El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-01

excellent housekeeper, as was Claire,
would support them both But with
his two thousand dollars capital
they could afford 10 plunge. they could
90 upon a honeymoon: they need not
dread a rainy day. and, what was OF
greatest Importance. they need not de-
lay. There was good reason against
delay, for the hand OF the beautiful
Claire was already promised. The
Widow DucrOt had promised il 10
Psillard, he of the prosperous commits
point. and four children Monsieur
Paillard possessed an establishment OF
his own but il was a villa in the sub
urbs, and so. each day at noon, for
his dejeune he left his office and
crossed the street to the Cafe Ducrot.
For five years this had been his habit
At first il was the widows cooking
that attracted him, then for time the
widow herself: but when from the con-
vent Claire came to assist her mother
in the cafe, and when from a lanky,
big-eyed. long-legged child she grew
into a slim, joyous, and charming
young woman. she alone was the at
traction, and the WidOWer Paillard de-
cided 10 make her his wife. Other men
had made the same decision. and when
il was announced that between Claire
and the wic@Ser marriage had been
arranged, the clerks in the foreign
commission houses and the agents of
the steamship lines drowned their sOr-
row in rum and ran the house flaSS
to half-staff Paillard himself took
the proposed alliance calmly. He was
not an impetuous sutton. With Widow
DucrOt he agreed that Claire was still
too Young to marry, and 10 himself
kept the fact that TO remarry he was
in no haste. In his mind doubts still
fingered. With a wife, young enough
to be one of his children, disorganiz-
ing the routine Of his villa, would il
be any more comfortable than he now
found it? Would his eldest daughter
and her .stepmother dwell togther in
harmony The eldest daughter had as
sured him that so far as she was con-
cerned they would not; and, after all,
in marrying a giFl. no matter how
charming. without dot and the
no matter how respectable, was he not
disposing of himself too cheaply2
These doubts assailed Papa Paillard;
these speculations were in his mind
And while he speculated Billy acted
Il know that in France, Billy as
sured Claire. marriages are arranged
by the parents: but in my country they
are arranged in heaven. And who are
We 10 disregard the edicts Of heaven
Ages and ages ago, before the flood,
before Napoleon. even before old Pail
lard with his four children. il was ar
ranged in heaven that YOU were TO
marry me- So. what little plans your
good mother may make don't cut
enough ice TO cool green mint. Now
we can't try TO get married here. con-
tinued Billy. without your mother
and Paillard knowing it. In this town
as many people have to sign the mar
rage contract as signed our Declara-
tiOn of Independence. all the civil au-
thorities, all the clergy, all the rela-
tives: If every man in the telephone
hook isn't a witness, the marriage
doesn't take So. we must elOpe-
Having been brought up in convent. !
where she was taught to obey her
mother and forbidden TO think of mar I.
riage. Claire was naturally delighted I
with the idea of an elopement /
TO where will we elope to- she
she demanded. Her English. as she
learned il from Billy. was sometimes
VOYAGE there I will put you in charge
of the stewardess and the captain:
and there isn't a captain on the Royal
Dutch or the Atlas that hasn't known
you since you were baby.
(TO be cOntlnued-)