The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-06-06

this way. 1t rs shame! Put away
your money, madame, / will not have
it; it is the money of monsieur want.
And before could utter word OF ex-
PLANTATION he had darted up the stairs at
the back of the bus.
Pretty soon everybody in the bus
was conscious of tussle going on on
these same stairs, and we could see the
conductor forcibly pulling along a most
| irate little Frenchman, who was ges-
ticulating in the widest manner, at the
same time giving vent to his feelings IN
the most expressive French. He de-
4 clared he would have both the cOnduc-
tor and the woman who was trying to
palm herself off as his wife arrested by
the very first genddrme he saw. He
would find out whether there was no
protection for a respectable father OF a
family riding to his place of business in
a public conveyance; it was an outrage
of the most audacious kind, and some
body would have to suffer for it.
The conductor appeared just as calm
as the old gentleman was excited, and
never said a word in return, only tight
ened his grasp on the coat-collar he was
holding. and never stopped his pulling
and Juggling until he had the old gentle
man standing right in front of me;
then he inquired in a loud voice: Mad
anne, is this man your husband?'
s'Oh, dear! Nor i replied, in shak-
ing voice, almost ready to cry. You
have made dreadful mistake! Please
do take my fare out of this. again pre-
senting my five-franc piece. MY hus-
band certainly does not understand
you; that is ALL
My evident distress must have molli-
} fed the old gentleman somewhat, for
he slipped away quietly, only stopping
once on the stairs to shake his fist at
the conductor and call him IAN old
fool" which l certainly thought he
richly merited; for why in the world
would he not take my fare as was beg
/ cling him to. and thus have no more
fuss about it?
II BY this time everybody in the bus
was intensely interested in the proceed
: ings. Old gentlemen laid aside their
morning papers as if they had no fur
Their interest in them, and gave their
1 glasses an extra rub so that they might
have better look at me; while fat old
ladies nudged each other and chuckled.
Even the babies stopped crying sudden
ly, to see the fun, for everybody seemed
to feel that more was coming. As for
myself. my face kept growing redder
: and redder until knew from the burn
ing sensation that it must be a flaming
scarlet; while instead of wanting to
cry, l felt possessed of strong de-
a sire to shake somebody whether the
d conductor or j., or both, it did not much
e matter.
+ AS soon as the old gentleman had es
{ capped from him, the conductor, nothing
daunted, and taking no notice whatever
of my outstretched hand with its ap
: pealing five-franc piece, started for the
e stairs, repeating: II go to search for
e the husband of madame"
= All necks were craned forward a.
y this time he appeared in view, leading
d in the same captive manner, tall
). lean, lank, individual, apparently hall
l. scared out of his wits. All this poo
It fellow could say was: Monsieur lie Con
:, ducteur, assure you have no wife.
> assure you, sir;'' while his knee.
e knocked together and his legs trem
v bled so violently that he could hardly
2 stand upright.
+ His feeble protest did not save him
t however; he also was marched up IL
front of me; and the same question
n asked in the same loud tones and whel
e ] made the same answer, disclaiminI
d him as my legal protector, everybod.
a o,xli1S1xr ut tho ~,
IT lieved expression that came over thu
v young mans face as he skipped away
i and the puzzled look that settled on tn,
IS conductors visage.
j. If L had been at home and such mis-
take had occurred / certainly woul'
" have left the car at once; but did no
Il dare to do SO here, as could not fin,
J. my way about, and the idea of goinl
A boldly up those stairs and discovering
I. j. myself never once entered my head
r. though that of course would have beef
; the most sensible thing to have done.
4 The conductor after his second fail
3. ure seemed dazed for a moment, an
stood scratching his head; but in
:. little while he frightened up, saying
"a Il cannot stop now, as my honor is a
- stake as well as madame's, and fin
= monsieur l must" while several of tn
a passengers cried out: "Bravo!'
Four more innocents in turn wer
y, brought before me; one, like the frs
a old gentleman, wildly indignant, swear
- ing dire vengeance on everybody; ar
:. other was timid and scared; while tw
a of them treated the whole thing as
~ huge joke, and did their best to affor
~ the passengers all the fun possible
- which of course only added to m
misery.
Though we had gone some distanc
no one seemed to think of getting out
!, consequently no one could get in, as
- Paris bus never carries more passenger
y than there are seats. While the peopl
~ downstairs were enjoying themselve
- SO much at my expense it seems tina
Is those on top were likewise having
- A. IL Ill 4