The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-09-13
HUGH'S PREDICAMENT,

HUGH's PREDIcAMENT.
 Hugh Portledown had had delightful six weeks of ii, beginning at gay Dieppe and ending a, noisy Cherbourg. He had bathed from the surs- beaten Page, and danced with unknown sirens al the lively etablissement. He had looked up at the beautiful lantern of S,. Ouen. and down from the tall towers of the Abbaye aux Hommes. He had seen ,he Bayeux tapestry duly unrolled, and had crossed the causevay to the cas.led precipices oi the Mont St. Michel He had lost his hear, half dozen times over to parisian bellies or Norman country girls over night, recovering it again with remarka- ble precision a, the first breakfast the very next morning. And now at last it was all we'll over, and the time had come when he must go back to smoky Bristol and the dull drudgery of the western cir cult. I've half mind to throw the thing up all together Hugh said to himself pettishiy, and come abroad for good to live as we'll as l can upon my little bit of private income" (Four hun dred year is not so bad, after all, for a young man to live upon.)
 u was m the salle-a-manger of the Hotel des Deux Mondes at bustling Cher oourg that Hugh Portledown came (mo- mentarily) to this heroic resolution. The next minute he had forgotten all about II. and was Justify calling the clean shaven garcon 10 produce the note. That document duly arrived Tn five minutes, a goodly roll of paper indeed. and il must be acknowledged tha. even Hugh Portle- down, who was cheery, happy go lucky iellow of the Jolliest sort, did look just trihe surprised when he glanced at the total duly inscribed in very French agures at the bottom of the long column.
 "Seventy-hve francs" he said to him. self. little aghast. Seventy-hye francs for three days entertainment, for 3 single man (thank goodness haven't married one of these pretty Norman girls D. why, upon my soul don't believe 1 shall have enough money left to pay my way back to Bristol. Let me see. Seventy. ive is three pounds one, two, three, four seventeen, six. Four, seventeen, six. Through ticket to Bristol as per adver-
 isement one pound sixteen necessary gratuity to that ruffian, Alphonse, one franc twenty-five; leaves me exactly six pence to pay all incidental expenses on my return journey. We'll, it's blessed thing can manage to do that much. Confoundedly awkward it would have been It I'd run short altogether. Great mistake, Tn going trip away from home, not to take ten pounds in your pocket be- yond the frrhest possible estimate of your total expenditure VOW I'll never do t again and yet, it's curious fact in the history of humanity that one always does vow one won't repeat these unpleas- ant experiences, only to repeat them forthwith, like a blockhead, on the earliest feasible opportunity. Who de- fined man, l wonder, as a two-leeeed ra- tionai animal. Two-legged, if you will except at Chelsea Hospitale but as to rational, why, the things absurd. Other- wise, how could have come to leave myself with only sixpence to pay all my sundry expenses on the way back to that detes,able Bfistol?"
 He counted out the seventy-five francs ruefully, paid the smiling Alphouse his one, twenty live, and sallied forth, travel ing-bag in hand, out into the delicious summer evening, and down to the office of the sieamboats which at that time used to run nightly between Cherboure and Poole in Dorsetshire. q shant be able to afford a berth," he said to him. self gruesomely; but any way, it's splendid nighs-full moon and sea like mill pond-and after all, one might do worse than spend July evening looking over into the reflection of the stars on that beautiful water. Here goes, then, frst cabin and third-class through to Bristol. one pound, sixteen. Thank goodness, l needn't go second cabin I'm not particular, but draw line at second-class on board a steamer. The seas bad enough in any case, and doesn't require to be made worse by the combined smell of an oily engine and bad tobacco"
 Hugh paid his fare boldly, with the air cf man who has several pounds in re. serve Tn case he wants them, and walked aboard al once to secure himself a com fortable corner before the arrival of the train from Caen and Paris. eff I've got 10 sit up all night" he thought, 1" may as vel do it as conveniently as possible.h So he chose nice corner on deck. with a padded seat. and laid his bog there to keep the place for him while he paced sp and down and took bird's-eye view of the situation.
 Ihsre vas hardly anybody on board as yef eor uoss of the passeageEs came oy the Paris train; but oee young lady, 2 pretty French gih with . smiling round ace, vss standing by the side of the paddle-ooz, waiching sAe huny and scuy oa sAara uAus . csovd of| douaniers, sailoss, and ishssmen vave hehdAg out that inevitable baatls vAich ,.ses oeaselessly night a.d day at all FrencA seaporss. SSe held . bundle cf rags in her hand, and on tAe looee Paschmant label that hung pensile flon the end Hugh could dissiscily red, ia a large, round, Frsnch school-giri sost of hand. the neat insczipdon, sNlle. Eul.lie Leruth. chez Ms Spurtes, sAe Seminary for Young Ladies, Weseun- super-Nare."
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