The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-04-06

W III lVlZ5NT the words show,
VI. wv w M. Chapoulot is
Ek> w sS ont of humor.
's~ Ordinarily NJ.
Chapoulot is as good-tempered and
easy going as one would expect in o
man Of sixty, who had been like John
Gilpin, in his day, linen draper bold,
and has in good time retired to enjoy
modest competency in repose Your
wealthy London tradesman, now, who
has grown rich beneath the shadow of
st. Paul's, if ho retires at all before
death or disease puts him suddenly
hors de combat, flies off to spend his
fortune at Brighton or Bath, or
Cheltenham-anywhere rather than in
the great metropolis where he has
made it. But M. Chapoulot. like the
true Partisan he is, will never desert
his Vile Lumiere, and has retired no
further than from the hustle Of the
boulevards to the more peaceful Rue
de Ia Trocadero.
There he now lives with bis only
daughter Charlotte aud an old faithful
servant Of the family. and it is the
former whom he is at this moment i'm
patiently awaiting.
1t is dinner time with tho Chapou-
lots, who dine at six.
NJ. Chapoulot always begins his
dinner with punctuality, but he has
never begun it without Charlotte.
And Charlotte comes not. Five min
utes past six, and NJ. Chapoulot's i'm
patience becomes annoyance; ten
minutes, and it is even anger;
quarter past, and he is furious. Hun
ger, they say, will tame lion, but il
will none the less rufi1e the equanimity
OF q saint. Wherever can Charlotte
be? She has gone this afternoon to
take her music lesson in the Boulevard
Bsrbesse. She goes three times q
week, and always returns in ample
time for dinner. Twenty past, anger
begins to give way to nervousness;
five-and-twenty. it is alarm; half-past
six and no Charlotte, M. Chapoulot is
trembling with anxiety. Hurriedly
he summons the old servant, asks for
his hat and boots; he will himself 90
out and see whatever may have hap
pened.
But suddenly there was merry
little rap at the door, and Charlotte
enters. No evil can have come, for
there she stands in the doorway, smil-
ing radiantly, in all the ease and grace
of 10 petite Parisienne.
.'Oh, papa-I-"
But NJ. Chapoulot's fear gone, his
impatience again usurps supremacy,
and reassured about the safety OF his
daughter, he begins to feel anxious for
the flavor Of his dinner.
Come to the table first. You can
tell me while eating. / shall under
stand better then"
"Oh, but papl You don't know. 1
have had an adventurel"
"An adventurer' exclaimed NJ. Cha
poulot, starting from his seat and drop
ping his spoon into the soup upon
which he had already commenced.
eyes, papal An adventure in the
omnibus with y young manl'
"The omnibus-with young mani
Parbleur'
"But with young man CONNIE il
faut, papa, l can assure you"
'sYou ought to know, Charlotte, that
o young man CONNIE il faut has no ad-
ventures, above all in an omnibus.
Whatever do you mean?"
"It is very simple, papa. You need
not make such acruel face. I had for
gotten my purse. That is the thing
which happens often enough"
eyes, yes; especially to those who
haven't got one. Go on"
''I never discovered it until the con-
ductor held out his hand to take my
fare. What could 1 do? What could
I say? / should be taken for paaper
for an adventures, perhaps. was
crimson, was pale, Ifelt that 1 should
faint; when, happily, a young man who
sat next to me gave the conductor o
piece of silver, saying: Take for two
This gentleman, seeing my embarrass-
ment, had kindly paid for me-"
''Well, miss, you have done nice
thing. Accept six sous from a stran-
gerl You had better have explained
to the conductor, to the driver, to all
the company. But people should not
forget their purses-I never do. And
now, how will you return his money?
You will never think of keeping it?"
II have his card, papa; NJ. Agenor
Baluchet, clerk 1.-THE ministry Of"
But papa, without hearing another
word, had snatched the piece of paste
board from her hand, exclaiming:
"What? This gentleman, not con-
tent with insolently lending his six
sous. has had the impudence to forcc
his card upon you in the bargainl He
is very scoundrel, your young man
CONNIE il faut."
"But, papa, l could not return his
money If did not know his address,"
NJ. Chapoulot has not q word TO
answer to this ingenious argument, but
with a gesture of the intensest irrita-
ton throws down his serviette upon
the table.
"It is written that / shall not dine
this evening" he says to the old SER
vant. "Find me cab at once. 1 am
going to restore to this Ageaor his six