The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-09-07
A Proposal
Under
Difficulties
The Girl Did Not Help
Him Any
By T. A. Mitchell


American girl, went abroad alone L
. travel and to study art Most Ameri
cans who so 10 Europe for that pur
pose seek Italy. but there Is good dea
10 he learned IN Paris, and Miss War
reD preferred Paris because she hat
friends there, She was an orphan
with an income sufficient TO live com
fortably, and her Partisan friends In
PRODUCED her TO others. This led 10 M
acquaintance with number Of Frencl
residents OF Paris. Besides these. sh,
met artists everywhere, and she wa.
not a girl 10 decline an acquaintance
for want Of the conventional forms OF
| Introduction.
AT that time American girls led their
sex among all nations for having bro
ken away from the cramped position
OF women. Frenchmen were perhaps
growing tired Of their women being
hedged about by all manner of precau-
tons and consequently resembling so
many dolls Al any rate, there was
something 50 novel TO them In Miss
Warren that they were capuvated by
her.
Among those who fell IN love with
her was Castor de Touche. q bachelor
OF thirty, whose parents lived on the
family estates in the south Of France
The father and mother were old per
sons and had never been ont Of the
province in which they were born
Their son was of an age 10 he indie.
pendent and lived In Paris. In Amer.
lea men not engaged In some regular
occupation have always been like fish
out of water. In Europe there are men
Of fortune who have found plenty to do
to keep them from stagnation. CASTOR
de Touche was an art critic. litterateur
and at times legislator. besides taking
care of his estate, which he was always
increasing But he was Frenchman
Of the old school. and conventional
forms were as natural to him as the mir
he breathed.
NJ. de Touche became acquainted
with Miss Warren, having been
called upon to criticise one of her pic.
lures. He rated the picture very low.
but rated the painter very high. Per.
haps had he known at the time he
made the criticism that she was the
artist who painted ii he might have
been tempted to speak more faVorably
Of It. She learned his views of its
merits, or, rather, dement's, and when
later she became acquainted with him
felt a certain antagonism to him on
this account This she knew was
wrong, but confessed she could not
help 1t. 1t did not at all interfere
with her appreciation of the critics
When CASTOR de Touche made up
ais mind that Lucille Warren was nee.
essary to his happiness, indeed that
without her the bottom would drop out
If his universe, he resolved to propose
FOR her hand. And here he met the
problem of his life.
The only method he knew Of making
such proposal was the French meth.
ID, which he had been brought up to
the only one existent. Ii
would be proper for his father TO pro
)ose to Miss Warren's father for her
land. II the proposition was accept.
d the two fathers would agree upon
he settlements, the parties to the con
ract would be betrothed and then mar
led. Neither would have anything to
Jay about whether they were pleased
n displeased with the other. II they |
to fall in love with each |
,ther, which was not likely, well and |
rood; II not, 1t made no difference so |
ar as their marriage was concerned.
But Gaston's father was too old and |
nfirm to come to Paris, and had he |
,een equal to the task Lucille bad no |
ather to receive his proposition. |
Therefore this plan was impossible.
iaston saw that he must make the |
proposition himself, but there must be
ONE member Of her family Of whom
e should ask her hand. He inquired
bout her relatives and found to his
ismay that she had no relative nearer
han a third cousin whom she had |
ever seen.
Mon Dieu" he exclaimed. What
hall dor
There was nothing for him to DO
Dut 'face the music" and make his
pplication direct Could he have done
0 In his native tongue one source Of
is dismay would have been eliminat.
d, but Miss Warren had no aptitude
or languages and had not sufficiently
Mastered the French that he could be
ure she should understand what he
7as talking about The proposal must
e made by French idioms expressed
. English terms.
"Mademoiselle." be began, Il have
reat concern that your father does
ot live"
81 mourn my father, monsieur" was
be reply, though be died when ! was
little girl"
MY father lives IN the country and
] troubled with re rheumatism"
TOO bad"' replied the lady sympa.
hetically.
"yerv had for | have especial need