Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1888 — A NIGHT OF FEAR. [ARTICLE]

A NIGHT OF FEAR.

A few days ago a young man, a student, and, to be precise, a son of the Department of Tarn-et Garonne, born at Montauban, having the good looks and accent peculiar to that locality, entered the omnibus running from the Bastille in Paris. At the station of the Passage de I’Opera a passenger with a high color, carefully dressed, uneasy in the stylish garments he wore for the first time, seated himself beside the student. Glittering charms bung from his watch chain, and he had on his arm a hasdsomeaud jprav© young-girl, whom Eelhitalted ln tront of htm u pon the* last seat remaining vacant. This passenger so bran new in appearance, did not seem to pay any attention to the trip, but applied himself solely to staring at the other passengers; striving to make their acquaintance or recognize them. After a repeated examination of everybody in the omnibus he suddenly turned towafd his neighbor, and slapping him on the knee with his broad firm hand exclaimed' “It’s astonishing how well I like yon!" Even though one is from Montauban.' and ha 3 brought from his pro in re ar opinion in regard t > Paris-that prevents him from being ame zed at anything, one cannot be slapped on tL, 1 nee -and w spoken to in this way without giving a start. “I don't understand,” said the student.

“Tell him, girl,” resumed the man with the charms, addressing bis daughter, “tell him I like him, and perhapshe will understand better.” The young girl blushed, hung her head, confused, supplicating, and the student then perceived that she was very pretty. “How can I serve you?” he demanded in a softened voice of his neighbor. “All right, I’ll explain,” said the man with the new garment. “To-morrow night I have a house warming. I said to my self as soon as I saw you that you should be there. Oh, no ceremony With me, you ne'edn’t come alone if you are afraid. A young man so comme il faut can have only agreeable friends. Select half a dozen of them and bring them with you. It’s agreed upon isn’t it? Here’s my card.” The young man was greatly embarrassed, ever}’eye was fixed upon him.

The peopleTn the omnibus laughed and whispered. The only way to escape from the dilemma was to accept the card and get out. Our hero of Moutauban did not wait for the vehicle to stop, but leaped from the omnibus. That evening at the table d’hote, in the Latin Quarter, the young student related his adventure and displayed the card he had received. “Let’s go!” “No, we* won’t.” They wrangled over the matter for an hour, and at last concluded that the next night seven. of them, in evening costume, should go to the address given. It was not in a common street. The Through a magnificent iron gate TlTey" caught a glimpse of a lawn of graveled walks. Ouryoung friends feared they had made a mistake and entered timidly. A lackey in grand livery informed them that it was the right house, and, after having conducted them up the white marble front steps, introduced them into a salon ablaze with light, t>almv with rare flowers.

“Complete!” cried the host, on per ceiving his acquaintance of the omnibus and, his six companions. “I was certain you would come; youth is not distrustful. Now you are here you won’t get away easily. “There’s my mother, a good old lady who has had her day; there's my wjfe, who is now having here; there's my daughter, whose day is yet to come. J A fine family, are they not?—and they don’t turn up their noses at pleasure, either.” \

“It’s singular,” added the master of the bouse “that though I sent out at least 300 invitations, you are the first to arrive. But it’s not yet 9 o’clock. They will come, they will come. Meanwhile, will you take a 1 ittle refreshment?’’ ” They warmed up slightly while refreshing themselves. The young man found the mansion delightful, the refreshments 6f the best While they were sampling the bunch several persons arrived; men of respectable appearance, and ladies who could not tv but respected. When dancing was proposed, it was imperativeioi#*i te these boicei” esses; the'seven young men Vere the .sole persons who really conld dance. ' There was but one voung and fresh u face, that, of the daughter of the house. She smiled with a sort of sadness that increased minute by minute,; “Poor Z young men,” she seemed to say; “they have t&Uen into thq trap! Others would not have allowed; themselves to be canghl by it!” ___ - u They danced until midnight. The 300 invitations had produced only fifty guests. The punch waß strong, the danseuses were strong, energy was demanded —£he students and the hero of the fete displayed it. .

At midnight, however, they wished to withdraw. The host oarred the way. - “Not if I know it!” cried the master Of this elegant den. “Supper’s ready; you must sup.” The supper was, for 303 mouths; the heroic idea of attacking it -witb-tiKur small number speedily excited the courage of our young men. The seven comyinTons TOnk their plaoea lu tire festal, hall. They ,drank, they laughed. However, at 1 o'clock, when the omnibuses stopped .runningt the guests again strove to withdraw. The old gentlemen and old ladies were permitted to depart, but the arms of the host ipadea barricade before the young men. “You shan't gd,” said he, in a louder voice than he “had yet used. “You might be robbed on the way home! You are fatigued; so am I; let’s go to bed! J'our chambers have been-prepared.’’ A p once, and in spite of appcaianeegr our voung friends stared - at each other with a certain fright The ambuscadewas undeniable. What were they to do? '-H~ ;

Our rash heroes consulted together, accepted with good grace, demanded only, before ascending to their apartments to sleep, permission "to take a turn in the garden and smoke a cigar. This favor was accorded them; the jailor pushed his irony so far as to offer ihem some excellent Havana cigars, which they lighted with hypocritical gratitude. Once in the garden they ran to tlie gate. It was fastened. Impossible to awake the coneierge—he was without doubt an accomplice in the proposed crime. - They concluded they musTmake their escape with theT same unanimity That they had concluded the night .before to go to the rendezvous. They, therefore, searched the garden for a tree that might help them to scale the wall. The found one. It seemed to have been planted there expressly against the wall, with branches that streched over into the street. • •

They climbed it one by one and afterward let themselves slip down the wall; But, unfortunately, three sergeants de' ville, who chanced to be on the spot, received the young men in their arms, refused to believe the incredible story they stammered out, searched them, found very little money upon them, were nevertheless suspicious of them and took the seven rash fellows to the station house. Next morning when our seven students were taken before the Commissary of Police they were surprised to recogniza in that magistrate one of the supper guests, the husband of one of the venerable ladies. “Parbleu! is it you, messieurs!” cried the Commissary, laughing? “How did you happen to get into the station house.’’ They were then' compelled to confess the suspicion, the terrors that had presided over the sealing of., the wall. Almost choked with merriment the Commissary give the following explanation:

The. individual who had invited them to his house warming soiree was an honest omnibus conductor who had just enherited 2,G00,000 francs that an uncle, formerly a broker, had made at the Bourse. “It is not astonishing,” added the Commissary, addressing the young man who had _ introduced the rest; “It is not astonishing, therefore, that he should give his invitations in an omnibus!'' “Ah! if his daughter had not been so pretty!” responded the bewildered son of Montauban. “Parblen! He wishes to find a hnsband for her!”

“Do yon think he will retaih any animosfty against us?’-’ “He will laugh over the affair with you.” I know not if this story will terminate with a marriage. It is possible. At any rate, the young man from Montauban now remembers that his father was a former chef or the prefecture of Tarn-et-£iaronne—chief cook—and thinks that circumstances sufficient to warrant iim in accepting as his father-in-law an omnibus conductor, who is twice a millionaire and who introduces people into his house by stratagem.