The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-01-19

ing-a sufficient time In Paris for two
persons to marry, deceive each other,
find It out, and commence actions for
divorce.
Matters had gone so far that NJ. de Ia
Jarrie that he thrust his legs every Sum
day evening Under the Saupiquets' ma
hogany, In company with the cure Of
the parish and one or two other grave
~personages Of conservative opinions.
He called there, too, during the week.
At the three balls that had been given
during the preceding win-er, he had
danced the cotllion with Mile. Hor-
tense, a compromising assiduity that
marriage alone could explain or, indeed,
excuse. This marriage was an accept
ed fact In the community, which was
no longer spoken Of except to ask
as to its probable date and Of the more
or less extended programme of festivi-
ties Of which it could not fail to be
the occasion. Edouard himself felt
perfectly easy about 1T, awaiting with
admirable tranquility the happy hour
that should place In bis arms a charm
ing wife and in his pocket, in the form
Of a marriage portion, a comfortable
little fortune.
ooI OiC ody, u5 hG LAC ooU
| piquets' garden, La Jarrie found him
self face to face with a horse. On the
horse was a good-looking officer In IA
tigue uniform, and beside the animal
stood a pretty young person in a rose
colored gown, the officer, and the horse
made a very disagreeable impression
OF Edouard, and O couple of days later
his mother, summoned by telegraph,
made a formal demand Of Nine. de
Saupiquet for her daughters hand.
your request does us infinite honor"
replied the proprietress of the summer
| house. II must take time to think
about it and talk 1t over with NJ. de
Saupiquet. / am afraid that he will
think her too young to be married this
year"
In plain language this meant: "If
our tenant, who Is a viscount, who has
an income Of forty thousand a year,
In landed estates, who Is a very hand
some man, and whose horses have been
eating my sugar for the past fortnight,
does not propose for our daughter,
you shall be her mother-in-law."
This diplomatic reserve, soon known
from II end Of the city to the other,
was highly approved by the best So
ciety Of La Roche. Any one would
have done the same.
1t was soon noised abroad that Capt.
de Prebois was seriously in love with
Hortense, which was true, and that
the latter was crazy over the viscount,
which was true by more than three
quarters. At eight o'clock in the morn
ing, when the officer came to look at
his horses, the girl was at her window,
in the prettiest Of negliges, her beauti-
full blonde hair falling in golden cas-
cades over her shoulders. At first it
was only a bow: then a few words;
then a flower begged, refused at first,
at last tossed with a pretty air Of en-
barrassment, and caught in the crown
of a satin-lined cap, at the bottom Of
which the three-pointed prone Of a
%viscount was stamped, like a spider in
its net. In the town 1t was looked
upon as a settled fact, and when the
viscount was seen to pass with O rose
in his button-hole, sly glances were x
changed, as much as to say: "It's
a safe bet that that flower never came
from the market"
La Jarrie lost standing. Solicitations
to him became distant; his hand was
shaken languidly. Some said he had
asked the government, in whose serv-
ice be was, for a change Of post; 9TH
ers, that his finances We're askew. For
his part, he bided his time patiently,
counting on the future. In the opin-
ion Of everybody else, he was counting
on @ miracle.
You shall see what q horse-fy, q
simple horse-fy, can do, without the
aid Of a miracle, in the way of settling
matters.
Some two miles from La Roche, on
an uncultivated plateau deliciously cool
ed by the eastern breeze, a miniature
lake, almost hidden by bushes and the
remains of an old hedge, spread out
the azure mirror of it's limpld waves.
Few people ever went there, for no
road passed near 1t, and In that undu-
lating country there were a hundred
more picturesque rides.
One warm July morning, this mys-
FERROUS corner was discovered by Pre-.
bois and four or five comrades, who had
gone for a ride before luncheon. The
heat was oppressive; both the riders
and their horses We're worn ont, COW
cred with dust and p%erspiration. At
sight of the lake, there was a shout Of
joy.
What u place for n BATH" cried one.
Yes" said another: 'but who will
take care of our horses? There isn't
a man or a boy in sight"
Our horses!" exclaimed Prebois.
"Why, we'll give them a bath, too.
They need it more than we do" And,
suiting the action to the word, he leap
ed to the ground, %unsaddled Falcon,
leaving the bride on, and mounted
again bareback, after having taken off
his own clothing and put it, with the
saddle, in the shade Of q haZel-bush.
His companions had followed his ex-
ample, and they all urged their aston
ished but obedient animals into the
water. If any one had been passing
along the shores of the lake at that
time, he would have thought he had
come upon d band Of centaurs frolick-
ing in the water. Never was seen a
gayer or more novel bath.
However, it was Don time to return
to the bank and take on, with their
uniforms, less mythodical manners.
Once on the daisy-sown g~reensward,
which was as smooth and soft as
Il Smyrna carpet, Prebois was seized
with a new idea.
Who wants to do some vaulting?"
he cried. Our costume will not be in
the way and 1t will be much more fun
here than in school," and off he went
at a gallop on the fresh grass, leaping
to the ground and vaulting back to
the horses back like a veritable Cir
cus-rider. S%pellbound, his companions
watched him.