The Press., 1892-04-28
his sister, twirling her bracelets in !

his sister, twirling her bracelets in 9 nervous fashion.
 ..You forget" cried Ralph, 'show elated the marquis is over his newly ac- qnired English-he refuses to use any French since he set his foot on American soil, and insists that Marie shall do as he does And he has a horror of argot or slang, deprecates it's use in France. That made it all the funnier for me, to teach him our own, giving Emerson and other polite writers as authority, while he inveighed against the ruin of his own language by the gamin talk of Parisian streets" ssFrench slang-yes, remember some of it. Did this child of the boulevards tell you that the Parisian will tell you a man has not caught cold in his eyes when he is not to be cheated? That one who is self opinionated does not use his feet as mouchoirY
 'sAnd," went on Ralph, with a flash of transient enjoyment over the past, 'sthat when man goes to bed he wraps up the meat in a cloth;' that to call a man canary bird, is an unpardonable insult; if you drink absinthe, it is sstrangling the parrot if you take Clicquot, you make eyes at the widow; if you are guillotined, you have 'sneezed in the basket if you accept hattery, you drink milk if you buy things on credit, you get them 'on your eye. That's not the worst of it," the cheerful ness evaporating. "What will he dc when he knows the truth? He vii, think me a first class scoundrel, go back at once to France and take Marie from me forever"
 ssAnd what will he think of us?" de- manded Evvy. 'sWe are in as much of a scrape as you are, and through you, Well, the only thing I can see for us to do is for all of us to talk as they will. :"
 "You can imagine mother using slang, can't your sarcastically remarked Ralph.
 "We might coach her." cheerfully sug- gested his sister. ''I myself have ire quently said 'chestnuts' over some of your stock college stories, you know. And as for Tom"-
 ssOh, Tom Jardine," interrupted he, ''he's all right"
 "Thank you, sir; Tom does not indulge in the patois of the streets"
 Everybody does nowadays" 'sNot the way you do." ....The way used to-" he corrected. "Evvy, will never use slang again as long as live"
 ssBut you have burned your ships" she said consolingly. At that moment the portieres were Isagitated, and Tom Jardine came in with 8 agleaming shirt front.
 "Hi, Evvyl'' cried he; "who built your | gown?1 You are stunning in that ball dress"
 | s.Oh, Tom," she said, distressedly fly 1 ing to him, "the marquis and Marie have arrived "Ton," asseverated Ralph, ''rve put my foot in it"
 ''Tom," insisted Eyvy, "Ralph's in such way! He has confessed to me, and don't know what's too bad for him."
 "I wish somebody would confess a little to me" said Jardine in a puzzled tone. tWhat do you two mean?'
 'rom," impressively replied nervous Ralph, "you talk slang, don't you?' "I can," returned Jardine, "but never do."
 Wouldn't you do it for meT' asked Evvy. s..
 "Talk slang for you!' said Jardine, looking at her as at hieroglyphic. Ralph stopped in his feverish walk
 "Evvys going to do it" he said. "Pd talked it for you as well, Tom, she said.
 But don't want you to talk slang for me" cried Jardine. : She looked at him winningly.
 'sNo," she said. ''I want you to do ii for me-"
 Jardinetelescoped his opera hat.
 .tEvvy," he said sternly, "are you crazy? Tell me this instant what ali this idiocy means"
 ''Tell him." groaned Ralph, "l can't. believe I'm losing my mind" Jardine could not resist the opportu- nifty of saying that the lost article would be returned to it's owner without re. 1 ward and no questions asked. | "sDon't Tomw said Evvy at this lev ity. "Doa't you think you might respect the woman you have asked to marry you? This is no time for silly jests.
 "Evvy," said Ralph, ''take him into the conservatory and tell him all about it The marquis or Marie might come hero in the middle of it." Miss Cathcart, with an injured air, led the way. Jardine, with his chin ele vated, but looking suspiciously at Ralph followed her out of the room. II.
 Left fto himself, Ralph plunged ms