River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-12-24
ADDRESSED
TO A HAT &
MonoIogue Giving the History
of a Love Affair.
!, Q o o sesseee Q 0 o Q .
TIME, the present day. Scene, the


TIME, the present day. Scene, the
1 chateau of Baroness de Varjolis,
just outside of Paris.
Baroness de Varjolis entering and con-
tinuing to talk through the door:
Until later, then, have q good time.
No, you cannot persuade me to go with
you. / am rather tired. Good-by.
Coming down to the middle of the
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 anxious that should
go with them.
II should have had to dance, to open
the ball, anyway; and M. de Luore
would have been sure to ask me 10
dance with him. And talking OF M. de
Ludre, where did put his letter? / won
der if he thought l would read it 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.
mo, l WON'T would only want to
read It 1ater-suppose | save this sugar
plum until I'm hungry"
Getting up and walking about the
room.
Gracious, what 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 WICK
where the lamps never smoke.
"To be frank about it, l 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! 1t is a great problem.
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 a real master,
Goodness, this lamp smokes out
rageously"
She rings.
For PHYS sake, where are all the
servants? Oh! l remember now; / told
them they might go to the celebration,
but I 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 maryland 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 a 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, christening letter that
he had stuck in the hat band, presented
it to me, saying:
Madame, as I rode up to your
chateau just now l 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. l offered to
undertake the commission myself. and
since I always carry in my portfolio
what I need for my correspondence I
was able to put the aforesaid piece of
paper into an envelope, and here it is
81 blushed angrily, and inquired with
an air of affected compassion:
WAS it one of your own proteges?
In any case l added drily, you have
undertaken a useless commission, for
l shall not give him any ching and
put the letter in my pocket
Il was completely provoked had
already told him, once for all. that l
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. 1 think l 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 NJ de
Ludre.)
Madame. as l rode up to your
chateau just now, l met miserable
looking fellow
"Ah! ha! Poor fellow, know who he
is. Laughing, she losses the hat upon |
the table, and a letter falls from IT'D |
What. another letter, Why, now, 1t |
must belong to Robert Houdin'
She picks up the letter without look |
ing at it and lays it down upon the table
beside the first one; then holding the hat |
before her she addresses it:
mo, M. de Ludre. shall we talk seri- |
ously together for the last time? First |
of al, if you please. no surprises. Have |
you any other letters carefully con-
cealed in some secret place? (She ex-
amines the hat) For PHYS sake, if /
here aren't more papers! No, not let
ters it is true. but notes.
So be makes his hat portfolio. does |