Evening star., 1902-03-22

sonal fortune In fact. he writes for his
living. Fortyfive years of age. gold-specta-
cleG. with a taste for decorative art an.
Latin literature quiet and decorous to the
point of being dead slow. this pensive
American. who also calls his life a failure,
has just been astonished very much after
the manner of Eugene. \ middle-aged old
maid of good French family and an unin-
numbered income of $4,000 francs t$7HN)
Hear, having met him again and again dur
ing the past eight years in the society OF
the American colony, at last sent word to
him that he could have her He is going
to take her after Easter.
The third case is that of young French
physician. of a good south of France fam
lily. thirty-six years old. cultivated. alert.
Il brilliant conVerSationaliSt and a Partisan
to his finger tips During his university
career of eight wears he spent Sa5.0o0-part
of which remain in debts, which now anu
then give him annoyance Since then his
father has twice set him up in Paris
practice, which means furnishing him on
each occasion with lump sum of, say,
S'H", with which to furnish an apartment
and an office and pay his expenses while
awaiting patien.s. Each time he has
promptly spent his lump sum on the Paris
race track, winning a good deal Of money
but what winnings can stand against the
. per cent commissions for the poor Of
Paris, held back by the government from
Paris mutuels" pools. He has no money
now, and so will marry. Put me in pos
session of 100000 francs-a poor. bare 1OO.-
OO francS-and with my progression bet
ting on my ripper Judgment, l will make
million in three years. he says. The bride
will bring him the desired sum and consid-
erably more. She is the daughter Of
wealthy Paris grocer; and both herself and
family are delighted with the prospect Of
an alliance with liberal profession. To
meet her he had first to meet widow lady
of good family and reduced resources. who
is exercising peculiar trade. She throws
her salons open to young pe9nle Svtt,6 desire
70 no i1Na
gives her elie.' elin! ~ On hem. OF my young
TREND, the doctor. she has said to the
girls parents: He han wasted money, 1t
is true; but such a mani is known to make
the best Of husbands. He has paid for his
mistakes, more innocent bridegroom will
have all his to ray YET She will take
her 2l2 per cent commission on the girls
dot
Tells His Mother.
Even when a Frenchman sees a girl we'll
suited to him he does not go to her and
say. Il love YOU" First, it would be dis
honorable. Second 1t would make her
faint. Third, he never gets the chance. He
goes instead and tells his mother.
His mother tells his father. Then his
father takes hath and hunts up his
brother or his business partner. so that to-
gether they may make casual call on som"
relative or intimate friend of the girls
family. with view of arranging decisive
meeting of the Parents, if the marriage
seems convenient, proper and appropriate
But before this meeting can be brought
about there must he notes exchanged be
tween the mutual friends concerning for
tune, family and position. 1t is only after
making sure that real appropriateness ex-
lists that any formal meeting of the prin-
CtpalS IS riSked
1t is at a ball. reception. theater party
or dinner party given by some other mutual
friend that the Young people are confronted
with each other For half century the
Opera COmiQue has been thus favored by
Parisians of the middle class. Like most
galleries are cut up into little boxes. Each
one OF them has been the scene of many
q decisive meeting.
The mother has her daughter sitting by
her in the box. Between the first and sec
ond acts the young man is brought in to
them by mutual friends. They stay five
minutes, speaking of the play. the weather
and the Paris season. and retire. When
they have gone the mother ought to make
some tentative remarks on the young man s
looks, age, position ana manners. to find out
what impression he has made upon the girl.
1t is admitted that mothers ought not to
instruct their daughters previously for this
encounter, for if the girl has been cate
! ChiSed beforehand she will be filled with
| apprehension 10 lose her grace and nat
uralnesS and may not have enough cool
ness to observe if the young man be pleas
ing to her. She ought not even know the
object of the visit. For If she fail to please
/ in turn, it is humiiating to know It, Now,
| II II be true that girl ought not to have
| too high an idea of her own merits. ii is
! also only proper that she should not have it
| rubbed into her that she is poor sample.
| The mutual friends talk together II the
| girl has failed 10 please on close inspection