The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-08-31
THE FALL OF A BACHELOR.
Being Tale of a Pretty Woman and
an Over-Zealous Man.

Translated for the ArRonaut.
There was general astonishment in our little
circle of friends when we learned of the coming
marriage of Valentin Sancerre. What! He, that
hardened old bachelor; that Partisan skeptic
who scoffed at every suggestion OF matrmony;
that jolly high liver, who had sworn a hundred
times that he would never be caughtN' Yes,
Vaentin was going to enter the great fraternity,
and whom was he to marry2 A widow. More
than that, q provincial.
We could not understand 1t. So the first time
met him took him by the arm and demanded
an explanation.
II have but little time," he said, land have
great many things to do. I have just come from
the mayors, and am going to the printers for
the invitations. IF you care to come with me
that far"
"How did it come about?"I asked him, and we
started down the boulevard, arm in arm.
1.-THE story is quite BRIEF" yalentin said, land
very commonplace; but since you insist upon
knowing it here it is"
In the month of February went to Nice for
the carnival. 1 have horror of travelling by
night, so I took the s:55 train in the morning,
which should land me in Marseilles five minutes
after midnight l would pass a day in Mar
settles, where my good friends, the Rombauds, of
The following day would leave for Nice where
would arrive about o'clock in the afternoon.
At tn the Lyons depot there was great crowd.
able to find place in compartment: was
alone with another traveer-decorated, of Sc
we're bearing, with an official air-whose only
baggage was a portfolio. Certainly he would
not go far, with that equipment, and soon I
should be aone-alone, the one thing that makes
railway journey supportable. Everybody was
settled; the train was about to start. Suddenly
there were sounds of dispute at the door.
mo, monsieur, no." said fresh feminine
veice,. with an almost imperceptible, southern
SeHa Sseent M ordered g. must
But, madame, we have none"
You should have paid attention to my letter."
nix-n1 1Tlni loft
"Very well. l shall not CO."
'As you please; the train is going to start /
have given the signal"
stop, stopl absolutely must CO., And there
is this carriage only? Well, they will give me
Yes, madame, yes"
You will telegraph?'
Yes, yes, madame"
The door opened; in plunged the little brown
head, surrounded by a halo of packages and
rugs; shrill whistle cut the air; we We're off.
The official gentleman gallantly seated himself
me, SO as to leave one whole side free to the
new arrival, Without so much as glance to-
ranged her packages in the rack and about her.
self, with the haste common to persons who have
corner of my eye 1 followed her little manoeuvres,
and / ascerUained with pleasure that she
proper ones Intentions may be it is always more
agreeable to travel with a pretty woman than
with an old man in spectacles.
The cold was intense; the country, covered
with, snow. lighted by a pale sun, seemed to fly
rapidly by the two sides of the coach. The fair
obstinately from the window on the left l at
tackled the pile of newspapers bought at the sta
At LII, Laroche The train stopped. The
official gentleman arranged his papers, rose,
down. when he was received by the station
master, who called him Monsieur rInspecteur."
The lady traveller came to the door. ''Station-
master!" she called.
"Madame?"
You have been telegraphed from Paris for
Yes. madame; 1 have forwarded the de.
sp.aaMteh." p.aMh.,, souuos, -,
that sleeping berth immediately"
"Impossible, madame; we have nc, coaches
at Lyons! At what hour?'
Five forty-tve madame"
The who whole day. then! cannot remain IN this
not" of
corner, furious, without throwing single glance
in my direction. l plunged into the perusal of
One does not find ones self alone with pretty
woman during a long journey without expert
much TO engage in conversation with her, but
the preteXt the opening subject, where was tito
be found? Considering the temperature, the
threadbare pretext of windows to open or close
was not to be thought of. What, then, was to be
My neighbor, l had discovered Immediately
with the scent of an old Partisan, was a woman
of the world, and of the best. To speak to herin
that way, roughly, without knowing her, would
have made me appear in her eyes as the lowest of
commercial travellers. The only way to solve the
difficulty was for me TO find something strikingly
original to say to her. But what? / cudgeled
my brain in vain. l was still searching preteXt
for opening a conversation when the train
stopped.
"Tonnere Twenty-n five minutes for refresh
ments ~ cried the porter, opening the door.
My neighbor arose, relieved herself of herrugs,
which she left in the coach with her three little
bags, and descended. She went in the direction
of the buffet to the left, the other side of the
track. l followed her. / could then admire at
my ease her elegant figure, we'll outlined in
long sealskin cloak. also remarked the pretty
black ringets at the nape of her neck, her gray
felt hat, and her tiny little feet.
AT the entrance to the hall stood the steward.
Bedecked with velvet skul-cap, he indicated
with his hand and napkin long table to be
stormed. l entered with the tide of unkempt,
ungoved, Hurried travellers, and hastily swal-
lowed the succession OF dishes served to me; the
ladytraveer took some broth at separate table.
got up among the first and went out to smoke
u cigarette on the platform. The twenty-five
minutes would soon be passed. The Travellers in
groups, came out of the eating-room and re-
turned to their coaches.
i also reinstalled myself in mine. My lady
traveller had not yet returned. | saw her in the
little station book-stall on the other side of the
track looking at the books displayed. Though
saw her from the back, | recognized her easily
by her pretty style, her sealskn cloak, and her
gray hat. Her hair seemed TO me to be little
lighter. but that was owing to the distance, no
Everybody had regntered the coaches; the por-
ter shut the doors tumultuously. "She is going