The Vaudeville Star

Opening night in Paris was much the same as London. Because the king of England had been to see the performance and was popular in France, the Parisians came out in droves to see the American Vaudeville troupe perform. The theater could seat close to two thousand people, and it was overflowing by the time the curtain rose.

The President of France, Émile Loubet, was in attendance with his wife, Marie-Louise. The troupe was presented to the president and first lady after the show, and each performer was complimented.

“A wonderful performance,” the first lady told Ruby. “Very lovely.”

“Merci, Madame,” Ruby responded, causing the couple to smile at her kind attempt to speak in their language.

The night was deemed a success, and the entire troupe headed to Bouillon Chartier to celebrate. The restaurant had been open a handful of years and provided a delicious meal at reasonable prices. The locals loved it. The troupe laughed and drank, and when the newspapers came out the next day, they received nothing but favorable reviews.

Le Figaro and Le Temps both proclaimed the troupe “highly original” and an “entertaining night.”

The next morning, Bessie, Archie, Ford, and Ruby wanted to see the sights of Paris and took a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower. Ruby gazed up at the impressive steel structure that was over one thousand feet tall.

“Can you imagine?” Ruby gazed at it in awe. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Come. Let’s take the lifts up,” Ford said, holding Ruby’s hand in his.

“A lift?” she asked as the siblings followed them.

“Of course.”

“I think we’ll take the stairs,” Bessie said, and the couples separated.

Ruby and Ford took their seats in the hydraulic elevator, and as it moved upward, Ruby found herself clutching Ford’s hand.

“Ford!” she exclaimed as she watched the ground move away from them.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” he whispered.

Her eyes were wide, and she smiled as they continued to move higher into the steel structure. She had never experienced anything like it, and eventually her hand was not clutching his but holding it. She glanced out the window and then back at him, a wide smile on her face.

Between the second and third floor, they took an elevator that was the only one of its kind in the world, as they were told by the conductor. By the time they reached the upper portion of the tower, they decided to take the stairs the rest of the way.

When they had reached the top they, were suddenly alone. Bessie and Archie had not made it yet to the top. A light rain had fallen that morning, and the city looked fresh and clear. They both took in the spectacular views of Paris.

“Look how lovely it is,” she said, breathing in the city from all angles. “I’m so glad I’m here and with you.” She turned to him.

“I think I have the best view,” Ford said, looking at her.

“Ford Rutledge! You smooth-tongued devil,” she said, laughing.

He pulled her to him and kissed her as she giggled.

“Where are they? The lift was slow. Surely they would have been here already,” she said.

“I asked them to wait for us below. They never came up.”

“What? Why did you do that?” Ruby frowned.

“Because I wanted to ask you something and not have an audience for once.”

Ruby grinned. “No audience for once. I like that!”

Ford went down on one knee and extracted a box from his pocket. “Ruby Mae Sutton, you have my heart, and I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”

Ruby caught her breath at the beautiful diamond-and-emerald ring, and her eyes filled with tears. “Yes!” After he placed the ring on her finger, she hugged him tightly and said, “You’ve always had my heart.”

At the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, Bessie and Archie were waiting for them.