The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-05-03
AN ABDUCTION.


hold in the double capacity of cook and
cham bermaid, opened the door to Raoul
de Malplaquet and ushered him into the
salon.
my mistress, she said, twill be
down in a minute. -
A minute? Yes, but such minute as
one only experiences in hairdressers' or
BARRIERS shops, and which enabled
Raoul to completely inventory the fur
niture of the room in which he found
himself while the hands Of the clock
were making the round Of the dial.
On the stroke of the half hour, in
fact, Nine. Champonnet appeared, hot,
flushed, breathless with the speed of the
toilet she had made.
Your pardon, monsieur, for keeping
you so long; also, as do not know you
at all, for asking you the object of your
calling here.
Raoul rose to his feet.
Madame" said he solemnly, "to
come to the point at once, you have a
daughter, Mile. Georgette, 1 believe.
She is charming"
She is, monsieur. ;"
$50 charming that it only remained
for me to see her once to know that it
is useless for me to attempt to resist the
passion with which she has inspired
me. / am cursed, you see, madame, with
most impressionable nature'-
You have come, then, monsieur, to
ask of me the hand of my daughter in
marriagef''
But no, not at all, madame. Impress
sionist though be. am also poet and
could not reconcile myself to the idea
of marriage in the vulgar, prosaio fash
ion of nowadays. am here, madame,
to ask your permission to-abduct your
daughter. {"
"To abduot Georgettel You are mad,
monsieur!'
with love-I confess itl''
"But no, no, l tell you. Your propo-
sition is simply preposterous.
But reasonable, all the same, ma
dame, since simply loathe convention
atty and seek my happiness in an indi-
vidual way. / love your daughter. I
prove it by wishing to abduct her. If
she on her part permits herself to be
abducted, it establishes beyond cavil
her profound love for me. We become
at once, madame, with your permission,
the talk of the town.
Exactly, and l do not like scandal. :"
"But fame is not scandal, madame,
and see-always with your consent
how easy it will be. We rush to the
station; we leap aboard sleeping car;
we dash into Spain, that land of chiv-
airy and Of Towering orange trees, and
there, at midnight, by the light of the
moon, we marry clandestinely''-
(Which is just what 1 object to,
tell you, monsieur.
Marry clandestinely, / repeat, in
some obscure little chapel, dimly light
ed by single taper. The romance ends,
you observe, madame, in the most ortho-
dox manner.
tBut Georgette herself-she will
never consent, monsieur Abduot girl
like her, with every accomplishment
and suitors by the scorel''
Granted, madame; but ask her and
seel Your daughter, as the Comtesse de
Malplaquet"-
"Eh? What name did you say, mon
sieurf''
"Comtesse de Malplaquet Further
more, madame, would add that waive
the payment of that 10, 900 francs that
you have put aside as your daughters
dowry. Ny own fortune is amply suffl-
cient; my income, alone, 200, 900 francs
a year. You will, my dearest lady, you
will permit me to abduct Georgette,
whom truly adore?"
Comtesse de Malplaqueti Two hun
bred thousand francs yearl
Nine. Champonnet began to soften.
"But wait, but wait; you go too fast,
monsieur, said she. "You spring up
in my way like Jack in the boxl Your
credentials, your references, please for,
after all, understand, l do not know
you,"
Credentials? Certainly, madame;
perfectly proper precaution. My notary,
Maitre Pitou, Is Rue Bonjard, will put
you au oourant Of my entire history"
"And Georgette-she does not know
you, monsieur.
Wrong again, madame. l saw her
at the vaudeville some days ago, and
she responded to the ardor Of my gaze
with a sympathetic blush. Ask her,
madame, ask her if / may abduct her.
desire no more. "
"Well, SO be it, monsieur. I have
only the interest Of my child at heart.
Six days from today, then, return for
your answer.
six days from today, madame.
Raoul bowed and departed.
Raoul, Comte de Malplaquet, had |
really been, up to this hour-so Maitre !
Pitou, 10 Rue Bonjard, said, whose in
come was large from his care of the
oomte's estate, and larger still from his
care of his morals, according; that Is,
to the report he gave of them-a young
man Of the steadiest habits, wholly ig-
norant of the taste of absinth-in his
bitters, at least-his fortune reality;
briefly, rara avis in the matrimonial
market.
1t was only this crazy abduction
SCuoIu6 VI MS VHdG worried ROOQ mn0.
Champonnet, with her old fashioned
way of regarding things. Still, after
all, it was merely a pretense, the fool
ish notion Of romantic lover, mock
abduction, in truth, since she, fore
warned of 1t, was an accomplish in 1t.
Then the title of comtesse and 90, 900
francs year falling to the lot of de-
scendant Of the hardware trade certain
ly merited some little concession in the
way of maternal scruples.
She decided to lay the whole matter
before Georgette.
"Abduct me, F." cried she, "like real
Lochinvarl Why, mother, how charm
ingr'
"And you are sure, you are sure,
Georgette, the mother continued, de-
termined to do her whole duty to her
child, that you have observed this
gentleman sufficiently to be certain that
he will be agreeable to your"
Conserved him sufficiently when he