Newport weekly independent., 1903-12-18
eeseeeesssseeeseeseeeeeel ADDRESSED : TO A HAT X : Monologue Giving the History
 of . Love Affair.
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TIME, the present day. Scene, the

\ CudIedu OI bdTOOeSS Q6 NarJOllS, just outside of Paris.
 Baroness de Varjolis entering and con- tinuing to talk through the door:
 Until later, then, have a good time. No, you cannot persuade me to go with you. I am rather tired. Good-by. stage). There, they're gone at last. Gone for a whole hour; that means an hours rest and quiet for me- But they did seem dreadfully anxiousthat should go with them.
 T should have had to dance, to open the ball, anyway; and M. de Ludre would have been sure to ask me to dance with him. And talking of M. de Ludre, where did put his letter? won- der if he thought I would read it-I am perfectly furious with him. Did anyone ever hear of such insolence?"
 Taking the letter from her pocket, she starts to tear it up then, changing her mind, throws it on the table.
 No, I won't-I would only want to read it later-suppose I save this sugar plum until I'm hungry"
 Getting up and walking about the room.
 Gracious, what a relief to get rid of ones guests! Friends are charming, but in the country they think they are in an enchanted land where the horses are always ready to go anywhere, the servants always on the watch to bring them something good to eat, where the fires never go out and Smelling the odor of lamp smoke, she turns down the wicl) where the lamps never smoke.
 "To be frank about 1t, I shall marry again, if only for the comfort of con fiding to my husband. besides the care of my own happiness, the direction of the house
 Marriage! It is a great problem a very great problem!
 Four years of widowhood give you a taste of independence and habits of of mastery that would be hard to give back into the hands of real master.
 Goodness, this lamp smokes out rageously."
 She rings.
 For pity's sake, where are all the servants? Oh! I remember now; told them they might go to the celebration, but certainly told Joan to wait in the ante room.'
 Opening the door.
 Joan, Joan! Go and prepare the rooms for my visitors"
 She turns down the light even lower.
 "To marry-and marry M de Ludre for he has asked me formally for my hand. He is such funny fellow! Didn't he come just now, with deliberate air and, taking off his hat-why, here it is, now. He must have gone out with his straw hat.
 Well, he took off that famous head covering, and, unfastening letter that he had stuck in the hat band, presented 1t to me, saying:
 Madame, as I rode up to your chateau just now I met miserable sort of a fellow who asked me how he could manage to give you the piece of paper that he held in his hand I offered to undertake the commission myself and since I always carry in my portfolio | was able to put the aforesaid piece of paper into an envelope, and here it is'
 T blushed angrily, and inquired with an air of affected compassion:
 Was it one of your own proteges? Tn any case I added, drily, you have undertaken a useless commission, for l shall not give him anything and I put the letter in my pocket
 T was completely proyoked-I had already told him, once for all, that I would never, never, never marry him. Why can't he leave me alone?
 To-day he makes use of the strategy of this poor man to make me accept his letter. Who knows but what to-mor- row he will have recourse to violence? Oh, well, if he doesn't go away soon shall, so that's all there is about it.''
 She picks up the hat, playing idly with it.
 These little hats that men wear are perfectly fascinating, and so much more becoming than those frightful stovepipe affairs. think I shall get one for rid ing. (She tries it on and runs to see the effect in the mirror) Truly it Is very becoming. Qmitating M de Ludre.)
 Madame, as I rode up to your chateau just now, met a miserable looking fellow
 "Ah! ha! Poor fellow, know who he is. Uaughing, she losses the hat upon the table, and letter falls from it) What, another letter! Why now, it must belong to Robert Houdin."
 She picks up the letter without look ing at it and lays 1t down upon the table beside the first one; then holding the hat before her she addresses it:
 No, M. de Ludre, shall we talk seri- ously together for the last time? First of all, if you please, no surprises. Have you any other letters carefully con- cealed in some secret place? (She ex- amines the hat) For pity's sake, if here aren't more papers! No, not let