ishcd his address, and ended it by this
sentence: BE therefore united on
this earth until you IRE finally united
in heaven / was unable to keep back
a little exclamation. Raoul was not
wedding a Young girl He was marry
ing the pretty little Countess Jeanne de
Charmelien, the widow Of my friend
CASTOR lie Charmelieu. This lovely
woman was destined to make my friends
happy-Raoul after CASTOR. On the
earth nothing would bc 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CASTOR having withdrawn himself, there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. I
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 Gaston
five years before. He had probably
told him il he lived and died in q
Christian manner lie would meet his
little Jeanne again among the angels,
the archangels, the thrones and the
rulers.
In the meanwhile there was great
confusion on all sides of me. The large
organ pealel ont Memberships we'd
ding-march. l followed the crowd,
which took me to the ycstry-room. Ny
hand was shaken hy the bride and by
the bridegroom. hut did not speak a
single wosd to either of them. | don't
think should have been able tn resist
saying to Raoul, did You hear and
really comprehend what the priest said
about the final union? There will be
two Of Won for yonr final nnion.a /
Quilted the church. and made two or
three calls. / went home: I went ont
riding; dmel Mt my club: / went to
the opera: and all the while this foolish
idea mastered me-. How will they
CASTOR and Raoul--clear this mp in the
other world?" went to bed. and to
sleep. and it was there that the dream
began-a dream, don't forget it; il is .
dream.
found myself in Paradise. In the
station was great movement af the
trains. The ears left empty and came
back full. The station-master was
Saint Thomas. talked to him, and he
in very ohliging way explained to me
the organization of the service. The
trains, he said to me. leave the earth,
touch ut the Internal Regions, AMI ut
Purgatory, aud stop ut Paradise. just
ut present We have great many people
here--a great many. They have an
noycd the sainted Father little in
these last few years, and he has had q
little air of persecution put in the re-
ligion which has warmed up the luke
warm and has decided the indifferent.
The council is IN excellent thing and
does Ms great deal IL good. In short,
We are very we'll contcnted 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 ears. | will
let you Judge of things for yourself.
Ten minutes after /. The ex-
press is about to arrive. Certainly. we
have express trains from the earth
don't vou hear the whistle? We have
taken the French organization because
it is the best. But our communications
with the planets are as yet not COM
plete. Look we'll now, the train or.
rives. We have rs YOU see carriages oi
three classes first, second and third
"A van for baggage. and compart'
ment for dogs. The people are
getting out; give good at
tcntim and remember that ne
great people 60 second-class. TIL,
/ small shopkeeper goes a little. She il
generally n partisan of Voltaire's phil
osophy. 4 free thinker and critic j,
the little shopkeeper. In the third
class there is great crowd; either III
bad or all good. There is also crowd
4 in the iirst-class. All! One must know
too that the rich have the greatest op
pnrtunities for getting their salvation
They have all their time to themselves
and. even admitting that they give thu
greater part of it to Satan, they can oil
way find, ut great intervals. an hour o.
two to get in with their religion. Got
is not So black as He is thought to be
He contents Himself with very little
Just stay here two or three days an,
you will see ut least fifty trains, and il
them You must assuredly see some on,
You know. You will yourself perceiy,
that one can gain Paradise very cheap
H."
He is a gossip, this Saint Thomas. IL
talked. talked, talked; but 1 had no
been listening to him for several mo
ments. NV widow of Sainte Clotilde
The wife OF CASTOR! the wife Of Raoul
1t was shel had seen her pretty hea,
appear through the portiere Of tn
sleeping-car, and beside, light and net
i've, she had lightly jumped from th
car, and in doing this she showed he
ankles, which were charming. She ral
all around crying:
paradise? Where il Paradise?
have my ticket
/ remembered having seen her on
day in the station at Compiegne gettin
out of a special train which was takin
the guests Of the Empress to her cha
teau, and on that day, too, she Shove
her ankles and ran about CRYING, m
trunks; don't let them forget my trunk
i have fourteen" A royal officer ,
the station of Compiegne came to he
and said: DO not worry, Madame !
Comtesse; l will take charge Of you
trunks. That il what / am here for.
Saint Peter came to her in the ST.
tion Of Paradise and said: "Your tiea