Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-24
AN ABDUCTION.

Ill tuO ADSCACO VI Ou1Cs, N44lOs
Champonnet's one female domestic, Me-
LAME, 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, twill be
down in a minute"
A minute? Yes, but such a minute al
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, il
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 l 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 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. I 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, I am also a poet and
could not reconcile myself to the idea
Of marriage in the vulgar, prosaic fash
ion Of nowadays. l an here, madame,
to ask your permission to-abduct your
daughter.
"To abduct Georgette! You are mad,
monsieurv"
"With love-I confess itv'
"But no, no, l tell you. Your propo-
sition is simply preposterous."
"But reasonable, all the same, ma
dame. since l simply loathe convention.
ality and seek my happiness in an indi.
vidual way. I love your daughter. ]
prove it by wishing to abduct her. Il
she on her part permits herself to be
abducted, it establishes beyond caviI
her profound love for me. We become
at once, madame, with your permission,
the talk of the town."
EXACTLY, and I do rot like scandal
"But fame is not scandal, madame
and see-always with your consent
how easy it will be. We rush to thu
station; we leap aboard a sleeping car
we dash into Spain, that land Of chiv-
airy and Of Towering orange trees, ant
there, at midnight, by the light Of thu
moon, we marry olandestinely''-
(Which is just what I object to,
tell you, monsieur"
Marry clandestinely, I repeat, ir
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. Abduct a cir.
like her. with every accomplishment
and suitors by the %score!'
"Granted, madame; but ask her ant
seel Your daughter, as the Comtesse d.
Malplaquet''-
"Eh? What name did you say, mon
Aieur?'
"Comtesse de Malplaquet. Further
more, madame, ! would add that 1 waiv'
The payment Of that 10, 900 francs tina
you have put aside as your daughter
dowry. My own fortune ia amply sufi
cient; my income, alone, 400, 900 franc
q year. You will, my dearest lady, 20,
will permit me to abduct Georgette
whom I truly adore?"
Comtesse de Malplaqueti Two hun
bred thousand francs q year!
Nine. Champonnet began to soften.
"But wait, but Wait; you go too fast
monsieur, said she. "You spring q
In my way like a Jack in the boxl You
credentials, your references, please; for
after all, understand, I do not know
you"
"Credentialsp Certainly, madame;
perfectly proper precaution. My notary
Maitre Pitou, IS Rue Bonjard, will pu
you an courant Of my entire history"
"And Georgette-she does not know
you, monsieur"
Wrong again, madame. ] saw be
at the vaudeville some days ago, am
che responded to the ardor Of my gaz