Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-27


 and run at the first sound of the bell'
 The bell rang. The visitor, the tall drum. major with the long beard, ap- walking with cane.
 "Mademoiselle, Desriguy?" said he
 Tt is I, Monsieur Bastide,' ' trembling ly answered the little humpback drop- ping the book in which she seemed to have been reading.
 You! But! Mademoiselle Hermance Desriguy who wrote to mel"
 "Yes."
 And both stood thunderstruck, facing each other, stupidly gazing without word.
 But, mademoiselle, you have never you ought to have told me-" And Her. nance replied, her cheeks now grown scarlet:
 Yes I know. ought to perhaps, but you, you also. monsieur. was born so -me--no-oh, no. Adieu, monsieur And our poor little heroine, wholly confused, her eyes filled with tears, fled away, leaving the room to her visitor, her exfiance.
 The great giant stood still some min. utes. What was there to do? Finally he opened door into the hall and shuf- fled back to his hotel. There he seated himself on one of thesoft banks of grass and with eyes mechanically fixed upon the windings of the valley, tried to medi- tate over the occurrences of the after noon, and gave himself up to the strange thoughts to which they gave rise.
 JYvVrn NfNoo hn n1x and she had said nothing about it This was the game, a shallow trick, and that maternal directress of the Matrimonial Institute of France, whose only object was to enable her children to make a better acquaintance and to shield them in marriage -charlatan, cheat.
 But how about himself?, What had he said about his infirmity?
 He had been very careful in not speak ing of that. He he tried to trick her? No, truly, that was not his object. He had not wished to hurry.
 And she-oh, without doubt, it was her timidity; perhaps in her case also she felt ashamed. He had no reason to be proud.
 Adrien Bastide had been tenderly brought up by a mother who idolized him. Jealous of every woman who ap- preached him yet she had had an inten- tion certainly of seeing him married. and she truly meant not to Giisappoint him But years passed on and she discovered no one worthy of him, and finally she died without placing her hand upon the fine pearl sought for.
 Adrien.at the age of p, on account of fall from horse, had lost the free use of his right leg. After his mothers death he said to himself that now was the time to replace her. But how?
 Providentially, as he then thought, he saw the advertisement of the marriage institute and paying his subscription and enrolment fee he received a photograph and communication in which Hermance, No. 19724, was described:
 Orphan. 29 years, musician, dowry 40, GOO francs, living in a neat cottage with garden and running stream of wa ter, would espouse man of honor, in pre- ference official
 This exactly suited him; perhaps even the 10000 francs no less than the garden and stream full of fish attracted him.
 Alas, some points had been omitted in the advertisement in the Nuptial Veil and also in the letters from Mime. de St ,Elme- yet how full of sweetness and spirituality her letters had been.
 We'll, he was not coming 200 miles for nothing; he would go and explain him. self at least.
 Hermance during this time was re- fiecting on the situation. It was not so easy to find husband at 29, she we'll knew.
 He was cripple, yet, but she vas we'll a little peaked
 Nothing" she thought, twill make M Bastide return to the house. There are three trains to Paris, two in the morning and one in the afternoon at 4:30
 He will do nothing until train time might at least try to meet him, as it were by accident, at the station" So with hat and mantle she quickly set out. But two steps from her house she ran into the good giant
 Monsieur Adrien, must you leave town at once?" she asked.
 And she had a look so contrite, and eyes so ready to fill with tears that the giant bent over her and took her hand respectfully.
 II ask yorr pardon" he said, flor all I did You were much excited; so was |. But do not wish to return without sec ing you again Permit me to enter with you. Now we know each other, and we can speak more quietly"
 There were two happy persons in that little house and they are now happy, those two who had not told the truth From the French in N. Y. Sun
 Cost of German Army.
 To keep the whole German army in