Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-09
AN ABDUCTION.

In the absence Of Jules. Nine.
Champonnet's enc female domestic, Me
lanie, serving in this bourgeois house
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, "will be
down in q 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 rcom in which he found
himself while the hands CT the clock
were making the round cf 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 I do not know you
at all. for asking you the object of your
calling here -
Raoul rose to his feet.
MADAME" said he sole,nnly, s'to
come to the point at once, you have q
daughter, Mile. Georgette, I 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. l am cursed, you see, madame, with
a most impressionable nature"-
''You have come, then, monsieur, to
ask Of me the hand Of my daughter in
marriage?'
"But, no, not at all, madame. impress
sionist though I be, am also poet and
could net reconcile myself to the idea
of marriage in the vulgar, prosaic fash
ion of nowadays. I am here, madame,
to ask your permission tc-abduct your
daughter -
''To abduot Georgette! You are mad,
monsieurl'
''With love-I confess itl''
But no, ns, 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. I love your daughter. !
i
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 do Tot like scandal -
"But famo 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 object to,
tell you, monsieur. -
Marry clandestinely, I repeat, in
some obscure little chapel, dimly light
ed by single taper. The romance ends,
you observe, madame, in the most ortho-
dox manner.
"But Georgette herself-she will
never consent, monsieur. AbdUet girl
like her, with every accom- plishment
and suitors by the scorel''
Granted, madame; but ask her and
see! Your daughter, as the Comtesse de
Malplaquet'-
''Eh? What name did you say, mon
sieur:'
''Comtesse de Malplaquet. Further
more, madame, would add that waive
the payment OF that TO- 600 francs that
you have put aside as your daughters
dowry. My own fortune is amply suffi-
cient; my income, alone, 200, 600 francs
q year. You will, my dearest lady, you
will permit me to abduct Georgette,
xubor,, T truIx- adoroc,,
Comtesse de Malplaquet! Two hun
dred thousand francs a year!
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, I do not know
you
Credentials? Certainly, madame; IA
perfectly proper preeaution. Ny notary,
Maitre Pitou, IS Rue Bonjard, will put
you au courant of my entire history"
"And Georgette-she does not know
you, lnnnsieur
''W1org again, madame. l saw her
at the vaudeville some days ago, and
she responded to the ardr Gf my gaze