Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-20
ADDRESSED D TO 4 HAT 1k
Monofogue Giving the tlistory
 Of . Love Affair.

of Love Affair. Sseeseessessesesssssssssss TIME, the present day. Scene. the | \ chateau of Baroness de Varjolis, just outside of Paris.
 Baroness de Varjolis entering and con- Einuing to talk through the door:
 Until later. then, have good time. No, you cannot persuade me to go with you. am rather tired. Good-by. (Coming down to the middle of the gtage). 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.
 '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 1t 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" 1 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 wick) where the lamps never smoke.
 "To be frank about 1t. shall marry again, if only for the comfort of con- tding to my husband, besides the care i of my own happiness, the direction of the house
 Marriage! It is a great problem. very great problem!
 -Four years of widowhood give you 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."
 l She rings.
 s'For pity's sake, where are all thS servants? Oh! remember now; told them they might go to the celebration, but certainly told Joan to wait in the ante room"
 Opening the door. @ l "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 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 it to me, saying:
 Madame, astsI rode. up to your chateau just now met q miserable sort of fellow who asked mo how he could manage to give you the piece of paper that he held in his hand. offered to undertake the commission myself, and since always carry in my portfolio what need for my correspondence 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:
 "sWas 1t one of your own proteges? ] Tn any case I added, drily, you have undertaken useless commission, for shall not give him anything and put the letter in my pocket.
 'I was completely provoked-T had already told him, once for all, that 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 I shall, so that's all there is about it."
 She picks up the hat, playing idly 1 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 1t on and runs to see the effect in the mirror) Truly 1t is very becoming. lImitating M. de i Ludre,)
 Madame as I rode up to your chateau just now, I met "a miserable looking fellow
 "Ahi ha! Poor fellow know who he is. (Laughing, 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 1 ing at it and lays it down upon the table beside the first one; then holding the hat before her she addresses 1t:
 "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 fin some secret place? (She ex- amines the hat) For pity's sake, if here aren't more papers! No, not let 1 ters 1t Is true, but notes.
 "So he makes his hat portfolio doas