National Republican., 1883-01-03

headquarters. For all this, an ignoble pre-
tender has lately played brilliant engage
mcnt under tho wax lights of several aesthetic
drawing rooms. The noble marquis, who
might as well be called the Marquis of Cata-
maran for apt reasons, first scintillated on tho
horizon last summer, when he appeared rs the
guest ofsOmc Newport yachtsmcn, and went on
a pleasant cruise up and down the storm New
England coast. The yachters were delighted
with their guest, and extolled the talents and
truly aristocratic manners of this most charm
ing fellow, who had graciously consented TO
honor their plebeian craft. Atevery port they
put into, the marquis was the social pet and
sensation, and rather cclpsed his hosts, who
were satisfied, however, with the reflex glory
of being on most intimate terms with him. At
one famous watering place, that it would never
do to name, he encountered bevy of Washing
ton beauties, and made his attentions marked
in their direction during the time that the trim
yacht danced at anchor before the hotel
piazzas. This fall the Marquis of Catamaran
arrived at one of the uptown hotels here, and
Immediately resumed the thread of the flirta-
tions that he had started upon by the sad sea
waves. One particularly pretty girl, of
whom her admirers and rivals spitefully
say that she will not look at anything but
foreign legation young men, seemed to exert
the greatest charm, and to her the marquis
paid special court. All the conventional at
had progressed porceptibly when the young
lady's father concluded to look up the title
and estates of the noble youth. who seemed
to he meditating the role of son-in-law. A
visit to the office of the French legation
proved that neither the Livre dor, nor the
list of NapOleonic pcerages, nor the French
army list, nor the roll of the Legion d'Hon-
neur contained the name of the Marquis of
Catamaran. The legation officers very earn
estly assured the enraged parent that the mar
quis was n fraud and n pretender, and that
gentleman started for his home in terrible
frame of mind. As he neared his residence
he saw the marquis carriage standing at the
door, and, quickening his pace, intercepted
him Just Us he was tripping down the steps to
take the daughter out TO ride. In the most
violent and peremptory manner he ordered
his daughter TO go to her room, and barring
the further progress of the nobleman by his
walking stick, called him to account then and
there. The marquis assumed u superior
and indignant air and firmly asserted
his genuneness and his right to
the title of his ancestors. "Just step
around with me to the French legation,
then" said the choleric old gentleman,
"and we can settle that point" The marquis
wilted at once, and casting glance Of impo-
tent wrath at his defamer, pushed by, en-
tered his carriage, and drove off. Noticing
the perturbed air of his guest when he en-
tered the hotel, the landlord seized tho oppor-
tunity to agcin press the payment of his little
BILL to which the marquis repeated his ex-
plantations of delayed remittances and ex-
pected drafts. In the face of all his emu
merated titles and grandeur the landlord
still pressed his claims and threatened to
detain his baggage if he left. Driven TO this
strait the marquis put on his high hat and
yellow gloves and sailed forth, directing
his steps toward the residence of another
young lady of his summers acquaint-
ance. What arguments, explanations, or elo-
quence he used no one can imagine, but
this young woman obtained the necessary
money from her father, and handed over to
the marquis n sufficient sum to free him from
his prediCament. To his credit be il said that
his grace at least paid the hotel bill, and then
disappeared from the city and has not been
heard of since. For an adventurer of this
class il was rather a novel departure to vic
timize q reigning belle instead of the land
lord, the livery man and the laundry, rs such
gentry usually do. That sympathetic and
guileless young woman lacks one anticipated
party dress for the season, but paternal Curl
osity and maternal cross-questoning will
never get her to tell what she did with the
money for it, that she was in such hurry to
get one AFTERNOON. The two damsels who
had these little experiences with the marquis
have not mentioned his name since the after
noon of his hasty departure from the city, and
have made every effort to hush up any ru-
mors that might get abroad, but such daz-
zling figure as the Marquis of Catamaran was
not to be suddenly missed without inquiries
being made. The audacity of the man might
have carried the day in any other city, and
If ii had not been for the presence of the le-
CATION he might have dazzled the circle of his
American acquaintance for some weeks
longer.