Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-01-16

might preserve IN society the pr6pOn
derance and the supremacy that he
had been habituated to in the family,
he had sought an attitude, a-pose
which deprived him of every other
merit. He had found nothing better
than to astonish, Or rather, as he said
it, to overcome his contemporaries by
an affectation of cynical perversity.
Some quotations from Darwin, culled
here and there, mixed with a confused
| tincture of Schopenhauer, had fur
nished him with the vague theory of
moral nihilism which he affected In
| everything, in literature, art, politics,
| and above all in morals, he declared
| himself profoundly skeptical, blase
disabused, disheartened by the old
| cOnventionalities, corrupted and de.
| cayed almost to softness, even de-
liquescent, and to that point deliques-
! cent, as he said proudly, that one
would be obliged to gather them to-
| gether with a fork. Such were the
| pretensions of the Fin de Steele"
| who, having none of the beliefs of
! the past, nor even Of the future, nat
| urally had none at all
| Some Of his comrades in the club,
blinded by his uprightness, by mis-
| great fortune and his doctrinal immor-
! ality, looked upon him as a very great
man, and he himself was of that opin.
| ion.
| However, the cost of the representa-
ton Of the young baron had taken in
| these later days such proportions, that
! his uncle had menaced him, not only
| with disinheriting him, but even with
| the power of a judiciary council, if he
! did not reform. That was why he mar
| ried Marianne de a Freillade, whom
he proposed to himself to humble ex-
! traordinarily.
! Personally, Jules Grebe was young
fellow Of rs or 81 years, short in stat
ure, but well built and of an ultra
Britannica elegance. That which de-
prived him of some of his beauty was
pair Of pale blue eyes, which had
sad, almost Iifeless expression. He
walked firmly, making his footsteps
resound, with his legs slightly apart,
as though even when on foot he had
! been on horseback.
It was with that triumphant air that
be entered the hall of Marianne de La
Freillade; he saluted with a little iron
zeal nod OF the head, and placed an
enormous box Of chocolate in the
beautiful hands of his fiancee. His
way Of paying court was strange-it
consisted upon that day of eating,
| under the wondering eyes of the
young ladies, a prodigiOus quantity of
chocolate creams. Overexcited by the
admiriHg laughter of that gaIerie, he
continued in his cold, sad air, that
enjoyable play until he had completely
emptied the box. 1t was not without
| anxiety for the consequences of such
an exploit; but then, he had overcome
| these ladies, and he was happy.
The marriage took place three
| weeks later at the Saint Augustin
church. The young couple had unani-
mously decided not to make the only
too common marriage tour. Thus. that
same evening, u on quitting the apart
ment Of Nine. de La FreiIlade. thew
entered the hotel that Marianne had
made her husband buy upon the Rue
de Monceau, and of which she herself
| mad directed the furnishing, and with
much taste, too, for it was not taste
| that she lacked.
A boudoir capitorice, with old
| gold silk buttons, was in front of the
bed chamber of the young woman.
She stopped there, threw off the CO.
puncton of her peIisse, uncovered her
charming head, and, as though cast
Ing aside the ceremonies of the day.
threw. herself into an armchair. Her
husband was leaning with his back
against the fireplace, warming his
feet. During the whole day he had
seemed more coldly disdainfuI than
ever, and even when he was alone
with this beautiful woman. upon the
threshold of the half-open nuptial
chamber, he had for her only a smile
Of raillery and a mean, sarcastic
look.
My dear child said he, suddenly,
ARE you an old player?'
odd player? Pardon me. but I do
not understand"
ask you, my dear" said the young
Baron, 'if you have the simplicity to
take seriously the old social routines
the questionable conventions of our
fathers, and particularly in regard to
marriage"
What are you coming at, my dear
Jules?"
ITO understand each other well, my
dear child, and for that it is necessary
that we should know each other well
As for me I am going to tell exactly
what I am. They will tell you that
am a terrible ibertine, depraved, a
Don Juan. Nothing like it, my child.
am entirely man of my times, dis
engaged from all traditions, from all
prejudices-a man who can submit to
the manner of his uncle, but without
alternating his independence"
And then?" said Marianne, with
smiling Indifference, which could not
hut slightly discountenance the Baron.
Then, Heavens simply wish TO
tell you that you may count on my
best sentiments, but you should not
expect from me The assiduities, the
regular habits of a village husband.
That is what you wish to say?''
asked the young wife, all the time