The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-04-20
AN ABDUCTION.

In tho absence of Jules, Nine.
Champonnot r one female domestic, Me-
LAME. serving in this bourgeois house.
hold in tho double capacity of cook and
cham hermaid, opened the door to Raoul
dc Malplaquet and usherod him into the
salon
MY mistress, she said, will be
down III IL minute.
\ minute? Yes, but such n minute us
one only experiences i'll hairdressers or
BARRIERS shops. and which enabled
Raoul TO completely inventory tho fur
niture of the room in which he found
himself while tho hands of the clock
were making the round of the dial.
ON the stroke Of the half hour, in
fact, Mime Ghampunnet appeared, hot
flushed, br, athless with the speed of the
toilet she had made
Your pardon, monsieur. for keeping
you SO long; also, ns | do not know you
at all, for asking YOU the object of your
calling here, "
Raoul rose 10 his feet.
Madame" said ha solennly, ito
come to the point ut once, you have IL
daughter Mile GcorRette. / believe.
She is charming.
She Is, monsieur.
So oharmiug that it only remained
for me to Foo her once to know that it
ls useless for me to attempt to resist the
passion with which she Inns 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
marriage
But. no. not at all, madame Impress
sionist th'rlh | BE-, | am also poet and
could not reconcile myself to the idea
of marriage III the vulgar, prosaic fash
ion Of nowadays. am here, madame,
to ask your permission to-abduot your
daughter
'To abduct Gcorgottel You are mad,
monsieurl"
With love-I confess itr'
But no. no, tell you Your propo-
sltion is simply preposterous.
But reasonable all tho same, ma
dame. since ! simply loathe convention
atty and Aetls my happiness in an indi-
yidual way. i love your daughter. |
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 If the town. "
Exactly, and | do Lot like scandal. -
But fame is not scandal, madame,
and see always with your consent
how easy it Will be. We rush TO tho
station; we leap aboard sleeping car !;
we dash into spain, that land of chiv.
airy and Of Towering orange trees, and
there, ut midnight, by the light Of the
moon, we marry elandestinely"
Which Is just what | object to.
tell you, monsieur. -
Marry clandestinely, l repeat, in
some obscure little chapel, dimly light
ed by a single taper, Tho romance ends.
You observe, madame, i'll the most ortho-
dox manner -
"But Georgetto herself-sho will
never consent, monsieur. Abduct girl
like her, with every accomplishment
and suitors by tho score"
Granted, madame; but ask her and
see! Your daughter, az the Comtesse do
Malplaquet"--
Eli; What name did you say, mon
sieur;'
"Comtesse do Malplaquet. Further
more, madame, | would add that waive
the payment Of that 10, 900 francs that
you have put aside az your daughter's
dowry. My own fortune is amply suffi-
cient; my income. alone. 200, 600 francs
year. You will. my dearest lady, you
will permit me to abduct Georgette,
whom l truly adorel''
Comtesse de Malplaquet Two hun.
bred thousand francs 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 box Your
credentials, your references, please for,
after all, understand, l do not know
you"
Credentials? Certainly, madame; a
perfectly proper precaution. My notary,
Maitre Pitou, IL Rue Bonjard, will put
you au courant Of my entire history"
And Georgette--she does not know
you, monsieur. "
Wrong again, madame 1 saw her
at the vaudeville some days ago, and
she responded to the ardor OF my gaze