Louisiana capitolian., 1880-07-20

brain fever, and recommended change Of
air; SO the old Marshal, who knew moth
ing about poney, gave his son about
enough to keep himfor i week, and sent
him off to Homburg forthe waters The
DEVILS own play was going on at that
picturesque little hole in those days,
aud young Elsenberg naturally found
himself tumble headlong into the set
who lived where it was hottest. There
was Bob Cheyke, Of the Life Guards,
and Agincourt, who had just come into
his title with Ivry dc Videsac, the
crack Ere nchman, who wentsuch a tre-
mendous smash two years later; and
Crichton and Mauleverer, with Jack
Nortiman, Birbantski Pasha, old Lord
Chowser, and l do not know how many |
more of the same lot. l fancy Rudy Ell
senbarg did not know what to make of
them at first. Their ways were not his
ways, but he soon fell into them. As
mischance would have it, too, he spoke
a little English, and that helped, / dare
say, for he had got many of the stolid,
honest ideas of his countrymen about
improving himself and very likely
thought at times that he might some
day have to act his part in a Battle of
Dorking, so that it might be as we'll to
prepare for the emergencies that
would probably arise out Of such
situation, whether he was among
the conquerors or the conquered
For while, Cheyke and the rest of
them used to always find him in his den
on the fifth floor of cheap hotel, por-,
ing oyer books of tactics and working
out military problems with corks and
pins, or one of those wonderfully accu-
rate maps issued by his native war
office. But they soon badgered him
out of that, and at last he was forever
| with them when they we're going fast
est.
He rode steeple chase on Asincourts
horse and won it sallantly for him, but
he also hold the bank against lvry
de Videsac and Lord Chowser for three
nights running without going to bed,
and he won nothing, as you may ex-
pect, at that game. The Lord knows
what came next. 1t was never made
quite clear. Some fellows will have it
that Nortiman and Bob Cheyke, who
had won q whole pot of money from
him, insisted on having it at. once, and
it is certain that a check bearing the
Field Marshals signature, given IN pay
ment to Cheyke, was refused by the
Bilkendorfs, his bankers. But, by the
first express train afterwards, tho old
Count came to Homburg himself, stalk
ed into Bob's rooms at the best hotel,
laid down the money on his toilet table
and then stalked out again without a
word. hardly like to tell on my OWL
responsibility what followed, but Lord
Chowser says that he met the Marshal
upon the stairs leading to Rudy's room
and that he could not help hearing
what passed between them through the
half-open door of young Eisenberg't
apartment. 1t was very brief. The old
soldier sternly confronted his son.
"Iche habc,' Then said le, uas schmut.
scs geld bcyahU. l have paid the fou
gold for which you have dishouored us
Now, do your part And as he ceaset
speaking, he placed on the table be-
tween them a pistol ho had brought
with him. ..t
"The young man made no answer, but
the next moment there was loud re-
, port, and the Marshal came forth from
the presence of his dead son with thai
white, ashen face you have just seen
He never smiled again.
"All the set who were mixed up in thu
affair naturally tried to put the best
face on it. Bob says he had right tt
get his money, and SO does Nortiman
but Chowser, though he is hardisf
old boy, doesn't like to talk much or
the subject, and l bell eve had to con
suit his doctor respecting o ghost, OF
something of that sort, which he fan
cied was following him about, and
wanted to catch hold of him whenever
he was alone"
"Ah," said, yawing, "very odd, ISM
it ?' did not know what else to say,
and l don't know now, only was glat
that the story was over. Bolton and
then passed the rest of the evening ir
witnessing some capital tricks, per.
formed by a regular professor Of slight
of-hand, who was then making a great
noise on the Continent. AS looked al
this amnsinr artist also. thOnvht that