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

with sympathetic blush. Ask her,
madame, ask her if I may abduct her.
I desire Z, more"
"Well, so be it, monsieur. / have
only TIE interest of my child at heart.
Six days from today, then, return for
your answer.
"Six days from today, madame. 7"
Racnl bowed and departed.
Raoul, Comte de Malplaquet, had
really been, up to this hour-so Maitre
Pitou, IS Rue Bonjard, said, whose in
tome was large from his care Of the
iomte's estate, and larger still from his
rare of his morals, according; that is,
10 the report he gave of them-a young
man of the steadiest habits, wholly ig-
norant of the taste of absinth-ln his
bitters, at least-his fortune reality;
briefly, a rara avis in the matrimonial
market.
It was only this crazy abduction
scheme Of his that worried good Nine.
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 it, was an accomplice in it.
Then the title of comtesse and 20, 600
francs year falling to the lot of de-
scendant of the hardware trade certain
ly merited some little concession III the
way of maternal scruples.
She decided to lay the whole matter
before Georgette.
GA bduct me- cried she, tslike real
Lochinvar! 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
has followed me like my shadow every
day for month past! !"
Naturally. therefore, when Raoul ar
rived promptly TO the moment at the
appointed hour there remained only
the preliminaries to settle for the affair.
(Which will take place, madame"
Raoul concluded, "on Friday next at
the midnight hour
'tThe hour of crime!''
''For me the hour of happiness. On
Friday, then, I say, at 11:30 p. H.,
stop under your window. The sound of
mandolin played by me will be the
signal. The dead latch will be up, and
you will be sleeping-like the dead,
madame. Georgette will descend; we
spring to the carriage; I'll have it in
waiting; gallop to the station, jump
aboard the rap;de, and next day find
ourselves the leading article in the
morning papers. You, by noon, will be
interviewed by all the reporters of the
city, visited and condoled with by all
your enemies, and day or two later
will receive from US letter detailing
our happiness. Now, as / have still
many things to do before my departure,
1 bid you au revoir."
Without seeing Georgette?'
''To see a girl I am going to abduot
would be-improper, madame. D.
And Raoul, the case won, withdrew.
On Friday, then, at midnight the
abduction, as arranged, came off, Nine.
Champonnet, even by a happy fore
thought and an eager desire to increase
the comfort Of the affair, having dis
patched, secretly, of course, to Raoul's
address trunk containing Georgette's
handsomest and thinnest clothing. It
was always SO hot in Spain
Spain? Picture, then, her consterna-
ton, her maternal despair, to receive
from-Norway, a whole month, too,
after the abduction had taken place, the
following telegram:
Did not go to Spain atall. Too hot
Here we are freezing. You ought to
have sent a bearskin in the trunk. Not
yet. The religion here is Prot
estant. Tomorrow we start for Asia
to warm ourselves. We do not know
the religion there ''-Frcm the French.
a Florida Frost.
Ear on in March when the fharnnm-