Litchfield enquirer., 1880-06-10

Uusing over 1t almost made Pascal weep.
 Buf there WAS general cry for Amnesty" sx thai m0uSegG among the nOisiest sections of th< Preach community, and IiIan who had bee1 2z1essied, like Marius, was naturally usnFe interesting than one who had always keps the even tenor of his way like Pascal ThE latter saw that every mans face was g.u@ing cesd to him, now that he had lifted his beeI against a popular favorite and even hiS kInd scS in paying Marius's debts was suz<1oW twisted into q cause Of reproach 2x4i1z< hlm f; for people said that he had re- cesved sum of money in trust for the pay menfoF B0uge4rdis debts, and had appropria- ted the grezier part of it to his own use. This KSd5cnIous rumor actually reached the ears of the Disciplinary Council of the Order of Ad- vucxtes. whose President, old N. Lessge, sent far Pascal and administered paternal warn- ing. .-Tf seems, 1" he said, ''that Marius Bou- sezrd Ts going s.bOut' saying that you swindied him Of course, DO sensible man believes him huE the world is composed largely of fools, and this ought to make you careful how you mix yoarscIf up with the coicerns of rapscal- kaA7
 -Whzt do yOu advise me dos" asked Pal cal L-iOax, with one of his doleful snuffies-
 .-Y0u c0a do nothing except explain to me q whosc inssi sigzfion you paid Marius debtsT
 Al no6Odyis. l wanted to whitewash the feIbow, that's all
 -.But yOu expected to be repaid, suppose and a< people are generally 10th to believe in QaixoCry wsere mOuey matters are concerned, good many will think.yOu speculated on this rxsczFs distress
 Well. I'll 20 off BOW and challenge him for telling lies about me" snlvelled Pascal.
 That Es the very last thing you must do or t will be thought that you wanted to kill creditor, which IS proceeding not sanctioned hy any eode of hcn0r."
 Nell. this is a wicked world, M Lesage," remarked Pascal, dismally.
 lis an odd one" responded the old lawyer ssAnd you are an odd fellow not to have picked up greater experience of il.
 Pascal LedOux went home meditatIng on these wurdS and he felt exceedingly sorrowful. The day Of election was at hand, and 1t was being rumOred through the town that if Mari Us succeeded i1 getting returned he would uaxrry Mile RJsalle Marsault. Old Benot was said tO be taking the greatest interest in the e4ecsioa, paying for advertisements, placards, and % fOEth, and attending all the banquets zS which his nephew Martus was to speak. This impgudent addiction to cOnvivialty end ed by telling upon a man of his age, and on ghs night before the election he fell seriously uL M Marsau!t al once hurried to his house, b1s found, To his surprise, that two other law yers h2d already teen sent for, one of them be- ing N Leszge- These items of intelligence were brought tO Pascal Lsdoux in the evening by 10 Iess person than the Chief of the local Police, who added that he had matter of iul- pnCtaEce tO communicate to M. Ledouxs ear zlO0e- .-II Is one which may affect the result Of ton30grOW's election" said he; and he ex- plained that he was in possession of dOcu- meols which proved that Marius mad not only committed a murder during the Commune, but e0= of a peculiarly base sort, and for pri- vaie motives Wherewith politics had nothing to do.
 What does it matter since the man is am- nestied." responded Ledoux, indifferent V-
 But if these facts were known to the elec- tOEs they would never return him. Speak the wOSd Mir LeSIOux, and hand over these docu- usents tO you so that you can have them print ed and circulated by to tomorrow"
 Fl sm nOl in the least tempted to do it, an- swered LedOux. ''TO begin with, it would 0ok like unfair fighting and in the next place l am well content that Ville-Aubry should elect this rogue and then find out his Antecsdents afterward. That will read nice lesson"
 ''As you please, Sir, said the Chief of the Police Il think, however, shall call on NJ. BenOI-"
 ''Oh, no that would be of on use. Proofs ten times mOre cOgent would notconvince Mna. He wants 10 remain the uncle of hero"
 So there the interview ended, and Pascal LedOux went to bed that night feeling serener than he had done for some time past. He was conscious of real superiority over his antag- Onist- now that he had spared him.
 The next day the election took place, and the men of Ville-Aubry went forth to poll in melancholy files. quite tranquilly, as the French custom IS. There were plenty of cor cred posters on the street walls, but no crowd ing or confusion on the foOtways. Into the ballot boxes the electors dropped their ballot papers mysteriOusly, and it was only by the talk current in cafes that one could prognosticate how the election was likely to turn. A greAt many who were known to be Conservatives avOwed having voted for the man of their partY-a wealthy land-owning Count Desecus while the mass of Republicans talked as if they had voted for Mauaice Bougeard Hard- ly man could be found who spoke of having voted for poor Pascal Ledoux.
 The poll closed al 6, and the votes were qhickly counted up at the mairle and other voting stalls. Half an hour sfterward vague rumors began to circulate of Ledoux having boiled mere votes than had been expected The throng of noisy supporters that had been escOrti0g the ex Communist about the town all day, and had now come to anchor with him in d cafe, began tO thin of suspiciously. At the end of another half hour new rumor, more diSquIetiug than the first, caused them to disappear altogether Marius BOugeard, growing uneasy, but not liking to show it, waited alone in the cafe to hear the result of the election, which was at last brought him by a newsboy. It was such as to made him stagger:
 NUMBER OF VOTERS, 10,020.
 Pascal Ledoux, 7.25O Count Desecus, 2,000 Marius BOugeard, 270
 When the glad tidings were brought to Pas cal LedOux by old M Lesage, it was. of course, a long time before he could realize them.
 What does this mean 2" he asked in stupe- faction Why, yesterday seemed to have not a friend"
 ''It means simply that public opinion in France $ a coward, answered NJ. Lesage. "There is an agitation abroad among turbulent folks in favor of an amnesty, and orderly peo- pie are afraid to oppose it by word of mouth but send them to vote. and you soon see how mellow is the sympathy in favor of revolution ary cut-throats"
 Well, then, it's better world than it looks. whmpered Ledoux, passing his hand herchief over his fragment of nose
 "Yes it is; for have another good piece of news for you" continued NJ. Lesage. ''Old Benot died this afternoon, and he has made you his heir. His eyes were opened to the villainy of his nephew before he died, aud he heard also through different quarters how magnanimousiy you had behaved to the scapegrace. Thus 'slrs well that ends we'll"
 Matters were not yet quite ended though, for Pascal Ledoux had still to make his peace with Rosalie and marry her. One is happy te say that, after little while he coutrived to do both without much difficulty. He had powerful ally in M. Marsault, who had every reason for being civil to old Benots heir, and perhaps. too. in the girls own heart, for Mari us Bougeard ceased to be very interesting creature when the sunshine of fortune had