The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-23
TWO DEBTS
AND A DINNER
The Story of a Girl Brought
Up on the American Method.


M. Aristide Chapoulot, retired haber-
dasher, widower with an only daugh,
ter. sat in his dining room and from time
to time threw a glance Of despair at the
neatly laid table. He held the evening pa.
per in his hands, but derived little infor-
nation from It for the simple reason that
he was holding it upside down. The
glances which be cast at the table alter
mated with other glances bestowed on the
old oak cuckoo clock ticking monotonous
" on the mantel. Now and then his
glance fell on the steaming soup tureenr
and then his eyes grew moist. The table
was laid for two. Clearly M. Chapoulot
was waiting for somebody.
Like Louis XIV, with whom he had nc
other point of resemblance, he hated ia
wait, especially for dinner. In business,
punctuality had always been fad with
him, and now he made point of eating
his meals at II and o'clock as regular
" as he used to settle his accounts on the
first of the month. And on this occasion
he was unusually hungry, SO the state OF
his feelings when the clock chirped hall
past may be better imagined than de-
scribed.
His eyes wandered from the spoons to
the forks, from the forks to the knives,
as if he were seeking an effective nipple
ment Of self destruction. At this critical
moment old Gertrude entered, mutterinG
to herself. She was his cook and wait
ress, his daughters maid and all the rest
of the servants.
WELL" she mumbled.
'We1, Gertrude" he sighed.
"Shall l take away the soup~
"By no means, Gertrude. Charlotte
will surely be here in a minute. 1t is very
strange that she is not here now. When
did she go out?"
Sat 4 o'clock, as usual, for her piano
lesson. An hour for the lesson, an hour
to go and come, she should have been
home at 6, as usual"
"And now it is 6:30W
perhaps the omnibuses were full, or
perhaps mademoiselle, as it is such fine
day, is walking home. And there are the
milliners and the jewellers, you know,
so many things to attract a young lady"
'Confound the milliners and jewelers.,
and the young lady, too, if she can't be on
time! What can there be to see at din
ner time, should like to knowT
ITO say nothing of the young men,"
sob, | am quite easy on that score.
Charlotte is able to take care of herself.
She has been brought up on American
lines, and I'm glad of it."
"Perhaps you'll be sorry. l don't know
what bringing up on American lines
means, but | don't like this fashion of
young girls running about the streets
alone"
But the unnatural father was not lis
tening. He had formed a sudden resolu
ton.
"Take away the soup and keep it
warm" he said. "And bring me my
boots. / will go to meet her,"
The old woman, still grumbling, went
off with the soup and had come back
with the boots when the sound of the
doorbell caused master and maid to ex
claim in concert, "There she isl"
Gertrude dropped the boots on the floor
and hurried to the door, and the next in
slant Charlotte entered like a young cy-
elone-a little face, all puckered with
smiles, fluffy hair, IS years, 80 teeth,
slender figure, graceful carriage, dimin-
utive feet and hands, shod and gloved to
perfection, ribbons, flowers, etc.-in short
a typical butterfly of the boulevards.
'What! Home so soon?" her father eX-
claimed with fine irony as he seated him
self at table and began to unfold his nap
kin.
ooh. papa! I have something to tell
you
''Dinner first, or you can tell your story
as we eat. / shall understand it better.
I've waited long enough already. Ger
trude, the SOUP"
"Oh, but. papa, you don't know what
has happened. I have had an adventure,
a real adventure"
San adventure cried her father,
starting from his chair, while Gertrude
flung him, over the soup tureen, glance
of mingled reproof and triumph which
clearly meant, didn't / tell you SOP
eyes, papa. an adventure in the omnibus
with young NAM
''Good heavensl" groaned the Mortified
father, dropping his spoon and jumping
up like a jack in the box. IAN adven-
ture? What do you mean"
"This is your bringing up la marie
something or other" muttered the old
woman as she left the room
"Oh, papa, he was very nice, very
proper and correct young man, ! assure
you," replied Charlotte, all smiles.
LET me inform you. young lady, that
very nice, very proper and correct young
men do not have adventures with young
ladies-not in omnbuses, at any rate.
Explain yourself"
1T was a very simple thing, poppy. 1t
really isn't worth looking so fierce or
talking so loud about | merely forgot
my pocket book. That happens every day,
doesn't itf"
"H'm. yes; especially to people without
pocketbooks. Go on
81 did not miss it until the conductor
held out his hand for my fare. What
should l do or say? l might have
been taken for a pauper, or even for
swindler. l turned red as peony, and
then felt that ! was turning white, by
way of variety. Fortunately very well
dressed young man who sat beside me
promptly handed the conductor a coin,
saving, Two This kind young gentle
man, seeing my embarrassment, had di-
vined the true state Of affairs and came
to my assistance in this delicate and
graceful manner"
"Well, mademoiselle, l am proud OF
you! Accept sous from strange young
man! You might better have appealed to
the conductor to the driver, to the whole
company How are you going to repay
those 6 sous? Or do you intend to pre-
serve them as souvenirsY"
ooh, he gave me his card, papa. Here
1t is-.M. Agenor Baluchot.'
Papa snatched the card from her hand
and roared:
"What, not satisfied with insolently
lending you sous in defiance Of all the
laws of polite society this very nice and
proper and correct young man gives you
his card in the bargain He is the most
atrocious of rufIians; the vilest of scoun,
drels!'
"Dear me, papa, how could return the
money without knowing his address?"
M. Chapoulot, being unable to answer
this ingenious argument In words, mad re-
course to action.
at Is fated that shall not dine today"
he exclaimed angrily. Gertrude, go and
call a cab. l will Immediately pay this
Agenor his sous and also tell him few
plain truths"
"Oh, papa, papal You surely won't.
That would be very ungrateful. Remem'
Der. that he rescued your daughter from
an embarrassing situation"
"With the intention of placing her in q
more embarrassing one, no doubt. 81.
lence, young womanl My memory does
not need to be refreshed by young idiot