The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-11-02
TOLD NEAR
 MONT PELEE
forlnnaL1

for strangers to climb its aides and look Into i.s crater. st. Pierre was Q sleepy town, whose inhabitants, ener- vated by the climate, spent most of the tlme chatting about Ia belle France and wishing for the means with which Co visit Paris. l went Into a little res tauraut one evening to get a dinner and, having dined. lighted cigar and sat smoking till should finish the bot tie of light wine before me. A man sat at Q table near by eylng my bottle longingly. had drunk all of it l wanted and was glad of an opportuni- ty to favor some one with the remain der. I Invited the man to my table and bade him help himself. He did 90 and while slipping tho wine told me in broken English the following story;
 "Thoes house alway solemn house to me. Whyl l come here often some time ago. I know the people what live here before thees house was restau- rant. Ferry hne house then. M. Bour- dolon dine here with his daughter. Mile. Bourdolon. He rlci man-not richest man here. but rich. Ills daugh- ter hne girl. She step ferry light, like spirited horse, Msieur Bourdolon want Lucille % marry rich man like himself. Lucille want marry ferry nne poor man. Thees mak' big fight between father and daughter. M. Bour- dolon tell Jean le Feyre, the fne poor young man. that lf be come near thees house he shoot bis head on.
 zone day rich sugar man come to M. Bourdolon and say, M. Bourdolon' [ like to marry your daughter! NJ. Bourdolon say, Nl. Vignon. how much you worthy Five hundred thousand francs. That ferry much money fin them days; M. Bourdolon himself not worth that much. So be say: M. VI. gnon, you go ask my daughter. You be careful. Lucille ferry good girl, but ferry spirited girl. She want lots of coaXing.'
 "M. Vignon dress himself ferry hne, with boutonniere and wax mus tache, and put on lots perfume SO he smell iko flower garden. Then be come to thees house and come in thees room, which was parlor. Up stairs Papa Bourdolon argufy with his daughter to persuade her to go down ard leestin to NJ. Yignon. Lucille fer ry quiet; don't answer noting. Her pa say: Good girl, nice girl You do what your papa wish Lucille go downstairs, come Into thees porlor and shut the door.
 "Si. Bourdolon don't stay long hero, and nex' day he so sec fS?a Bou- dolon and say. M'sieur, tinh l not get married just now' What you meanr say Papa Bourdolon, ferry hot. T tink like to live bachelor some time longer You tink my daughter not mak you happyi My daughter ferry good girl, ferry obedi- ent girl She go down last night to accept your ofIer Ike little lamb Your daughter. m'sieur, ferry hne girl. not speak disrespectful of your daughter, but l tink l don't want marry just now Tf you insult my daughter, you insult me, We go out tomorrow morning on the side of Mont Pelee with rapiers, and you gif me satisfaction.' 'Msleur, l no insult you or your daughter Mademoiselle too good for man like me. Mademoiselle should marry great warrior, great gen eral. She might fne lady. When she come in parlor last night, l say: "Aiademoiselle. by permission of your father l come to express for you adorable sentiments. haf long od' mired you, mademoiselle. you 80 beau tlful. SO gentle, SO good. would like talk you on my bosom like little pet lamb. offer you my heart, my hand and my poor fortune, an of which are not good enough for SO divine"- l got no further. Your daughter fne girl, beautiful girl, brave girl. She deserve general for Q husband. What you fink she doi She not speek; she not look at me. Her eyes all time on the door. Sudden she talk long knife from the folds of her dress and throw it at me SO hard that when l dodge SO it can't stab me it strike on window casing and stand there, buried an Inch In the wood. By Gar. she night hne girl, Mile, BourdolonT
 "If you no tink I tell truth, lf you no tink thees ferry dne young lady do what say, look up there pointing to tho window caslng). and you see place where the knife stuck ln the wood"
 raised my eyes and there, sure enough. was a deep cut
 Mex day NJ. Bourdolon shut up mademoiselle in thees house.
 "I not come here tn the great earth quake, ten years ago. Eferybody frightened to death. run by here and Nile. Bourdolon stick her head out of window and call to me to go get priest. Somebody dieY ask. Co get priest run and meet priest 'Fa' ther,' l say, come quick to give abso- lution.' bring priest in here In thees ferry room. M. BOurdolon not here. Flo gone to look after bis property. Nobody here but Mile Lucille; no, one more-Jean le Fevre. That priest hnd to marry them two. Just when he hn- lsh there was terrible rumble of the earthquake, and mademoisene say, That the kind of salute for bride Then she show Jean the cut and laugh and say: I pretend to be crazy mad. could have bit him if had chosen. I missed him on purpose "
 I thanked the old man for bis story