The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-02-23


! Tarvenue. "You knew, theni"
at Is to be hoped that did know" re-
marked M. Tarvenue with Importance. "He
said to me only this morning; ut Is time
we came to an understanding Eusebe is
fairly wasting away; he is so much in love
with Solange."
"Eusebe! or whom are you talkingi"
"Of my friend Ramillat, who is most anx.
ious that Solange should marry his son."
IN. Ramillat did not call. But the Comte
de Prevaret rang the door-bell whilo you
were away" And Solauge, having pro
nounced these words, majestically left the
| room.
IN. do Prevaret ~ exclaimed NJ. Tarvenue.
| "Why, yes" said madam, initiating her
daughters self-possessed and Indifferent
mien. "Solange is not astonished. He has
been noticing her great deal of late. And
| if he should want to marry her there would
| be nothing surprising in that either She is
! handsome enough to make q messalliance
possible"
A discussion then arose between Nine.
Tarvenue and her daughter as to whether
they should call, in their turn, on the dowa-
\ ger countess-a discussion which was thus
| concluded by the young lady:
"On general principles it should be papa
who returned the call. But he would not
know how to appear in way that would do
us justice. Now, If it were l. having the
| habit of the world, should know how to
manage perfectly. SO, it is best that mamma
and should go to call on the countess. BY
doing so we will make her understand that
| we are very willing to know her, but not
willing to accept the attentions of her son
against her wishes.'
The plan was cleverly conceived, and q
week later was carried out.
On the same day the dowager Countess
| de Prevaret was chatting with her son in a
| large salon filed with fine old furniture.
He, who was the most touchiugly devoted
of sons, had been asking his mother how
she had passed the afternoon. She had
been too tired to receive, she said. But
there had been several callers. "Among
others these"-and she took up a card
| "Mme. Tarvenue' and mademoiselle.
"Do you know these people" asked the
countess. 81 was surprised to get their
card"
81 know them and don't. He used to be
linen draper, think. He is out of busi-
ness now. They sit near you in church !;
the father is little man with spectacles !;
the mother very stout and rubicund; the
daughter superb creature, blonde, who
dresses very well. You must have seen
them!'
80, yes, | remember now. believe they
bow to me. They are good souls, / should
think, they go to church very regularly"
"Good souls, perhaps" laughed her son,
"but frightfully ordinary. The mother is
impossible. AS for the daughter, we call
her the empress. / assure you the name
suits her. She is tremendous poseuse."
"But why should they come to see me!"
asked the countess.
perhaps to solicit subscriptions for some
charity. The mother and daughter belong
to different church organizations, / think"
"Perhaps. | don't care to know them,
but want to be polite. l might leave my
card some day at their house. That would
not commit me to any thing"
"Of course not, especially with the Tar
venues"
The lady little dreamed what commotion
the square of pasteboard her footman de-
posted at the Tarvenue mansion door one
afternoon would cause in that household.
When Solange, who was at the window
recognized the Prevaret livery, she forgot
all her assumption of indifference, and
rushed down to the kitchen to tell the serv-
ant that the ladies would receive. Then
she threw hasty glance into the drawing
room to assure herself that all things were
in order there, and, still running, returned
to her room and began to make an appro-
pirate toilet What was not her disap-
pointment when she heard the carriage
drive away again.
.IdiotW she cried to the servant over the
banistcr. "Why didn't you say we were at
home as told your
"But, mademoiselle, the footman didn't
ask He gave me the card and / said,
Madam 10 nj hpnp Thpn ha oil oil
give her that, them"
every well," said Solaugc, with acerbity.
But you might at least have refrained
from saying that we were at home, since
you hadn't been asked"
Nevertheless the sight of the countess
card somewhat appeased her. That a
grande dame, of the countess age, too.
should have taken the trouble to drive out
in the cold in order to lie ave card at their
house proved conclusively that she wished
to sanction her sons course. Thus did
Nine. Tarvenue think likewise, and the two
ladies resolved that the least they could do
would be to call once more upon the coun-
tess without delay.
This had been arranged when NJ. Tarve-
nue., who spent an hour at his club every
day, came in with ver y clouded brow
Something very serious has happened"
said the retired linen draper Then-"We
have no secrets from you, my daughter
and you know already that my friend
Ramillat had spoken to me of his desire of
making a match between you and his son.
/ expected an official proposal from him
three weeks ago. l did not receive it, and
since then he has seemed to avoid me.
did not like to call upon him because that
would have been undignifed under the cir
cumstances. Finally, met him to-day OF
the street, and although he pretended not
TO see me, / accosted him: What's the
reason one never sees you any more, Ramil-
lat1' 1T seems to me, SIR, he answered
sti1y, that it is scarcely my place to call
upon you again after the step / took three
weeks ago, and which you failed to recog-
nize in any way And now it turns out
that he came here left his card, as was not
at home, and thought, of course, as we had
had a conversation on the subject the pre-
vious day, that would understand the WIS.,
it as a formal demand on his and his sons
part for Solange's hand. Here we are at
and all because you did not
give me his card.
"But he never came, he never left a card"
cried Nine. Tarvenue.
SIN any case there's good match off,
grumbled NJ. Tarvenue.
500 not deplore it, beg" remarked So
lange, with her most superb mcn. 81
should not have accepted NJ. Eusebe Ramillat
in any event. hope before long to present
to you q son-in-law of qui te another stamp"