Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-11-14
this Adolphe Immediately, and ! shall

| On, pdpd, papa you VIII nOt 40
that! II would DO 90 ungrateful. Re-
member that this young man has res
cucd your daughter from most UNI
pleasant predicament-"
IAN unpleasant prcdicament! Leave
me alone! He would put you In one,
rather. Besides, you may keep still,
mademoiselle; need no instructions,
particularly in tho matter OF remem-
boring, from a young fyaway who for
gets her portemonaie." And NJ. Du-
four puts on his boots and takes his
cane, growing moro angry each min
| ute.
1.-THE cabman Is below, but he will
take you to only one place. 1
Every we'll, can take another con-
veyance home" And out he goes.
slamming the doors after him, leaving
Charlotte to explain 10 her ''dear old
Gertrude" that she Is much better ac-
quainted with Adolphe than she dared
avow TO her father; that, for n month at
least, he had taken the same omnibus
that she took every evening; that, with.
out showing it, she. Charlotte, had soon
noticed that he had noticed her, etc.
"Heyday, this is a pretty kettle OF
fish," declared the shocked servant,
shaking her head.
Adolphe is In his bachelors quarters,
and has just declared TO himself that he
will never wash the hand that his charm
ing neighbor touched so lightly, as she
took the card he offered her-or, not be-
fore tomorrow morning, at least.
Suddenly there is knock on the
door, 1t is thrown open, and stout old
gentleman, with a very red face, his
hat cooked over his eur and his cane
sturdily grasped in his hand, bursts in
upon the loving swain.
"Sir," begins the invader, In a de-
clamatory tone, ''your conduct Is most
frivolous-it is unworthy OF French
gentleman. A chivalrous man does not
thus abuse the innocence, the inexperi-
ence, the embarrassment Of well-bred
young girl. To profit by the absence Of
her father and her portmonnaie to brri-
tally offer thirty confines, and visit
ing card, to an unprotected young per-
son, is, perhaps, enterprising, but II is
very bad action. However, here
are your six sous, sir. My daughter
and wish to have nothing in common
with you who"
Before Adolphe, who was literally
dumbfounded, could say a word, O new
actor appeared upon the scene. II was
the cabman, furious, reproaches upon
his lips, and brandishing formidable
whip.
SOHO, here's another fare who leaves
no oats in my cab. told you could
take you TO only one place; you ac-
copied; you even told me to hurry up,
and once there you light out like q
three-year-old; you vanish without pay
ing me cent, and tell me TO wait.
Well, that don't go. I'm plain man,
and fare is fare. Give me my
nothing for beer, II you can't
afford it-but l want my thirty sous,
and that right now"
Adolphe understood not word OF all
this. But the stout gentleman, who has
fumbled his ten fingers in all his pock-
cts, which he has successfully turned
inside out without any appreciable re-
suit, has turned quito pale, then all red,
then crimson, and, finally, violet. Now
he is turning green, like a rainbow In a
high hat and top-coat.
Convinced at last that his laborious
search is useless, NJ. Aristides Dufour,
hopping his brow with his gloves,
which he mistakes for his handker-
chief, feebly replies, in broken voice,
to a last and moro forcible demand
from the cabman:
"I-rve-forgotten my pocketbook.
''Oh, that don't CO." roared the jehu;
'they've tried that on me before, and
you needn't try il again. You can tell
that yarn to the commissioner of police
Well, you are n nice fare, anyhow"
And he caught hold of the arm Of the
unfortunate M. 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.
"Will you allow me?" the young
man politely asks Of NJ. Dufour, who
has only strength enough TO murmur,
with pleasure, my dear sir. And
twenty-five confines for his drink-mon-
ey. not bit more"
N,.. fyh.,lztt~s. f.xl,.. ,.hz ...ux
now could not understand that one does
not always have with one thirty CEN
times to pay an omnibus fare, began to
admit that once In awhile one may be
very glad to fall upon some one who
will complaisantly advance you the
thirty-five sous to pay pitiless cab
man.
So, in spite Of the diverse and unac-
customed emotions which he had Just
experienced, II was with an almost gra-
cious smile that he said TO Adolphe
Nm. Lindet, belicve--thirty con-
times and one franc seventy-fve make
forty-one sous ! owe you. II you will
do me the honor TO come and dine with
me this evening we can arrange this
little matter Immediately As an old
businessman, do not like long-stand-
ing debts; besides, quick payments
make fast friends.
A quarter Of an hour later Gertrude
set one more place ut the Defour table.
II Is there still. In fact, the very next
month the bands of Mile. Charlotte and
Nj. Adolphe were published at the
Marie.
And papa Dufour now declares TO
whomsoever will listen 10 him: Never
borrow, o fathers OF families; il costs
too much. Once in my life was forty
one sous In debt, and to square the ac-
count had to give my daughter and
eighty thousand francs as marriage
portion. y Translated for the Argonaut