The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-03

died, without once thinking of her fifty thou
sand dollars.
Il want you to take part, tonight, Har-
vey," said Miss Edwards to her brother.
"What part? that of the discarded suitor?'
he asked, somewhat bitterly, Il have no heart
for these things now, Kate-were Alice to act,
there might be some inducement."
t'She will act" replied his sister, land it is
for that very reason that wish you to join us. !"
| In spite of his former assertion, Harvey now
began to show signs Of retreating, but his sis
ter was firm, and it was entirely through her
agency that the audience had the pleasure of
seeing him about to play at stakes with the
Evil One
Alice was entirely dressed, silver wings and
all, before she knew that she was 10 play the
part of good angel to Harvey Edwards; but it
was now too late to retreat, and as they had
anticipated, the peculiar circumstances of the
case brought an expression Of softness and ten
derness to her lovely face, that was almost an
gelic. Harvey Edwards could have sat gazing
upon her forever; but the scene had already
been unusually long, and the curtain was now
drawn over the performers.
A genuine outbreak of enthusiasm almost
prevented them from seeing that the enchanted
I corner was again blaze of light, and again the
angel stood before them. But her beautiful
head was drooped-her arms hanging beside
her in d state of utter abandonment-aad the
silver of her wings seemed tarnished The
gambler no longer gazed toward her, but, with
eyes fixed upon the fatal cards, sat playing
desperate game with the prince of darkness
the stake his own soul. The expression of de-
spairing sorrow on the sweet face of his good
angel was unheeded; he played on, forgetfuI of
her presence.
The last scene represented the good angel,
with outstretched wings, just soaring away
from the scene of despair; and in the last look
upon the object of despair beamed forth love
and sorrow too great for mere stage acting"
Alice had been very much excited. 1t was
the truthfulness of the positions they had as
sumed that brought forth all the finer points of
her nature, and threw into the representation
that life-like beauty which gave so much force
to the coloring. She felt tenderness towards
Harvey Edwards that almost startled her; and
frightened at the reyealings of her own heart,
she sought to quiet its tumutuous beating in
solitude.
Other tableaux followed; but none bore the
palm from the :s'Game of Llfe,' and numerous
were the inquiries for the missing angel, but she
was not to be found.
In far-of corner Of the grounds, nearly con-
cealed by The thick trees among which her white
dress CLEANED like web of light, sad Alice
Caring gton-her hand tightly clasped by one
upon her Solitude Yes, Harvey saw the ad-
vantage that he had gained, and determined to
follow it up. Tenderly and respectfully he
pleaded his cause, and the sof eyes of the good
angelo were not avered
''Be my good angel through life, dear Alice"
he urged, 'you alone can keep me from the
temptings Of my own heart-you alone are
perfect
"But YOU forget" said Alice archly, "that the
good angel has just failed-if could not keep
you from selling yourself TO the Evil One, what
success can l expect in less important thngs?"
90, but that was only story" he pleaded;
chad it been reality, you know that | would
have gone with you, dear AIice.'
Alice shook her head doubtfulIy, but she
did not withdraw her hand; and encouraged by
this condescension, Harvey actually dared to
kiss it, Even this caused no very violent ex-
plosion; and surprised and delighted to find his
angel growing quite earthly, he declared his re-
solution of remaining upon his knees until she
promised TO take him under her surveillance
for life What could Alice do? She had re-
fused him only that very morning, but there
really seemed to be a fate in it; and so-she
scarcely knew what she said, but the next mo-
ment the gentleman had left his knees, and sea-
ted himself beside her.
Mrs. Ravcnsham laughed at her-Kate Ed
wards laughed at her-and Alice dropped and
blushed under their mischievous looks but then
Harvey would approach, and she forgot all
about them.
People said that it was good lesson for Har
vey-showing him what would be the end of
his career However that might be, he was
certainly an altered man, and Alice never had
reason to regret 'thc Game of Lile.9'
The French NAT1oS.-De Tocqueyie, in
his recently published work on France before
the revolution of 1889, draws this exquisitely
wrought picture of the French nation
"When | consider this nation in itself, it
strikes me as far more extraordinary than any
in our own annals Was there ever any nation
on the face of the earth so full of contrasts and
SO extreme in all its actions, more swaycd by
sensations less by princip pes-led therefore al
ways TO do either worse or better than was ex
peced ofit-sometimcs below the common lev
el of humanity sometimes greatly above it
people so unalterable in its leading instincts,
that it's likeness may still be recognised in de-
scrlplions written two thousand or three thou
sand years ago, but at the same time so muta-
BILE in its daily thoughts and in its tastes as TO
become spectacle and an amazement to itself,
and to be as much surprised as the rest of the
world at the sight of what it has done--a peo
pie beyond all others the child of home and the
slave Of habit, when left to itself, but when once
torn against its will from the native hearth and
from its daily pursuits, ready to so TO the end
Of the world and to dare all things; indocIe by
temperament, yet accepting the arbitrary and
even the violent rule of a sovereign more rea-
dily than the free and regular government of
the chief citizen; to-day the declared enemy Of
all obedience, tomorrow serving with a sort of
passion which the nations best adapted for SER
vitude cannot attain; guided by thread as long
as no one resists, ungovernable when the ex-
ample of resistance has once been given; al
ways deceivng its masters, who fear it either
too little or too much; never SO free that it is
honoleSS tn enSlaye If or 81 cnsl layod that If