The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-11-08

The steward, who held a paper IN
his hand, bowed respectfully.
'.Is this the list of the guests?"
said Martin. taking the paper from
the steward LET US see if it is cor
rect"
Surveying the table with a grave
air, he verified the list, and then said
sharply:
You have made mistake Three
covers are wanting. 1t is fortunate /
arrived early" While the confused
steward called over tho baluster, Civ
ing orders for three more covers, Mar
tin added our three names TO the list
and made the necessary changes on
the table. He arranged a place for
himself opposite the bride. placing us
at short distance from him in order
that we might come to his rescue IL
he got into difficulty.
Then we solemnly waited the ar
rival of the wedding guests, who soon
assembled
Weddings are usually gay. but there
are also those which are melancholy.
That OF Mile Lemonnier belonged to
the latter category.
" --S-- - CCoCH HA4 LUZ AL "
pay court to Mile Lemonnier, as 1
afterwards learned, their positions. as
far as fortune was concerned, were
about equal Mile. Lemonnier had a
dowry OF one hundred thousand francs
and expectations Of coming in for
two hundred thousand more. ell of
which had been amassed By her
father in the wine business. Her
father and mother were good. honest
people, whose only fault was excessive
love of money What they found de-
sirable IN Joseph Durand was not so
much his amiability. his refined man
ner and his tender love for Blanche, as
his important position in largeudry-
goods firm, the forty thousand francs
which his parents were to give him on
the day of his marriage, and the mag
nihcent property which would fall TO
him later. No one knew better than
NJ. Lemonnier the value of the vino
yards on his property. which was sit
uated in the center Of Gascony The
elder Durand. moreover, had one hun
dred thousand francs in bank, which
in time would come to his son.
Blanche paid no attention TO these
business matters. She loved joseph
Durand simply because she loved him,
because he had manly form and
rather severe cOuntenance which al
ways sOftened before her smile, and
because she imagined that with him
life would be an uninterrupted series
OF pleasures Joseph Durand's love
for Blanche was equally unselfsh. He
adored the charming, sprightly little
brunette; he edored her plump figure,
her bright face, her velvety eyes and
her beautiful waving tresses.
Great was the CONSERVATION, there
fore, when on the evening before the
day set for signing the contract NJ
Lemonnier, before the assembled mem
bers OF the two families. declared that
the marriage should not take place.
Having become suspicious, NL Lem
onnier had a few days before under
taken to verify the declarations of the
Durand family, and he had just re-
ceived news that the banker who had
held the one hundred thousand francs
which his prospective son-ln-law was
TO inherit was about 70 suspend pay
ment.
You knew this, monsieur" he said
to NJ Durand, yet you did not tell
u.s."
NJ. Durand warmly defended his
banker, who, he declared, was an hon
est man, and he asserted that although
temporarily embarrassed he would
pass triumphantly through the crisis
IN his affairs. NJ Durand was inter
rupted by NJ Lemonnier, who said,
brusquely:
My daughter will never have a sou
Of your one hundred thousand francs.
But that would be nothing if your
vines were not blighted by the phyl-
loxera, or II your banker fails it is be-
cause Gascony has been ruined by the
phyllOxe u"
In vain did NJ Durand explain the
depredations of the enemy; that he
had ~ great expense replaced the in
iured vines with Others from America.
NJ Lemonnier would not listen
You have deceived usr' he ex-
claimed The affair is ended,
But as this did not accord with the
desires of Blanche Lemonnier the
affair was not ended She persuaded
him 20 withdraw his objections to
the marriage, not By speaking Of her
love, for she knew that such an ar
gument would have little influence
with the old tradesman, but by warn
ing him OF the scandal which the
breaking Of tho engagement would
cause, and by threatening that she
would never marry and would enter
a convent, old and classic measures
which never fail to bring obdurate
fathers to terms.
The contract accordingly was signed
and the marriage took place. The
nuptials, however, were not accom-
panied with reioicings- The fathers
in-law looked at each other like dogs
that are old enemies and the mothers
in-law seemed ready to eat each
other. The guests, whom gossip had
made aware OF the situation, were
constrained and bored There was
no laughter; the conversation was
carried on in low tones The mar
riage ceremony was a melancholy
affair.
The wedding feast would probably
have been equally as melancholy II on
entering the festal hall the two families
had not encountered the joyous pres
ence of my friend Martin, who gayly
welcomed them. He extended his
hand to each OF the fathers-in-law,
smiling as though he himself were
party to the wedding, and he said in
reassuring tone:
Every thing has been looked after.
These imbeciles had made several
mistakes, but it is all right now.".
NJ Durand thought he was an in
innate friend of the Lemonnier fam
lily; ~ Lemonnier supposed he was a
friend OF the Durands; both shook