HOW HE BECAME A DEPUTY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2113, 23 January 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

HOW HE BECAME A DEPUTY.

Monsieur N.s Father, an extremely wealthy merchant, hid on dying, left his wife the whole of t'is colossal fortune, with complete and absolute control over it. M. N. was consequently entirely dependent on his widowed mother, and she, being naturally of an autocratic, tyrannous disposition, kept him in leading strings, always stopping his supplies whenever he thwarted any of her wishes. Forced to reside in the Bame house, with a woman whose temper was irritable in the extreme, his position is unbearable. Clothes, jewelry, horses he had in abundance ; he lived the life of a stall-fed ox. But this state of tutelage, this forced inaction, drove him almost desperate. He was now thirty years of age, and though naturally of a mild, lethargic temperament, even to the verge of pusillanimity, it still seemed to him as if the time had now arrived for asserting his independence. He was in bis frame of mind when suddenly, one day, having obtained, with much difficulty, his mother's permission to ride to the little provincial town near which their chateau was situated, he saw and straightway fell in love with a charm, ing music-hall singer. He addressed her. She listened favourably to his advances. The little love-episode appeared to be proceeding smoothly. He had allayed all bii mother's supspioions, when suddenly the artiste was recalled to Paris. "Nevermind," said M. N. to him. self, " I will soon rejoin .you there on some pretext or other." For a long time M. N. racked his brain to find a pretext for a trip to Paris, when suddenly his eyes fell by a chance on a notice in a paper, announcing the vacancy caused by the death of a Deputy in a coustituency about fifteen leagues distant. " Eureka," cried the new Archimedes, striking his forehead. " This is just th<3 pretext I wanted to allow me to pass some time near my darling Sidouia." (It was thus the music-hall star called herself). That very morning, at breakfast, he said, assuming a grave air: "My dear mother, it heems to me that my life hitherto has been utterly useless. It is time that this should end." His mother made no protest. "Yes," he pursued, "I feel boiliug in my breast a noble ambition to serve my country. .Just at this very time they are about to elect a Deputy in the neighbouring department. I have already some relatives there. I am going to present myself as a caudidate." Madame N., flattered at the idea of being the mother of a Deputy, raised no objpetion. •' You .ire perhaps right, my son," said she, as a tear of m.iternal piide glistened in her flinty steel-gray eyes. Proceeding to her private bureau she drew out from thence several rouleaus of gold and packages of notes. She then proceeded to draw up her son's electoral address, and having fortified him with her advice and a carte -blanche order on her Paris agents for funds, she bade him god -speed. She had evea offered to take the stump and assist him in canvassing, against which project he had succeeded in dissuading her with the greatest difficulty. However, the good lady haw in hers dream unlimited chances for future doruiuion If she could not speak in the house of Deputies, she could at lea«t control her son's polling and frame his speeches. This somewhat consoled the good dame. Behold, then, our French Moses started for the first tune alone, amply fortified with funds for the modern Babylon, to rejoin his inamorata. 0 Sidonia ! How his heart beat, en route, as he thought of the joy of their prospective meeting. He had given her no warning. He would burst in upon her unexpectedly. He would surprise her. This sudden descent would be much nicer. Had she not written to him every day that she only thought of him ? Darling girl ! How he loved her? How he would press her to his breast ! " Driver, rue de Maubenge !" It was M.N , who had just descended from the Orleans Station, and was giving a hack-driver the address of his adored one. He arrived at the house. He knocked, and, by a singular blunder of the servant's, he was admitted. He was shown into the drawing-room, which was divided by folding doors, partially closed from an inner room. It was now dusk. But in the inner chamber he thought he could hear the gentle murmuring of two voices, a male and a female voice harmoniously blended —the male voice amorously husky with restrained passion, the female voice, languid, alluring and thrilling, with n kind of self-abandon-ment, presented an ideal scene of billing and cooing. But horrors ! surely he knaw that voice. It could not be. He could restrain his burning impatience no longer. He must know the truth. So, thrusting open the folding doors, he strode in, and there, 0 fatality of fatalities, he beheld the lithe, graceful form of his Sidonia pillowed on the breast of a stalwart captain of dragoons, one arm gracefully turuing round his neck. With her delicate hand she was stroking his rich, tawny, leonine beard. What was he to do ? The poet has said : •• None for the fop, complaint* for the idiot." M.N. doubtless knew this verse. Besides, the dragoon had an enormous sabre at his side. Discretion was the best part of valor. So he lushed out of the room and out of the house—undiscovered. That same evening, however, he addressed a final adieu to the faithless I girl, reproaching her with her infidelity. Farewell. A last fare well. And now that he had put the letter into the box he thought with horror : ' And now how am I going to occupy my time ? I told my raether that the period of the election would last a month. I cannot return home before the month has expired." There was a pause— after which, as if suddenly inspired : " After all, why could I not make a reality of my lie. This Deputy's seat is vacant. I know a good many people down here. Why should I not present myself as a candidate ?" Next day he had arrived at the chief town of the canton. Eight days after he might be seen on all the roads of the department canvas>ing. Indeed, you could hardly see anyone else. Result — election by an overwhelming majority. I need not detail the rest. I need only say that Monsieur N. has prospered. His latent talent has developed itself. He has emancipated himself from his mother's tyianny, who, however, with lier lon if head, gives him material support in the framing of his political plans and preparation of his speeches. He has married a girl with a large dowry. He has been chief of a caucus. He has successfully become member of the Budget Commission, Under-Secretary of Staie, Secretary of State. M. N. even has a chance, thej- say, of becoming- Prime Minister My word t If I only printed his name you would be astonished. And all this ( because Mdlle. Sidonia, a little balladsinger, played him false. And here is an Excellenoy, for whom the country will, without a doubt, be indebted to an obscure virtnoFo, who still continues to sing in dive and music hall. Surely this is a strange chain of circumstances, leading from cause to effect.— Translated from the French.

What was Joan of Arc made of ?— She was Maid of Orleans. Why are cowardly soldiers like batter ? —bemuse w{iw exposed, to fire they rtjq,