, 1888-09-12

neighbor touched so lightly as she took
the card he offered her-or, not before
tomorrow morning, at least.
Suddenly there is a knock on the door.
it is thrown open and a stout old gentle
man, with a very red face, his hat cooked
over his ear and his cane sturdily Crasped
in his hand, bursts in upon the loving
swain.
Sir" begins the invader, in a declam-
atory tone, your conduct is most frivo-
lous; it is unworthy of a French gentle
man. A chivalrous man does not thus
abuse the innocence, the ineXperience,
the embarrassment of a well bred young
girl. To profit by the absence of her
father and her portemonnaie to brutally
offer 80 centimes, and a visiting card, to
an unprotected young person is, perhaps.
enterprising. but it is a very bad action.
However, here are your six sous, sir.
My daughter and l wish to nave nothing
in common with You who"-
Before Adolphe, who was literally
d~umfounded, could say a word, a new
actor appeared upon the scene. 1t was
the cabman, furious, reproaches upon
his lips, and brandishing a formidable
whip.
Soho, here's another fare who leaves
no oats in my cab. l told you l could
take you to only one place; you accepted:
you even told me to hurry up, and once
there you light out like a 3-year-old; you
vanish without paying me a cent and
tell me to wait. Well, that don't go.
I'm a plain man, and a fare is a fare.
Give me my money-nothing for beer, if
you can't afford it-but 1 want my 80
sous, and that right now"
Adolphe understood not a word of all
this. But the stout gentleman, who has
fumbled his ten fingers in all his pockets,
which he has successfully turned inside
out without any appreciable result, has
turned quite pale, then all red, then
crimson, and finally violet. Now he is
turning green, like a rainbow in a high
hat and a top Goa
CONVINCED at last that his laborious
search is useless, NJ. Aristides Dufour,
hopping his brow with his gloves, which
he mistakes for his handkerchief, feebly
replies, in a broken voice, to a last and
more forcible demand from the cabman:
"l-Pve-forgotten my pocket book"
ooh, that don't go" reared the jehu;
They've tried that on me before, and
you needn't try it again. You can tell
that yarn to the commissioner of police.
" NAf JOu a lllOS ldIC, ANY lOM.
And he caught hold of the arm of the
unfortunate NJ. Dufour, who, inert, de-
spairing, and on the verge of apoplexy,
was allowing himself to be dragged out.
But Adolphe-a special providence for
the Dufour family-has already taken
the necessary sum from his purse, and
dismisses the cabman.
evil you allow me?" the young man
politely asks of NJ. Dufour, who has only
strength to murmur, with pleasure,
my dear sir. And twenty-five centimes
for his drink money, not a bit more"
Miss Charlotte's father, who just now
could not understand that one does not
always have with n thirty centimes to
pay an omnibus fare, began to admit
that once in a while one may be very
glad to fall upon some one who will
complaisantly advance you the thirty-five
sous to pay a pitiless cabman.
So, in spite of the diverse and unac-
customed emotions which he had just
experienced, it was with an almost gra-
cious smile hat he said to Adolphe:
"M.-M. Lindet, 1 believe-thirty CEN
times and n franc seventy-five make
forty-one sous l owe you. If you will
do me the honor to come and dine with
me this evening we can arrange this
little matter Immediately. AS an old
business man, L do not like long standing
debts; besides, quick payments make fast
friends"
A quarter of an hour later Gertrude
set one more place at the Dufour table.
1t is there still. In fact, the very next
month the bans of Mile. Charlotte and
NJ. Adolphe were published at the marie.
And papa Dufour now declares to
whomsoever will listen to him: 'Never
borrow, o fathers of families; it costs
too much. Once in my life I was forty
one sous in debt, and to square the &C
count 1 had to give my daughter and
so, 600 francs as a marriage portion. -
Translated for The Argonaut from the
French of Henri Second by L.. S. Vas
sault.