Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-08-10
UNDER STRESS.
How an Urgent Suitor Won q
Widow In a Railway Train.


Widow In a Railway Train.
The Contesse de Moncley-who will
soon change her name, as you shall
see--is one of the most delicious wild
ows imaginable, and also one Of the
cleverest have ever met. From the
very first day she knew precisely how
to avoid any exaggerstion that could
be considered bad taste IN the express
sion of her sorrow, without falling
into the other extreme and making
those who saw her In her widows
weeds think she must wear red satin
under her Grape.
Early in April she had quietly left
her Paris apartment, where no male
visitor had set foot since her husbands
death, and it was only by accident
that, q week later, discovered the ad-
dress she had so carefully concealed
from everyone. 1t was Sycamore
villa, Chantilly." On the arst Of
May there might have been seen to ar
rive at little bit Of house, situated
at convenient distance from Sycs-
more villa, several trunks, an English
cart and pony, a saddle-horse, bull
terrier, two servants, and a man bor-
dering on thirty. That man was my
self.
Ihasten to add that, in this circum-
stance, / acted solely NJ my own risk
and peril, without any authorization.
any right whatever, and with no
other motive than my love-my
profound love-to prompt me to
hope that my change Of domi-
cile would not be a dead loss. Ah,
well-nothing venture, nothing win.
And what did l venture? The salon,
the May fetes, the Grand Prix, the
mob in the ALE des Poteaux, few
balls-what were they in comparison
with the charms of a most attractive
neighborhood? 1 have known men to
cross the seas and spend fortunes to
follow to the ends of the world ad-
venturesses whose whole body was not
worth the tip of Nine. de Moncley's
little finger.
Clarisse's pretty anger when pre-
sented myself at her house, on the day
of my arrival, was my first delightful
recompense. In spite of her grand
air, saw that she was touched, and
doubt If ever lover experienced so
much pleasure in being shown the
door by q pretty woman. She took
her time about it, too, and only pushed
me into the street after regulation
philippe, to which 1 listened very
humbly, replying only SO much as was
necessary to lengthen the lecture,
''And now you will do me the favor
to return to Paris. The train leaves
In an hour"
"An hour!'' 1 objected, timidly.
That is hardly time to ship two horses
and carriage and throw upa lease"
What is this!" she cried. "A lease!
You have presumed togo, sir! What
audacityl A leasel And, if you please,
where is your house?"
"a long distance from here" has
tened to reply; lat the other end OF
the forest. l am sure 1t must have
taken me fully three-quarters of an
hour to come here"
To be precise, 1t had taken me about
Ave minutes.
'To think" she exclaimed, "whst q
poor woman, deprived of her protector,
Is exposed tol You would not have
dared to do this if my husband were
still alive. And to think that he con-
sidered you his best friend! Poor
Charles"
HE has never had any cause to COM
plain" murmured. Let us talk to-
gether of him"
"Never!"
Then let us talk of ourselves, that
will be better still"
This suggestion shocked her so that
it took me long time to calm her.
Finally, she did not wish to let me go
without having sworn never to set foot
In her house again. 1t is needless to
say that it took half an hour to per-
suade me to make this promise-which
broke the next morning and as often
as possible.
l pass over the months that fol-
lowed, merely declaring that in this
vale of tears there is no more happy
lot than that of such an unhappy lover
as ! was. Clarisse had the most ador-
able way of annihilating me with a.
look from her blue eyes-eyes that
were intended for quite another pur-
pose than annihilating-whenever she
saw that l was going to fall on my
knees before her, and l must confess
she saw it at least ten times during
every visit made her, still in despite
OF her express prohibition. And when
] so far forgot myself as to tell her,
If the intent were as good as the deed,
the late lamented ought to have q
heavy grudge against "his best friend" J"
seeing that had leved his wife madly
from the very first.
Not another word" she would say,
severely; you blaspheme against
friendship. Poor Charlesr'
And her white, dimpled hand would
pitilessly stop my mouth, SO that, If l
had followed my inclination, would
have blasphemed from morning till
night like the worst traitor to friend
ship in the world.
The day she left off Grape, profted
by the occasion-naturally enough, ID
seems to me-to propose myself in set
terms as a candidate to succeed poor
Charles. That evening-it was June
evening, and the acacias made the
most Of the power which certain vege-
tables possess of Intoxicating one
with their perfume-that evening, her
hand did not stop my mouth at all, it
reached for the bell. Clarisse did not
threaten, this time; she acted saw
that was on the point of being put
out by her servants-who consisted of