The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-09-04


on the mantel piece and treat ad every
body-my friends, the jaufor, and
the man who polished my foof. Those
brave men, rs though they had di.
vined my desire, made every effort to
diminish my chance of ofsuccumling. The
great day arrived at last. haA spoken
to the mayor. 1t had beef agreed
that should 60 to the house for Gene
We've at l o'clock. That 1orning /
rose early. 1 put on my 9ew black
frock coat, made for the occ4sion. At
ter / was entirely ready, n;tIr having
retwisted the ends of my mistache, I
looked at my watch. 1t was high
noon. I had still an hof to wait.
An hour! I had waited 4x months
before knowing whether I fould ever
see Genevieve again. 1 bad waited
six weeks from the time had been
accepted for the IN moment wi EN- might
marry her. An hour? And l burned
with impatience. l walAd up and
down my room. I sat d iwn. got
up. / reseated myself aid got up
again, longing for some tay to pass
the time, anything that VOL Id help me
to bear that hour of waiting. Turn-
ing toward tho mantle 4y eyes fell
upon that box of cigar. There was
only one left. My friends, the janitor,
the man who polished nv floor, had
oil done we'll. One loB cigar! 1
took il up mechanically. 1t was long,
round in the middle aud hppering to
II point that seemed to cjl for a pen
knife. l pressed it betweh my fingers
close to my ear it crack fd.as though
we'll dried. 1t was neitel too dark
nor too light. In wfd. it was a
cigar of the first clasI l threw it
back quickly into tho bf and closed
my eyes to escape thi temptation.
Fifteen minutes past Eelve. Still
more than three-quarteB of on hour
to wait. l returned I'd the mantle,
took up the cigar lever one has mo.
ments of folly now and lhen) aud cut
it with my teeth. 1 Ehted it and,
sitting down in my s}mchair, com
menced smoking. It WAS delicious.
Was the odor Of the ci fr too strong,
or was it because I had ths -hasib-
OF smoking? At the end of q few mo-
ment my head foil back. I partly
closed my eyes and gave myself up to
the luxury OF that sensation neighbor.
ing upon slumber, ut the paint where
thoughts ends and dreams begin.
Suddenly I awoke by tie odor of
something scorching. I got up and
looked about the room. Nothing. /
went 10 the curtains, to tie draperies.
Nothing. l felt my Goa, my vest.
Nothing.
"Bah {! it was only an id.a," thought
I, and am mistaken. I looked OF my
watch. 1t was twenty-five minutes
past one. l grabbed my hat and my
gloves. I flew down tie stairs four
at time and jumped into tle carriaco
that was waiting for me. The janitor
was thero standing on tn, door. sill.
On seeing NE pass he burst out laugh
ing, and so did the coachnaa. They
are lanyh,ng ut me because am iate,
Thought ].
when [ reached my iatherin laws
l was up the steps i'll one bonud an
rang the bell. AS John, the domestic,
who opened the door. caught sight OF
me he started as though he had re-
ceivcd Sudden shock, and said,
Every one has gone, Monsieur, after
having waited for Monsieur, although
Mademoiselle Genevieve did not seem
satisfied. She told me to say to Mon
sieur, if Monsieur came, that he should
go to the Mayors office. have given
the message to Monsieur
"And the entire time be was repeat.
ing his eternal Monsieur he was try-
ing to repress an irresistible desire to
laugh.
Are you laughing at me like that,
my boy3' said ].
monsieur knows very we'll that
would not allow myself, In tho pres.
ence Of Monsieur, aud, after oil, every
one is free, is he not, Monsieur?
Monsieur must know we'll what plcases
Mademoiselle, and if Mademoiselle
likes it like that
"But | had not the time to try to
understand him, and struggling my
shoulders | descended the steEs more
rapidly than ! hal gone up. All the
servants IN the yard ranged in two
rows forming a lane. Although I ran
the gauntlet quickly, I could, never.
theless. hear the smothered bursts of
laughter.
Decidedly growlcd I, st seems
that they have never seen IL bride.
groom late.
81 rushed the coahhman and at
quarter OF two we were at the Mayors
Office
"'Thc room for marriages." de-
manded Of the usher.
:" The room for marriages!' he re-
Piled. 1T is not for you, perhaps?'
yes, it is for me.
" For you? An? that is good Oh,
but that is rich!' And he fell into
chair, holding his sides as he shook
with laughter. | don't know what