Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-12-23

open in the path Of innocent maidenhood Tba.
made it worse-a thousand times worse. What eon,d
there be in Nicolas Brand to attract that pure
soul? What unholy arts had he used to draw her
to him? 1t was incredible, but most urbapnilv a
fact, that he had infatuated her, and was navino
| court to her.
"Did you speak to them, Anna?" asked.
"No; they didn't see me-"
'But, surely, Anna, this was not done in the omen
street %
"No; that's where the vil,any OF it is You know
the archway on the righthand side of the Court of
Public Justice. At this time Of the day there is no
one there, and scarcely any one passes through it
should not have done so had not wanted to 60 to
the blind-house TO give Mother Morel paper of
snuff She is ninety-eght but her nose is in splen.
did condition. 1t is the only sense she has left to
| enjoy, Master Fink She is blind, she Is deaf she
| can only humble words it is impossible to under.
stand, and she has scarcely any feeling in her. Her
nose is her sole comfort in this world for her mind
| has quite gore. We'll, when l went through the
archway there was no one there, and outside the
archway in the open court there were only the
pigeons picking up the crambs But when came
back through the archway, there, in the darkest
part Of it, WIS your treasure Nicolas Brand"
Don't call him my treasure, my good Anna"
said, mildly; 81 have no. high opinion Of him.
"What did you take him as your app eItice for,
then? warned you how it would be-
"Is possible exclaimed, testify, "to find in
this world woman who will tell story in straight
way, without flying away frcm it in all directions
Get out of that archway, Anna"
"There Nicolas Brand in the very darkest
part of it, with his round Katrine's waist. And
i yrpIaS
| the sound OF kiss"
"When two young people are together like that,
Anna," said, "there more unlikely things"
"Wen," she asked very sharply, "what are you
going to do about it?
"what can do. Anna?"
"Do Prevent it going any further"
How, Anna? In what way? You must not for
get that Nicolas is no longer my apprentice. He is
his own master he is an Independent workman
ga fine workman !" she cried, scornfully. SIT
was an act of folly to take him as an apprentice;
but when he was out Of his time it easy enough
| to get rid of him. Over and over again have
wondered why you have kept HIM on"
Sic did not know OF my little romance wren
his mother and were girl aud boy together had
the greatest confidence in Anna but this secret of
my youthful Gays fwas not likely to divulge to
| anyone. Besides, If in ungusrded moment had
| confilled in Anna am sure she would not have
sympathized with me. She might even have lost
confidence in me, and this was q risk did not care
to run.
You manage your kitchen" sid to this faith.
| ful old servant, g and will manage my shop If
took TIE liberty OF suggesting to you how you
sSould cook that plump goose you have in your
hand, should not be surprised to feel it ying about
my head, dead as it is
| From the frs: day came here" said Anna and
| there was really touch of pathos in her voice,
"everything has gone right in my kitchen Never
| a JOINT have spoilt, nor bird, has an ounce
of fat been wasted. Out Of what has been saved by
careful management we have even been able to feed
| the begsars Go down stairs now and you will see
| the saucepans and the pans and the molds shining
| Ike new silver; and if you can find speck Of dust
| on a plate or glass; you may cut off my head
1t was true, every word of it. and | should have
melted nt tears had it not been for the tragic tone
in which my good old Anna said | might
| cut eff her head. "And why" she continued.
and now her voice began to swell, ado I
| tell you this? TIC praise myself, to make you
| think am a miracle? No, Master Fink No. Won
know better than that. / am no miracle: only an
| ordinary woman, who is contented when things 90
on in quiet and honest fashion, 1t is to prove To
| you how easy it il for one pair of hands to do
thing well AMI for another pair of hands to make
| everything 20 wrong. Had taken an apprentice.
some wench who thought more of her own stomach
| TINA her masters, your meat woud have been un.
done or done to rags ard your favore dishes served
| up burnt to a cindcr But wolld have no appren-
tice; the work had to DO was done, and thsttwas
| enough for ut N h-ir-
into the house. And your shop, before you took
Nicolas Brand into it, was like my kitchen, model.
You got up in the morning you had your meals in
place; YOU did with your own cne pair of hands
every bit OF work yeu had to do you were putting
by money. and this house wss house of truth and
honesty. No lies to disturb us then, Master Fink
no deceit; no treaehery unholy work"
"Stop, Anna," cried; "fcr Heavens sake stop
Everything you have said is true, except the last.
Whatever else takes race in this house. there is no
unholy work going on here"
al tell you, Master Fink" said Anna, and her
voice became solemn that felt the hair rising on
my heal, "that there is unhoy work going Oh in
this house. The Evil One visits it regularly"
stared at her with my mouth wide open Had
the most savory morsc been popped into it at that
moment 1 should not have been able to move my
|
Explain to me what you mean," managed to
[ gasp out.
Explain to me- she retorted, "what Nicolas
Brand meals by getting up in the middle of the
| night, and playing cards with the Devil -
You may imagine my astonishment. You might
have thrown me from the chair to tie ground with
your little finger. PaYing cards in the middle Ct
the night with the devil ~ exclaimed
|
Nicolas Brand sleep in the next room to mine, and
isn't there hole in the wall behind the curtains of
my bed, into which have stuffed soft piece of rag
tied to my curtains that it can't be taken out on
the other side without disturbing me Well, then?
Ire fits. time l knew anything Of Nicolas Brands
unholy work was six months ago, when, waking up
in the middle of the night, heard him talking to
Some One in his room. My room was dark hive
nothing on my conscience, and sleep without a
| lght-but in his the camille was burning as saw
when quietly took the rag out of the hole and
| peeped through it. There was no harm in nv
doing i'll am old enough to be his grandmother l
knew that lawfully there should b, only me, YOU
| and Nicolas Brand in the house. You, knew. were
asleep down stairs. Who could it be- then, tnat
| Nicolas Braid was talking to? 1t was my duty to
| see-and am thankful that am not coward
Nicolas Brand sitting in his shirt eeves at his
little table; his back turned towards me, and
| as have told you, there a candle alight He
was shuff ng and dealing out pack of cards, talk
ing all the time in a voice you never heard, Master
Fink, all the years he has been with you. Sc dealt
cards to himself and to Whoever it was that sat op
rositc TO him. didn't anybody, but il could
have been nobody else but Satan who has the powe,
Of making himself invisible to any person he pieases
and he didn't show himself to me. But Nicolas saw
him clearly enough, for he spoke to the fiend, and
shook his fist at him and swore at him, and, when
he was winning, grinned in his face l thought now
and then could hear faint, wicked laugh from
the iiend, bit could Eot make sure OF that Nico-
| las kept account of s, ,mething-of his win-
nings and losiDgs. l suppose-on tieees CT
| paper, upon which he wrote something every
| time he dealt. That makes five hundred
| Nicolas said; that makes a thousand; thft
| makes fifteen hundred that makes two thousand
Where am to get the money from, you devil 1t
was at those times thought heard the laughing
| Of the fisnd opposite This went on for nearly an
| hour | should saw and then Nicolas brand rosa