Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-02-10
CAPTURE OF AMELIA.


train, received a tremendous thump |
on the back. turned around, and |
10 and behold it was my friend !
Jacques.
"where are you goingi" he asked.
"To Nice"
81 am going to Nice, too"
"That Is first rate. We will trav-
ell together"
The train had in the meantime
arrived, and as we went to take
our places in the coupe, we passed
the postal car.
"I shouldn't like 10 be employed
in one of those postal cars with all
those dirty letter bags. They have
to stand up all the time, too. l
should think they would be tired
out" remarked.
"Yes, it is not agreeable to travel
in one of those cars. travelled
200 miles In one of them once, and
don't think l ever suffered as
much in my life"
"How did that happen ?"
otis a right funny story. Let
us get our places, and then I'll tell
you all about it,"
We got into the coupe, and
Jacques told the following yarn,
which | think is worth repeating:
"At the time 10 which | refer"
said Jacques, al was acquainted
with certain blonde countess
You knew her, because several
times | caught you trying to flrt
with her. She was living at that
time at her villa near Var. Her
name is Amelia. We used to write
to each other daily. wrote to
keep her thoroughly informed of
the fact l loved her madly. She
wrote to me because lite is very te-
diOus out in the country, and she
had to do something to kill time.--
Her letters were rather cold, and |
was much afraid that she was not
gong to make much of an effort to
reciprocate my affections. Just at
this crisis / was carrying on a cor
respondence of pretty much the
same character with another lady
whose name was not Amelia, but
Louisa, and who was living in Nor
mandy"
GA nice man you are"
at is the prerOgative Of inno-
cence to project the initiatOry bowl
der" responded Jacques, lighting
cigarette.
"I suppose you mean TO quote
that 'he who is without sin among
| you should cast the first stone"
"Just So" resumed Jacques
"Miss Louisa, this Normandy cor
respondent of mine, was no count
ess. Neither was she blonde
We had reached that point In our
correspondence when she felt 1t in.
cumbent on her to inform me al
most every day that she loved me
for myself alone. | replied very
cOolly and indifferently, for l was
DESTROYS of giving her no encOur.
agement whatever. l was trying
to give Louisa what is known as
the cold shake, but wanted to do
tgenteelly, as a gentleman should
81 presume the countess is the
one that had the most money" |
remarked cynically.
"You are a good guesser. The
countess was very wealthy and
Louisa was not. Poor Louisa |
did hate to 90 back on her. 1t was
not her fault, nor mine either for
that matter, that she was impecun
ious. There was something about
her looks that reminded me of the
countess" >" and Jacques sighed beav
lily.
"N hat has all this got to do with
the postal CARP
"YOu shall hear. Both of these
correspondents of mine had th'
mama to send me orders to FILL
| Hardly day passed that | did no
have to bay something and mail i
to them. Twas at Paris, You know
aud they were In the country.
was eternally hunting up sample
of dress goods and sending then
!, by mail.
"Well, one morning | got tw'
letters. One tull of love and devo
tion from Louisa. She also want
ed me to pick out sample of NE
rinO and send 1t to her. The Othe
letter was from the countess. |
was very gOssipy sort of a dOcu
: ment, but there was nothing gOsh
!. ing about it. She also desired m
!. to pick out some samples of silk
n aud mail them to her. Louisa wa
i" merino and the countess was sill
n with big s. That WAS the diffel
ence between them.
w Immediately sat dOwDand con
posed two love letters-ODe Of then
however, without much love in it,
The other letter-the one to th
,r Countess Amelia-was runnin