Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-07-06

do so. Pierre was therefore kept strict
" among the crowd who in the evening
were permitted to como to the foot Of
their idol ~~.--r
This was very pleasant for Marie, who,
like all her sex, loved admiration, and
also for Robert, who, like all his sex,
loved company, and who, by this time
confident of his success with the village
beauty could afford to be easy in his
mind and to enjoy the company undis-
turbed.
There was very general impression
that Farmer Beaumont was possessed Of
great riches. Fog Anany generations his
family had been prosperous and thrifty,
and the hamlet was 50 small and so re-
mote from any great center that it had
always escaped lightly from the cruel
exactions Of the tax farmers. In those
DAYS there were few banks. and in such
spots as Charmont-sur-Pont they were
quite unknown. Those who had any
money to keep-and they were mono too
many-proserved it by the simple expe-
dent of locking it i'll strong box, hid
ing it in their houses or burying it in the
ground.
Robert Macaire knew well enough
that the riches which seem great in the
minds of village lads may be only poor
when measured by the needs of idleness,
but he was satisfied that there was some
money, a great deal to a man who has
nothing at all The talk of her father
wealth decided him, and he took IA
vorable opportunity of declaring his love
for Marie. The poor girl had little to
say, except to tell him tearfullv and
with full heart that she had loved him
from the first.
The farmer, after the manner Of ia
theirs, would have questioned the wis
dom of the step, for he would have liked
to have known something more of his
would be son-in-law, but he was over
ruled by his wife, whose sympathy with
her daughter-after the manner of moth
ers-blinded her eyes to the danger she
was mourning.
The SWANS were inconsolable, to the
indignation of the other girls, who could
not see what there was III Marie-al-
though they loved her very dearly, of
course--to merit such an absurd atten.
ton on the part of the young men.
Some of them did not hesitate to speak
their minds pretty openly, and there
were several unpleasant scenes by the
well under the old lime tree. This pub.
licity brought some of the young men tc
book, and some of the others, recognize
ing from Narie's attitude that their hope
was but small, gave up the chase and
! betoOl themselves to solitary wander
ings in the forest ana carving initials on
the trees-such of them as could write
| and such despairing devices III the way
Of hearts transtixed with arrows as then
imaginations could evolve.
| Robert did not lose any time in hav.
ing the date of the marriage fixed THE
girl was willing" he said, 1.-The mother
was satisfied, and the father did not OBJ
ject; therefore what was the necessity fol
delay" For reasons Of his own, ON which
he did not choose tc enhghten them
Robert did not want any fornality about
the marriage which could be avoided
He told Beaumont that he did not trus
lawyers, u speech which pleased the ole
man, who did not trust any one, and quite
won bis heart by saying when they came
to discuss the betrothal:
Il do not know whether. Marie is tC
expect any dot from you, and / do no
care. l am quite content that YOU vii
do what is best for her. | want nothing
except to be allowed to live here witt
you, my dear father and mother, SO tina
| need not take Marie away from tn,
home where she has been so happy"
This of course made everythin!
smooth for all parties, and not the leas
for Robert himself, who thus ESCAPED
any dealings whatever with public off
cials, whom he stunned, and won com
pletely to his side the old farmer, wh
found indeed that he chad not lost
daughter bat gained son."
The wedding was u great occasion il
the village. The Oldest inhabitant coul,
not remember such doings, not ever
when the GROWING of Louis Nv file,
the whole of France with such rejoicing
that people were found who believe
that there would never be hunger an
more.
But there are always people to b
found who will believe anything.