Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-01

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physical misfortune with aversion think
not, if it Had appealed to me, as |, In my
first communionship with mankind, ap-
pealed to those with whom / was thrown
into association.
| "Mauvain took me with him into the
buster world, where / learned to know
mankind better than in his beautiful
country home. 1t did not improve upon
more intimate acquaintanceship. Thought
it an honor when Mauvain lent me to his
artist friends as model for stone or
canvas, but when l saw myself depicted as
a foil to beauty, and recognized that the
moral lesson sought to be conveyed made
me spiritually as well as bodily hideous, l
felt as if l should have loved to cut the
| canvas to shreds and shatter the marble
to fragments for the injustice perpetuated
upon me. All this embittered me, and
made my way of life harder and harder as
the years rolled on.
Fond of his pleasures, and unscrupu-
lous in the pursuit of them, Mauvain was
also an ambitious man, and his ambition,
leading him to political intrigue, brought
him to crisis in which his life was in
danger He was compelled to fly the
country.
"Of all his numerous friends, of all who
served him, he chose me to assist him in
his escape. 1t needed caution and courage,
for enemies were searching for him, and
there was price upon his head. | knew
that could earn this money, knew that
his life was in my hands, l knew that he
had no feeling of regard for me, and that
he had only used me for his sport and
pastime, but l did not betray him. The
service he required of me l performed
faithfully, and he received it with I'M
thankful indifference.
cit was early morning, and we stood
upon the seashore. The vessel which was
to convey him to land of safety lay
mile off, its sails ready for the flight. A
boat awaited him. He was about to step
into it without word, when he turned to
me with sudden impulse, and said:
"What are you going to do?
"'To be my own master, 1 replied L
have had one am glad to be rid of him.
'He laughed gaily; he was man of
courage, and though every additional mo-
ment might be fatal, he fingered because it
was his within to linger.
60. You are bit of student, Rant, he
said &c Heaven knows how you acquired
your knowledge, but you have some, and
I think you understand human nature. 1
am curious to know why you have served
me faithfully in this last perilous mission.
You might have earned money by giving
me up. You have no love for me, 1 know !;
you know have nothing but contempt for
you; you might have had my life. Why
have you served me now, at the risk of
your own?
"'Question for question, l said; answer
mine first. Why of all the men by whom
you were surrounded did you intrust your
life to my keeping?'
"' Because, he replied, with frank
smile, of all the men by whom l was sur
rounded you were the one who, giving evil
dence against me, would be least likely to
be believed. No one trusts you, Rant
Had you said to my enemies, "Search to
the left, they would have searched to the
right. Had you told them the truth, they
would have instantly concluded you were
putting them off the scent. That is the
reason employed you.
"tYou had not even respect for me?
Not the slightest, hunchback.'
Ellis contemptuous tone did not sting
me l was used to it.
"'We are not 1 said, equals even at
this moment, when your life hangs upon a
thread =?
So Equals = he exclaimed. TO prove to
YOU how far we are removed, have mind
to stop and show you how gentleman can
die
&c Do not trouble yourself, 1 said, with
some sort of admiration for him death
comes from one cause in man and gentle
man it is really whether one can or can
not breathe. So we are very far removed
Intellectually?
"As far as the poles.
"'It is a comforting belief. Now will
answer your question.
"'Aye, do; had almost forgotten it.
sYou want to know why | have saved
your life at the risk of my own. will
tell you. You have never stepped between
me and my affections. Not in one of your
pleasures have l taken an interest. Not
for one of the women you have followed
have l felt spark of admiration. l have
laughed at you often; you thought they
were your slaves. You were mistaken
you were theirs My mind is not as
crooked as my body, and it might have
been that some woman, or some child,
who touched your inner life might also
have touched mine. If that had been the
case, and you had wronged, or to my
knowledged harbored thought of wrong,
towards the being l had an affection
for
'I paused. With a patronizing, dis.
dainful smile upon his handsome face Maui
vain said:
s'' Proceed. do not know when l have
been so interested
81 cast my eyes to the ground, and
searched for the largest pebbles on the
shore. l deliberately selected two, and
holding them in one hand, ground them to
powder.
Symbolical, said Mauvain, and ex-
pressive.
But, said I, these stones have no
,o4b h.,