St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-01-07
IAN AWKWARD FIX"

1t IS M. Chapoulot who speaks, and.
as the words show, M. Chapouet is out
OF hunor. Ordinarily he is as good
tempered and easy-going as one would
expect in man o 60. who having heor.
like John Gilpin in his day, linen
draper bold, has in good time retired to
enjoy modest competency in rerose.
Your wealthy London tradesman, now,
who has grown rich beneath the shad-
ow OF ST. Faul's, if he retires at all be-
fore death or disease puts him suddenly
hors de combat, flies off to spend his for
tune at Brighton, or Bath, or Chelten-
ham-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 Lum-
iere, and has retired no farther than
from the hustle of the boulevards to the
more peaceful Rue de la Trocadero.
There he now lives with his only
daughter Charlotte and an old faithful
servant of the family, and it is the
former whom he is at this moment
impatiently awaiting.
1t is dinner time with the Chapoulots,
who dine at six. One might see it by
the snowy tablecloth, the neatly-rollcd
serviettes with their little ivory rings,
the plates, the glasses, and there, lift
ing it's head in sovereignty over all,
the tall wine bottle with its petit blanc
win, which is to the Partisan what tea
and coffee and beer and all the bever-
ages of the day are to the average Eng
ishman.
M. Chapoulot always begins his din
ner with punctuality, but he has never
begun it without Charlotte. And Char
lotte comes not. Five minutes past
six, and M. Chapoulot's impatience be-
comes annoyance; ten minutes, and it
is even anger; quarter past, and he
is furious. Hunger, they say, will
tame a lion, but it will none the less
rutiie the equanimity of saint.
Wherever can Charlotte be? She has
gone this afternoon to take her music
lesson in the Boulevard Barbesse. She
goes three times week, and al
ways returns in ample time for dinner.
Twenty past, anger begins to give way
to nervousness; tive-and-twentv, it is
alarm; half-past six and no Charlotte,
NJ. Chapoulot is trembling with anx-
iety. HuTriedly he summons the old
servant, asks for his hat and boots; he
will go out himself and see whatever
may have happened.
But suddenly there is a merry lit
10 % Lc ,l
tiers. No evil can have come, for there
she stands in the doorway, smiling
radiant, in all the ease and grace of la
petite Parisienne.
"Oh! papa-I-"
But NJ. Chapoulot's fear gone, his i'm
patience again usurps supremacy, and
treasured about the safety of his
daughter, he begins to feel anxious for
the flavor of his dinner.
Come to table first. You can tell
me while eating. l shall understand
better then"
ooh! but, papa! you don't know.
have had an adventure!"
AN ADVENTURE" exclaims NJ. Cha
pouot, starting from his seat and
dropping his spoon into the soup upon
which he has already commenced.
"Yes, papa. an adventure in the omni.
bus with young man."
THE omnibus--with young man!
Parbleu!"
But with young man CONNIE il
faut, papa, can assure you"
"You ought to know, Charlotte, that
a young man CONNIE il faut has no adj
ventures, above all in an omnibus.
Whatever do you mean?"
ut is very simple, papa. You need
not make such cruel face. had for
gotten my purse. That is a thing
which happens often enough"
"Yes, yes; especially to those who
haven't got one. 60 on"
81 never discovered it until the con-
ductor held out his hand to take my
fare. What could ] do? What could
/ say? / should be taken for pauper
for an adventures, perhaps. | was
crimson, was pale, felt that should
faint; when, happily, a young man who
sat next to me gave the conductor a
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 stranger!
You had better have explained to the
conductor. to the driver, to all the COM
pany. 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?"
VI have his card, papa: NJ. Agenor
Baluchet, clerk at the ministry Of"
What? This gentleman, not con-
tent with insolently lending his six
sous, has had tho imrudence to force
his card upon you into the bargain
lie is very scoundrel, your young man
CONNIE il fault"
But papa, l could not return his
money if did not know his address,"
M. Chapoulot has not n word to an
swer to this ingenious argument, but,
with a gesture of the intensest irrita-
ton, throws down his serviette upon
the table.
ut is written that shall not dine
this evening" he says to the old serv-
ant. Find me cab at once. am
going to restore to this Agenor his six
sous Immediately, and to tell him a few
truths as we'll"
But, papa, that will be ingratitude.