The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-02-27
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THEY WE'RE FOLLOWED By CROWD. soME
LAUGHING.
since for years he and his wife had
been spending time and money to
make their boy presentable. so that
any young woman would be willing to
marry him A large protrusion had
grown on the end of his nose, and
they had not found a surgeon who
would undertake its removal.
NJ. Marier was bit staggered by
this letter, but his heart was set on
carrying out the agreement, and he
considered himself bound to do So
This sense of honor did not regard
the infection of a disfgured husband
upon his daughter. He was the dis
poser of her hand, and 1t did not oc-
cur to him that her likes or dislikes
had anything to do with the matter
So he wrote his friend to that effect.
Now, NJ. Marier was ignorant Of the
fact that half dozen years before
Clochette had formed childish at
tachment for a schoolmate-Joseph
Trouvere The children kept their af-
fair to themselves, and when Joseph.
having finished his education, went on
a voyage with his father, who was
sea captain, to be absent couple of
years, the young lovers agreed that
they would marry each other despite
any plans their parents might form for
them to the contrary. Joseph was
fine young fellow, two years Clochette's
senior, and had decided on his return
to Marseilles to choose the profession
of a notary, or, as we call 1t. lawyer.
When Marier told his daughter that
the contract he had made for her
the day she was born was about to be
consummated she listened to him with
downcast eyes. The information he
gave her that she was to marry man
with lump on the end Of his nose
did not draw forth from her any pro
test The reason for this was that IL
she couldn't marry Joe Trouvere it
made no difference to her whether she
married handsome man or are
crow. Her father, installing her mo-
tives, was much relieved, and when
he dismissed her he kissed her affec-
tionately in token of his appreciation
of her obedience
After the passage of a number of
notes between the parents of the in
tended bride and groom. in which
Marier expressed himself highly hon
ored and Rubadoux wrote admiringly
Of that high sense of honor which had
led his very dear friend to accept an al
lance, the groom being blighted by a
physical deformity. the preliminaries
were arranged. Antoine. who was a
recluse, partly on account of the ex-
PRESENCE he was obliged to wear, had
strong repulsion to marriage with
any one All he asked was to be per-
mitted to spend his time with books
As an obedient son. be yielded to his
father in the matter but unwillingly
1t had been arranged that he was to
go down to Marseilles during the
month Of March, when the summer
had opened on the Mediterranean, to
make the acquaintance Of his bride.
The wedding day was to be set later
NJ. Marier, aware that he might be
blamed for forcing on his daughter a
bridegroom with a hump on his nose,
was anxious not to appear to be using
his parental authority
Clochette made no objection to any
thing she knew to be her fathers will.
There was no doubt In her mind that
he would require her to marry the
husband he had provided for her. and
1t would avail nothing to protest. All
French girls were required to marry
In this way. Why should she be an
exception?
One day when NJ. Marler was read
ing his paper there was a knock at
the outside door. and in a few mo-
ments a young man with an enormous
red hump on his nose appeared in his
study. He knew at once that the
conner must be Antoine Rubadoux.
But so polite are the French in such
matters that, rising and bowling cere-
moniously, he asked to whom he was
indebted for the honor of the visit
81 come" said the young man, 'as
suitof for your daughters hand"
Antoine Rubadoux, embrace your
Taking care to avoid the red hump,
from which sprang three stir red
hairs, Nj. Marier embraced his son-ln-
law to be, then expressed surprise that
he had come earlier than had been
arranged. Antoine declared that he
had heard accounts Of Mile. Marier SO
ravishing that he could not wait for
the appointed time. In coming he had
dIsobeyed the orders of his father
who did not know that he had done
so. He begged that monsieur would
not betray him