Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-08-09
A Proposal
Under
Difficulties
The Girl Did Not Help
Him Any
By +. A. Mitchell


cans who go to Europe for that pur.
pose seek Italy. but there is a good deal
TO be learned in Paris, and Miss War.
rem preferred Paris because she had
friends there She was an orphan.
with an income sufficient to live com
fortably. and her Partisan friends In.
uoduced her to others This led to an
acquaintance with a number Of French
residents Of Paris. Besides these, she
met artists everywhere, and she was
not a girl to decline an acquaintance
Tor want Of the conventional forms Of
introduction.
AT that time American girls led their
sex among oil 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. At any rate, there was
something 30 novel to them In Miss
Warren that they were captivated by
her.
Among those who fell In love with
her was CASTOR de Touche. a bachelor
OF thirty. whose parents lived on the
family estates III the south Of France.
The father and mother were old per.
sons and had never been out of the
province In which they were born.
Their son was OF an age to be indie
pendent and lived In Paris In Amer
lea men not engaged In some regular
occupation have always been Ike fish
out of water In Europe there are men
or fortune who have found plenty to do
TO keep them from stagnation. CASTOR
de Icuehe was an art critic, litterateur
and at times legislator, besides taking
care OF his estate, which he was always
increasing. But he was n Frenchman
OF the old school, and conventional
forms were as natural to him as the air
he breathed.
NJ. de Touche became acquainted
with Miss Warren. having been
rallied upon To criticise one OF her pic
lures. He rated the picture very low.
but rated the painter very high Per.
haps had ne known at the time be
made the criticism that she was the
artist who painted It 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 q certain antagonisn TO him on
this account This she knew was
wrong. but confessed she could not
help It. II did not at all interfere
with her appreciation OF the critics
worthipess
When Gnston de Touche made up
bis nind that Lucille Warren was nee
essary TO his happiness. indeed that
without her the bottom would drop out
VI his universe, he resolved to propose
problem Of his life.
The only method he knew OF making
such proposal was the French meth
cd. which he had been brought up TO
consider the only one existent 1t
would be proper for his father to pro
pose TO Miss warren's father for her
hand. IL the proposition was accept
ed the two fathers would agree upon
the settlements. the parties TO the con-
tract would he betrothed and then mar
Red. Neither would have anything to
say about whether they were pleased
happened to fall In love with each
other, which was not likely, well and
good; II not, II made no difference SO
far as their marriage was concerned.
But Gaston's father was too old and
.infrm to come To Paris, and had be
been equal to the task Lucille had no
father to receive his proposition.
Therefore this plan WIS impossible.
CASTOR saw that he must make the
proposition himself. but there must be
some member Of her family Of whom
he should ask her hand He inquired
about her relatives and found to his
dlsmay that she had no relative nearer
than a third cousin whom she had
never seen
mon Dieuv' he exclaimed what
shall dor
There was nothing for him to do
application direct Could he have done
so In his native tongue one source Of
his dismay would have been eliminat-
cd, but Miss Warren had no aptitude
for languages and had not sufficiently
mastered the French that he could be
sure she should understand what be
was talking about The proposal must
be made by French idioms expressed
In English terms.
"Mademoiselle," be began, Il have
great concern that Jour father does
not live"
II mourn my father. monsieur" was
the reply. though he died when l was
a little girl"
"My father lives in the country and
is troubled with 10 rheumatism"
TOO badv replied the lady sympa-
thetically.
fAI