Connecticut western news., 1899-02-16
AN ABDUCTION.

In the absence of Jules. Mime Champonnet's one female domestic, Me- ianie, 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 minute" A minute? Yes, but such Q minute as one only experiences in hairdressers' or barbers' 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, in fact, Mime. Champonnet appeared, hot, flushed, breathless with the speed of the toilet she had made. "Your pardon, monsieur, for keeping you so long; also, as do not know you at all. for asking you the object of your calling here. Raoul rose to his feet. Madame" said he solemnly, sto come to the point at once, you have a daughter, Mile. Georgette, I believe She is charming"
 "She is, monsieur. 'fSo 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. am cursed, you see, madame, with most impressionable nature"4- "You have come, then, monsieur, to ask of me the hand of my daughter in marriagef'' But, no, not at all, madame. Impress sionist though be, am also poet and could not reconcile myself to the idea of marriage ip the vulgar, prosaic fash ion of nowadays. I am here, madame, to ask your permission to-abduct your daughter.
 "To abduct Georgettel You are mad, mopsieurp'
 "With love-I confess itl'' "But no, no, 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. love your daughter. l prove it by wishing to abduct her. If she on her part permits herself to be abducted, it establishes beyond oavil her profound love for me. We become at once, madame, with your permission, the talk of the town" | Exactly, and do not like scandal. " | "But fame is not scandal, madame, and see-always with your consent how easy it will be. We rush to the station; we leap aboard sleeping car we dash into Spain, that land of chiv- airy and of Towering orange trees, and there, at midnight, by the light of the moon, we marry olandestinely''-
 (Which is just what I object to, tell you, monsieur.
 Marry olandestinely, repeat, in 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. Abduot girl
 like her. with every accomplishment and suitors by the soorel"
 Granted, madame; but ask her and
 seel Your daughter, as the Comtesse de
 Malplaquet"
 "Lh? What name did you say, mon.
 sieur:''
 "Comtesse de Malplaquet. Further
 more, madame, would add that waive
 the payment of that 10, 900 francs tha,
 you have put aside as your daughter'i
 auwry. My own fortune is amply suff
 cient; my income, alone, 200, 900 franoi
 year. You will, my dearest lady, you
 will permit me to abduot Georgette
 whom truly adore?''
 Comtesse de Malplaquetl Two hun