Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-05-31
WANTED, A HUSBAND.

provinces, pretty and distinguished with a
dot of 800 900 francs, desires to marry a gen
tleman of about IS years, one in the legal or
military profession preferred, who resides in
Paris. No agencies. Address Madeline T. T.,
box 1888 this Office
Elodie Rabotteau, the party referred to,
was young lady, to be sure, and is SO
still, more's the pity. She also resides in
the country still, for her father is judge
at St. Colombian, an obscure town in the
canton of Beauce.
But, first, she was not pretty; second,
she was not at all distinguished; third, the
above mentioned 800, 1000 francs are prin-
cipally expectations from her uncle, .
bachelor, it u true, but scarcely 40 years
of age and solid as a rock.
AS to the mo agencies, that was base
deception. Madeline T. T., box $780,"
was in reality Theodore Tardivel, whose
trade is to arrange matrimonial bargains.
"Tardivel has written me long letter."
said Judge Rabotteau to his wife ono
morning of last autumn. Here Is his
plan: The army maneuvers commence a
week from now, and st. Colombian has
been designated to provide quarters for a
half battery of artillery.
"This half battery of artillery is COM
manded by Captain Lecomte, and Captain
Lecomte wishes to marry young lady
who has been brought up in the country.
Now, don't think of anything but making
the house look its best. We must have
second girl, too, so that tho cook will not
have to wait on the table"
Goodness" gasped Nine. Rabotteau,
"what an expense!"
II do not deny that 1t is quito consid-
cradle outlay, but do you or do you not
want Elode married. She's 20 now, and
for the past eight years we have offered
her to every bachelor, green or ripe, in the
country round, to say nothing Of widow
ers Now a chance offers itself, and we
must profit by 1t. shall go and fix 1t
with the mayor SO that they quarter. the
captain on u.s."
When September came, cannon sounded
all the morning long through the vast
plain that surrounds st. Colombian, and
toward o'clock in the afternoon the APP
proach Of the half battery was announced.
Presently the captain appeared at the
whitewashed gate that served as boundary
for Judge Rabotteau's terrestrial paradise.
huUOUUCauy uHO SpICuOAA6 uOcOAo
trees, was reading The Revue des Deux
Mondes His wife, not far away was
cutting punches Of grapes from the vel
lowing trellis, and behind the white mus
lin curtain Of the parlor window Elodie,
warned by a preooncorted signal, burst
with the energy of despair into love
song.
Z Madame" he began, with a bow,
"allow me to introduce myself. I LAM
"You are known to us already, NJ. Lo-
comte. We wore expecting you"
The officer bowed and smiled and shook
hands with Rabotteau. Then he was led
to the parlor, to the great confusion Of
Elodie, who suddenly cut short her song,
blushtng as if she had been 100 miles from
suspecting that an artillery captain was
to set foot that day within the limits of
the canton in which her father admins
tered Justice.
The captain discreetly suggested that he
would take his meals at the hotel, but
they soon gave him to understand that
that would be an objectionable insult.
y 1t Is unnecessary to say that the dinner
was feast. BY dessert the four persons
assembled seemed to have known each
other for ten years, and the captain mads
a conquest of them all.
At 10 O'Clock he asked permission to re-
tire
"Of course, dear M. Lecomte," said
Nine. Rabotteau. AFTER such fatigu-
ing journey hope you will sleep we'll I'M
der our modest roof"
In the morning at 4 O'Clock, when tho
captain went down to mount his horse,
the judge was waiting for him to take
breakfast. That evening there was new
repetition Of the follies of Belshazzar.
,Lecomte politely asked the fair Elodis
to play for him; then In his turn the
young man was invited to sing. He &C.
cepted without hesitation, and he had q
superb voice. Next he played one of Men
delssohn's Songs Without Words" with
undeniablc merit.
Elodies father and mother were In &C.
stasies. AS to the girl herself, she could
feel wings gently sprouting on her shout
ders.
"A couple Of days later Rabotteau dis
creetly brought up the subject of officers
marrying and pretended to decry 1t. L.
comte smiled significantly and politely
opposed his hosts theories. He added that
during the war the married officers had
performed their duty better, If possible,
than the others.
That night not member of the family
slept wink, Elodie least Of all.
"Well, 1t ought to 60 through this time, +"
Nine. Rabotteau declared to her husband,
"fofracoording to my calculations, this
week haycost us at least 400 francs"
"You Yhn't make an omelet without
breaking Sggs, /" the judge replied senten-
tiously.
He had secretly written to Tardivel.
.'Isecomto is charming. He suits US to
" Is 1t necessary to give him hintr'
And Tardivel had replied:
uPrctend to know nothing about It..
When he comes back, will see him. I
Vii manage the whole affair"
However, the last day of the maneuvers
ad come That evening the Rabotteau
.itchen was needed for a supreme effort,
estined, to all appearances, to be Drowned
With success
But, alas, at the accustomed hour the
,ptain's horse was brought back to the
able by his ORDERLY Elodie, who was
Watching for the return Of hcr future hus.
pd--they called him so already among
themselves from behind the blinds, Jew
10 the garden and cried out in anguish:
"Merciful heavens, Is he woundedf"
'No, mademoiselle, replied the order
", with peculiar smile. 1.-THE captains
alth Is in stntu quo. But you'd better
il your papa not to keep tho soup walt
q for him."
isn't he coming to dinnerf'
.No, mademoiselle, he Is going to have
dinner at the White Horse Inn, and he
will sleep there a.terward. am 70 fetch