New-York tribune., 1900-05-27
THE MARRIAGE OF HELENE.
A PARIS MIDDLE CLASS WEDDING.
TeKJOrE.

"A fARlS MIDDLE CLASS WEDDING.
Paris correspondence of The London Express
opened the door of my tiny fiat, and His
Majesty the Concierge stood there skullcap in
hand.
Helene is to marry Wednesday, Mon
sieur-it is the young man from the epicerie
next door q understood how it was that
it always took pretty little Helene twenty
minutes to fetch me twOpennyworth of SUGAR.
a brave boy and in good position. l and the
mother of the child, are both ravshed And
now now Helene nothing will satisfy her but that
Monsieur shall make the wedding with us II
is a liberty take, but Monsieur has known the
child quite small, and"-
Not another word cry. "Of course will
come. ard murmuring that | "confoundedi
him (the French tongue is rich in these deight4
1ul eccentricities. for L had been quite poIite),
Monsieur Ppelet made his wav down to bis
comfortable loge again.
Wednesday came At 10 o'clock in the morn.
ing was fully attired in all the glories of even-
ing dress, my buttonhole carefully widened ia
receive the sprig of orange blossom which-with
kiss on each cheek-I should purposelv claim
from the fair Helene in return for NV wishes
Tor her happiness and the little goldwire brace
let with a turquoise heart which | had sent
down to her that morning
| looked out of the window and when saw
that the carriages were there l trotted down.
stairs, and was received in great state by Mon
sieur Pipelet and his wife
fairly gasped. The every day costume of ths
Plpeiet family may be most politely described
as dishabille.
house never remember TO have seen Father
Plpelet in aught else but shrtsleeves. OF
but to-day, ye gods!
Ladies first: Lend me your aid ye writers
for tbs ladies' page
Ya!ns upon yards of brand new black satin
enVeloped Madam Ppelet. and her ample
bosom burned a buckler of ruby colored velvet
Large gold earrings adorned her ears and on
her head-but there, | will not describe her
hat The mines of Klondike should not tempt
justice ~ Wv -
"Forward! cried Father Pipelet. Monsieur
tne ne Mayor viii be waiting" and with many
jokes and much polite making way for one
another we entered the glass coaches in waiting.
Ihey were real glass coaches, mind you, cush-
Toned with faWn colOred cushions, trimmed with
white, and might have done duty for the pump
kin coach of Cinderella.
At TIE Marie not only Monsieur the Mayor,
but more friends We're waiting, and when
left and followed the newly married couple to
the Bois dhere was no religious ceremony our
seven glass coaches were supplemented by two
"tapissieres black wagonettes gayly
decorated with white satin favors.
And so to the restaurant. The jokes the
way much other wedding party jokes
and the breakfast much other wedding
breakfasts are. The big gendarme came hope
pretty bridesmaid in mistake for the bride
Father Pipelet got rather drunk and pulled
the tablecloth into many imaginary cor
dons" that several glasses suffered badly, and
Madam Pipelet melted into tears although her
pretty daughter was not to go away any further
than just next door.
Then, after the bill paid, the real
business of the day, the division of the bridal
bouquet and the honeymoon. The bridal bOu-
quet and the kisses We're given (Helene is espe-
cially nice to kss) and all of us climbed into
the carriages and wagOnettes again
For Partisan honeymoon when the honey
mooners are of the middle class is made in
company. and consists of a drive all around the
BOis de BOulOgne and games lin summer in the
green glades afterWard.
What fun it was, and how the people cheered
went And in the evening after a
dinner that | shudder to think about
We drove all round the town, depositing guests
as we went, and finally. lonely trio, Mr.. and
Mrs. Pipelet and |, dropped Helene and hel
husband at the epicerie and went next door to
bed