WANTED, A GENTEEL BRIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5634, 6 December 1879, Page 7

WANTED, A GENTEEL BRIDE.

M. Mattieu, a 'cattle breeder from the Vosges, lias brought his pigs to the liymenial market, and offers, on hia son'a behalf, 500,000f. worth of his " commodity" for a fashionable young lady to be hia daughter-in-law. M. Mattieu obtained a first-class prize for hia pigs at the recent cittle ehow at the Champs Elysees, but his ambition soared higher than this. A pet project had been ripening in his agricultural brain since his arrival in the gay capital—viz., to exchange his pigs for gentility. Having in his pocket that passepartout money, he managed, at all events, notwithstanding his want of polish, to obtain admittauce to fashionable society. He ran the gauntlet of reuuions, card partiis, ami soirees, gazing with und sguised admiration at the galaxy of beauty which sparkle 1 around him. The worthy bleeder, however, though dazzled by Parisian elegance, which he beheld for the first time, was in no way abashed ; lie bore his pigs and his ina'rim >:iial plaus in miuu, and at a recnt soiree somewhat startled society by abruptly bidding for a younu lady in the following tuiins: —" Who v.'l I an elegant yom g woman for my jjigs ? X have alal at home who wants a wife, and I offer any young girl who is ' willing' a portion of 500,0UU franci in pigs which would fetch their value in the market any day iu the year." The lirst result of this uuusualand frank declaration was cli'Tiu of feminire ahs ! and nlis ! even the most worldy of mothers looking daggers at tho " brute" who offered swine in exchange for youth and innocence. But la nuit porta couseil, and the following day the "brute" was besieged by an avalanche of perfumed missives from match-making mammas with a good stock of portionless daughters on hand, announcing their willingness to accipt the piga and tlie rustic son-in law. M. Mattieu now finds himself fac3 to face with another difficulty, that of choosing from the numerous candidates a bride elect for his heir.