The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-04-10
verdavin'S Candidacy
How the Representative of His
Wife Was Elected.

+ Uef0dVIl S ldndl0dCU +
q How the Representative of His Z.
J. Wife Was Elected.
Should you ever happen to visit the
department of Trois- Etoiles and men
ton the name of NJ Verdavin it is safe
betting that your interlocutor, no mat
ter who he may be, will exclaim:
''Verdayin! Well, Of all the ambi-
tious, intriguing men ever met Yer
DAWN was the worstw
However, now that the vox populi
has pronounced upon my old friend,
permit me to have the honor of intro
ducing to you the real Verdavin, that
you may compare him with Verdavin
the legendary.
Born Of honest but not poor parents,
Amedee-such was his name-had from
his childhood up one single care-to
live quietly and cozily on the 10000
francs year bequeathed to him by
his pa and ma. He had a CHEEKY little
town residence, a love of a country
house. In spring he made little trip
to Paris; in summer he fished; in au-
tumn he shot; in winter there was the
club Nothing could have been pleas
anter.
Nevertheless Amedee perceived that
something still was lacking in his life.
He wanted some one to keep his ac-
counts and oversee his expenditures.
How was he to get rid Of this business
which threatened his idleness and pla-
cidity? He made up his mind to take
a wife.
She whom he had chosen was a
young girl of candid brow, but full of
resolution, a fact which had guided
Verdavin in his selection. He had said
to himself, "She will have will enough
to see after all my business affairs,
and 1 shall be saved any trouble in
such matters"
Yon moon that shone above, round as
the crown of his hat, had not yet filed
her horn six times after their mar
rage when one fine morning my lady
summoned her husband, who FASTENED
to her apartments, bearing in his hand
a package of hooks, to which he was
attaching new lengths of line and gut.
"What is it, my darling"
"Amedee, be so good as to listen to
me. During the six months of our
married life have been studying your
character and scrutinizing your apti-
tudes, for you know well that man of
your age and position cannot rust in
inglorious idleness."
"Why, bless me, Emmie, l thought
my time was sufficiently occupied. For
instance, just at this very moment
was setting off for the brook, where
expected to get you mess Of fish for
dinner that
"Amedee be serious, beg of you, If
you can. l have been canvassing the
whole subject thoroughly in my mind
and have found the one pursuit.
"But, my dear, when I say that
'That one pursuit in which nova
days a man can rise to power and hon
or is politics"
politics! Heaven be praised,
never have gone in for politics. and.
heaven helping me, madame, never
WILL
''In three weeks there will be an cleo
ton in this department. l will-that is
to say, you will-come forward as n
candidate"
But dearest, you have not thought
eyes, dear, have thought it over in
it's every aspect. Indeed l have pre-
pared your address to the electors"
"The deuce you haveY
Don't swear, Amedee. Swearing Of
tends the scrupulous voters. Do you
think it is very agreeable for a woman
to spend all her lifetime shut up in this
poky old hole, absolutely unknown?
The provinces do not make reputa
tons, but they elect deputies. What
would not give to hear people say
as 1 passed: You see that pretty
little woman in brown? She's the wife
of our representative
"Emmie, you are only testing"
'This, then, is the address you are
to issue to the electors" and she read
as follows:
'Tellow Citizens-At time when the well be-
ing-nay, the very existence-demands the har-
monious union of all patriotic men feel it my
duty to desire opportunity of combating on
the parliamentary field Of battle for the regenera
ton Of our beloved country. What desire-what
you must all desire-is order in liberty, with lib
erty in order"
There were nearly three columns of
this
The next morning there began for
the unhappy Verdavin a life the hor-
rors of which it would be difficult to
retrace. He, the friend of repose, the
enemy of emotion!
For instance, one day madame said:
"Amedee, have drawn up list of the
leading residents of each parish in the
constituency. We will call on the most
prominent You will write to the 9th
ers."
Seventeen hundred letters! l never
could"
"You can easily hire secretaries. In
half an hour we will set off on this in
dispensable journey"
For 10 days the only man one seemed
to meet oil the roads, the steamboats,,
the cars, was the unhappy Verdavin,
the candidate In spite of himself In
the pelting rain, in the broiling sun
REIMBURSEMENT he. Every morning
his wife drew up the programme for
his days journey; every night he had
to bring home to her good and sufi-
cient evidence that he had been at
each place he claimed to have visited.
Grand outcome, the bronchitis, three
mild sunstrokes, an incurable rheuma-
tism and a confirmed gastric disease
contracted through drinking prosperity
to France with 346 electors daily.
''Emmie,' he at last gasped like one
about to faint, 81 feel that my
strength
Tomorrow" she said relentlessly,
you will canvass the Al parishes on
this list"
And on all sides nothing was heard
but EXPLANATIONS of What an ambi-
tious chap that Verdavin is! Who ever
saw any one like himY'
"Amedee," she said next day, your
address has not been circulated widely
enough. l have had 100000 extra cop
les struck off and distributed"
But, dear, printing comes ruinously
expensive. This morning only ! have
paid one bill of sixteen thous"-
"You must also manage to have your
name mentioned in connection with
generous deeds. have ordered six or
gans for as many churches in as many
close parishes"
six o-r-g-a-n-sw
eyes, and - fire engines for villages
that are unprotected from the ravages