The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-03-29


door of the little Montmartre hostelry,
he was absolutely certain of his mis-
f, fortune.
Yet, amazing to say, when, at last
! the third assistant decided to obey
the summons of the cominissaire of
police an | had opened the door, and
the magistrate had rummag ed the bed
in and under it, inspected all the
hooks and corners and scrutinized
even the mysteries of the cabinet du
toilette, he found not the slightest
trace of the third assistants charm
ing companion.
Monsignor Cardinal, it seems to me,
ought to have been exceedingly we'll
! pleased that the innocence of his bet
ter half had been proved in this
brilliant and unexpectedly triumphant
manner; but strange contradiction of
the human heart, his first surprise past,
felt himself angered and Inundated
and resumed his rummaging around,
even into the drawers of the ward
robe and commode.
81 am sure of my facts" he stub
bornly responded to the inquiring
gaze of his police companions and the
confident smile on the lips of the
third assistant. 81 am sure of my
facts, and we must look everywhere. )"
No evidence resulting, however,
they were about to lift the siege
The magistrate had already given the
signal of departure, but just at this
moment the idea came to him to turn
the handle of n door to one side, COM
municating with the adjoining cham
Der, and from whence escaped the
continuous sound of robust snoring.
The handle turned, and the door
opened without the smallest difficulty.
Followed by the husband, the com
missaire entered the room, where the
arrival of two men and lantern at
this hour of the night naturally
awakened M. Durand, at the nome mt
when, deliciously plunged in a SER
aphic dream, traversed by the wings
of archangels. he was accompanying
the celestial choir with all the power
of his most convincing snorc.
And there, the truth must be told,
beside the pious sleeper, the worthy
Fortune Cardinal rebound his lost
Virginie.
"You will rise at once and follow
me, monsieur" said the commissaire
severely to the bishops architect.
for here and now / charge you with
unbecoming conduct with Madame
Virginie Cardinal, wife of this gentle
man present"
Madame Cardinal! what are you
talking about?" demanded M. Cyp-
rian Durand, brusquely torn from the
beatitudes of his dream, and stretch
ing eyes misty with sleep and blink
ing weakly under the sudden erup-
ton of light. "What Madame Ca r.
dinal are you talking about?"
''She who is lying beside you," re.
turned the commissaire, with re-
proachful dignity.
The president of the church war;
dens turned his head quickly and saw
for the first time the charming
features of the pretty Virginie, who,
red now as cardinal flower, mod
estly lowered her eyes.
From whence comes this jezebel,
and how came she in my bed?" shout
ed the worthy architect bewildered
with fright and bounding from his
covers. But he cried out and pro-
tested all for nothing, and swore
vainly that he knew absolutely moth
ing of a single word of the adventure;
that he had just arrived at Paris, and
was the father and grandfather of a
family. Nothing availed him. The
DELFT was fragrant, consequently I'M
deniable.
That which had happened was very
easily explained to all save the COM
missaire. Nine. Cardinal and the
third assistant, hearing the rap on the
door and the ominous "In the name of
the law" had hastily, and for while
unsuccessfully sought a place of con-
cealment. Over in the corner was
door. The poor woman turned the
handle swiftly, it yielded, she entered
and found herself in blackness,
troubled only by the snorings of
a heavy sleeper. She stood still
for a second, irres olute and listening,
but when the re resounded in the room
she had left the voice of her husband
she lost her head, advanced by feel
ing till she encountered bed. and
softly hid under the covers, so softly
that the sleeper never an instant in
terrupted his snoring.
Of course the outraged husband
knew the innocence of the good M.
Durand, but that was of no conse-
quence, he held to his vengeance, and
ia st to him till h e could plead for di
vor &c, in spite of the desparing suppli-
cations of the unhappy architect, w no
was shame crushed, and who dared not
for his life return to M because of
his wife, his bi shop, and his virtuous
brothers of the order of Saint An
thony, the chaste.
What scandal! What an uproar!
What would they say at M when
the terrible news reached there, and
how was it all to end?
But one thing is certain, if Cyprian
Durand ever does return to his home.
1t will be, stated at the outset, with
l. - L