Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-09-18
CUPID'S MANY WAYS.
Matrimonial Bureaus and Their
Methods in Paris.

| Methods n PARIS.
He was standing in front of the Grand
Hotel putting modify on huge cigar
whose gilt garter, Ostentatiously dis
played, proclaimed its high price.
Glnger-colored shoes adorned his huge
feet, and his gray suit of some fuzzy
cloth in pattern reminded me in turn
of Sing Sing and horse-blanket The
pink face and stubby mustache, that
looked as if it wero composed OF brass
wires, wore familiar look, and 1 asked
myself in what corner of Europe / had
seen this parti-colorod party before.
Then l remembered that he was the
| Western gcntleman who had distin-
guished himself last summer by pre-
senting sovereigns to the walters of the
| Empire Theater in London and went
rolling up tho Strand one night firing
bullets through the top of the hanson,
an amusement that cost him many
shillings the next morning at Bow
street court.
He was not emulating the example of
Danao by showering gold this summer
to any extent. Experience had sad
dened him, and usurious Time had ex-
changed some of the gold on his Uranium
for some notwithstanding silver He
had returned home to find that the
| cattle on his ranch had been blown
away in q blizzard lat least so his part
ner explained), and he had come to
Paris with the avowed intention of
making a rich marriage.
He was Of timorous disposition, so
was engaged to pilot this passionate
pilgrim to the Mecca of moneyed matri-
mony. 1t was very easy by turning to
the fourth page of my Partisan paper to
find dozen addresses where to apply
for an heiress. with q fortune ranging
from hundred thousand to a million
francs, and there was eZeR the adver-
tt4Asssar 4sre7rS Of Z s+ssian princess wig
wanted to get married, but she stipu
lated naively than the intended hus-
band must be "a prince de finance"
He said he thought she would be apt to
come high, and anyway he was more
| particular about tho Doodle than the
| blood.
There was one quite famous match
Matching house in the Rue Drouot, and
thence we wendell our way. We wcro
ushered into a salon handsomely fur
nished with white and gold furniture
and pale-blue hangings. No suggestion
of business anywhere. A nice family
looking sort of place that gave you a
feeling of home.
Madame the proprietress hustled in
at that moment with a smile on her
face. That is, there were several
smiles, for her face was so fat and her
mouth so large that one would not go
round. She was ponderous-looking
party, with palpably false front and
teeth like dominoes.
She criticised my friend of the amber
top with a hungry and speculative
| eye, and catechiSed him with the free
dom of an American census-taker, dis
secting him bone for bone and exacting
minute history of his past and pres
ent. Then she produced an album full
| of photographs of females of every age,
from the cradle to the grave, discussing
their good points physically as if she
were selling horse, conversation in
which the Westerner, as a judge Of cat
tic, took an active part
He finally settled on widow, pert
looking party with stage smirk, who,
in addition to possessing fortune, was
the relict of jockey. That fetched
the client for he wanted companion
in life who could discuss learnedly on
fodder and the "blind staggers" in tho
intervals of love-making.
The question was now to arrange for
the first meeting between the unfortun-
ates. That was easily settled Madame
agreed to take box at the hippodrome
for the next Sunday night, he might
drop in between the acts like casual
visitor, meet the widow and the next
day learn at the agency just what kind
of an impression he had made.
Having paid madame's fee of hun
dred francs and double as much for q
box, my now radiant companion and ]
| withdrew.
When saw him again after lapse
of two weeks his face wore a mingled
expression of gloom and regret
''Well," said /, land hoc DO you pros
per?"
Don't mention it." he groaned, COW
] ering his face with his hands 81 de-
serve to be kicked from here to Idaho
by one of my own steers. If 1 don't
call me dodo. 1t was all bloomin'
hunbugI"
''But you met the lady you selected
She was real?'
"Ye-es-that is, part OF her. She was
there IN tho box, and ] chinned to her
awhile, and the next dag called on
madame She was smiling az ever
but was so sorry. The fact of the mat
ter was that the lady, or apology for
one, said that l didn't just suit She
would never marry a man that didn't
have Roman nose, because her hus-
band had one and she had grown at
tached to that kind"
''That ought to have settled the BUSH
ness"
well. it ouchter, hut it didn't /
finally cornercd enc, a REGULAR yearli:.g,
and souni IS dollar. She let nc dino
her an wine ker fer Z weei; and thon
skiryed OF, sayin' that the husband sac
had thought was dca:i had turned mp.
and, of course. things was OF. Now I'm