Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-03
A MARRIAGE FAILURE.

arms with the gesture of one that has
escaped great danger
"It is l, yes; look at me well, for you
have not seen me lately. have been
cloistered, padlocked, confscated, sup
pressed, as good as married. An acci-
dent that is past, yes, but which makes
me cold to think of it. Not that my
fancee was ugly. silly or disagreeable-
no, she was charming. Eighteen years
of age, blond as corn tassel, great shin
ing eyes that sparkled drolly and looked
you full in the face with gaze little
questioning, a little wondering, as of
one that had taken her experience lit
tie from everywhere, the world and the
coulisses
"How did find her? Very simply, as
such things are always done when one
wishes to marry. VoilaI got up one
day in devilish temper. stomach irrita-
bic from the last nights supper, heavy
of head, empty of heart. With all this,
bad weather, cold, gray, sad, vague
enuui in the morning; at noon, black
ennui. Nothing to do, nothing to read,
nothing to lovel
LOuuAASi GOlu luy bcll, ~ . bim0 w
marry. If found family it will GER
tainly occupy me-
81 threw myself into coupe and
made for the house of my notary, an old
friend Of my father, and laid the case
before him.
edo you desire blond or brunette
wifeY said he, turning his papers.
ga blond should prefer said L
"sWhyY
'Because-Toupinette was brunette
CONTRAST
"The preference appeared to him just.
He proposed to me Mile. Bertha Brivard.
"'PrettyT
every prettyr
"sWhom does she resembleY
No one-only herselfP
"sBut see you, think well, said I, lis
there not in the corps de ballet some face
that recalls her ownr
s''In the corps de balletl What a
question:
"sBut only ask an approximate af-
firmative.'
.My notary reflected.
"sIn the corps de ballet! The corps
de balletl No, no one; but at the Bouffes
--ah, yes, the little Angelep
"'Angelel Angelel Ravishing! She
resembles Angelo, does she, your little
blondY said /. 'Ah, welll I'll marry
her instanter. When will you present
meY
"Well, to skip preliminary details, we
were to see each other first at the Hotel
Continental. A charity ball for the
benefit of the shopgirls who desired to
become water color painters. A quad
rifle, waltz, two fingers of Irritation
and we should know each other sufi-
GENTLY well to enter upon the official
parleying. An Americanism? Yes, but
one goes rapidly in such affairs.
SAT the last moment, behold the ball
countermanded.
"They replaced it by the opera
cofnique. A classic presentation. The
notary preceded me to the box. Bow to
the mother, bow to the father, flash of
the eye to the young girl! Ahl delicious,
that young girl! A genuine pasteli A
saucy little nose, rosy lips, great shining
eyes, and the darlingest little ears, be-
hind which curled and clustered ten
drills of hair that shone in the gaslight
like golden mist. Much prettier than
Angelel
"It was settled the wedding should
bel
''The wedding? Yes, but before that
realism would come the romance, the
poetry of the engagement To marry
oh mt, ND pY~sxr ord
the father, very agreeable old man,
with no other occupation than that of
detaching his coupons, had set the day
for my coming to his house, the evening
of our first meeting.
II see still that family picture in the
Boulevard Malesherbes, the great white
and gilt salon, the usual furnishings Of
the dealer a La mode, sofas from Beau
vais, richly atrocious, bronzes too gold
On, screens too gaudy, plush too glaring,
pictures too new. A luxury born of yes
terday and stamped upon the invoice!
"But fawlessly exquisite, pretty
enough to eat, Sc to speak, her blond
head bent under the rays of the lamp,
Mile. Bertha cutting with a Japanese
paper knife the leaves of the last number
Of The Revue des Deux Mondes-
Greuze reading Feuilletl
ga trife arranged, a trifie too studied
perhaps, this playing the family note; I
little too sentimental, but very genteel
Gentsel enough to damn saint, and
was not saint.
ssBut, after all, what is so delicious q
the passing of the betrothal hours? 1t j
the preface, the prologue, the preambl
to marriageI A preface full of beauti
full promisesl that makes one believ
reading it--a beautiful book to come
What romancei What poetryl Wha
happiness and delight
ssYes. but unfortunately one must tur
the pages, and But that, you see, q
the moment, was precisely what ! dc
sired to do, to turn the pages with al
speed, the fair white page Of this youn
girls life, as yet without trace Of cray
On. had turned SO many pages, 70
see. chat resembled In everything thos
I, szsiizzozs of the restauranfs, which ever