Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-11
with the enthusiasm of cheerful motherly ladie

Win the enthusiasm OF cheerfui mOtherly ladies
| of certain age.
"The Count seems much struck by Miss
| Rogers, she said to me one day.
''Yes, have noticed his little game"
answered, putting on my most knowing and
| cynical smile.
"His little game! What do you mean, Tom?'
retorted my wife Indignantly.
What do mean. my dear? Why. nothing.
only that Miss Rogers is said to be worth a
| plum"
"Wel supposing she is! So much the better
l daresay the Count is well Off too. Why
shouldn't he marry her? She's very nice girl,
! I'm sure"
''She is" replied. having no sort of objection
! to make TO the statement.
| Poor mani" continued my wife in senti-
mental strain. show tired he must be of wan
dering about alone! should like to see him set
tied. with good little girl like Clara Rogers to
| take care OF him"
| thought Laurowski fully capable of taking
excellent care of himself without any extra
| ne0us help. But it is trick of mine to be con-
stantly making reflections, without giving ex-
| preston to them.
| The Count, however was not going to have it
! all his own way. Somebody else appeared on
the scene to make a flank attack" and this
| somebody was Doctor Christopher Hansen
| The first heard of the Doctor was at the din
ner table, and from Miss Rogers herself
! IL have had quite an adventure to-day" she
said to us all in her fresh. smiling way
An adventure!" exclaimed Laurowski. "Tell
us. beg You, mademoiselle; am defrious for
adventures"
81 was coming down stairs" she related.
'when l heard terrible crash of something
falling. | looked and saw it WaS-what do YOU
| think now?'
We all of rs barzarded the most absurd
| guesses. the worst of them coming from yours
| truly, who thought fit to ask whether the pros
trate object was lady's chignon. NIB made
the suggestion regardless OF a certain persons
| most majestic frOwn
at was a crutch," continued Miss Rogers "a
big heavy crutch, and the owner of it, poor
fellow, was at the top of the stairs clinging to
the balusters in despair. l ran down with all
speed, caught it up and brought it back to him.
You should have seen the look of gratitude he
gave me! l think it took away his power of
speech, for he bowed very low, but said moth
ing w. - .
stranger could be. A military looking person.
age, wearing the ribbon of the Legion of Honor,
who sat close by Us. Volunteered the informa-
ton.
THAT gentleman" he said, twas Dr. Hansen,
one OF tine bravest and best surgeons of the
french army. He was at Saarbruck, at Sedan,
everywhere, in fact, where cool head and an
unerring hand could be of service A few wears
ago he was as straight and as nimble as any one
| of us here. He was famed for life whilst he
performed his duty to the wounded under Prus-
sian she'll. He is an Englishman. and YOU NAV
well be proud Of such countryman.'
This intelligence, impaired to us in grave
/ and almost stern manner. produced a feeling OF
respectful interest in the doctor We learned,
100. that his misfortune had rendered him ex-
| tremeiy shy and reServed-especialy where
women were concerned that he never on
any account would consent to take his meals at
the public table ThOte
! l, however. as a fellow Fine!islman succeeded
in routing him ont and making him bit more
sociable. | found him to be a gentleman TO his
Uatf
modest as lie was accomplished. He let me
understand that he admired Miss Rogers very
much and that her delicate behavior to him i'm
the matter Of the crutch had impressed him
with an idea of her goodness of heart. He
seemed also somewhat curious about Laurowski
ana the attentions he appearedtO pay the Young
American heiress. | tancied him as doubtful
about the Count as was myself
Mr.. Rogers and the doctor got on captally.
The American made the study of botany his
hobby and would scale the heights of Monte
BlgnOne and its chain OF hills in search of rare
plants. DR.. Hansen, whose knowledge of the
science was of no mean order would help to
classify them and could see that his compaa-
l0nsnlp afforded Mr. Rogers an extreme
pleasure. With Miss Rogers though ALWAYS
courteous, he was shy and distant to painful
degree. She was ever civil and pleasant to
him, but he seemed somehow dreadfully con-
scious OF his lameness. as though. indeed his
being cripple made him social Ieper. ill-ftted
Tor the society of pretty girls.
nevertheless we forced him, willy-nilly to
make one of our circle in the drawing-room of
an evening. There he would sit with his pom
| derous crutch by his side. moodily watching the
Count. who hung about Miss Rogers and monoD-
Ned her imam audacious fashion, while nv wife
evidently bent upon making match between
these two, helped him by means of every posi-
bic womanly astuteness. On one occasion the
DOCTORS friend--he of the Legion of honor
having Informed us that Hansen was skilled
I MUSICIAN WOuIG
had compelled him to sit down and sing After
good deal OF pressing he consented and sang
one or two good Old-tashiOned English ditties
III me baritone voice. powerful enough. yet SO
completely under control. as to subside down at
his will, to whisper Or a tear. 1t was some
thing very different to LaurOwski's emasculated
sentimental rubbish, and pleased US hugely
Miss Rogers turned round quite moved. and
looked at the little lame doctor as though he
had revealed himself to her in quite different
! light; and the Count bit his lip, through envy
and veXatiOn.
There was certainly no love lost between
L"urowski and DR.. Hansen. The Count. tall
ana handsome as he was. was afraid of the little
lame man, with the keen gray eyes, and scepti-
Cal smile. He never ventureu to talk about his
campaigns with Garibaldi in Ifansens presence.
he did so once. made some biunder was put
right by the doctor in a modest delicate fashion.
ana, after that, kept his narratives for occasions
When Hansen wasn't by. Hansen knew too
much; he had also seen good deal of war, and
1t wasn't safe to talk before him.
Under the escort of the Count, we all made
an excursion to Monaco, Laurowski was evil
IDENTIFY well known in the gambling saloon The
c''onple' nodded to him, and asked him slyiy if
ne had come to break the bank, and several
hobit,tes of the place claimed him as acGuaint-
ance lnever saw man alter so much as the
Count did as soon as he got nearthe green baize
His handsome face acquired an expression of
greed, which IthOughtdOwnright tiendsh He got
feverish and excited, and was certainly no
longer the melancholy, romantic person of the
drawing room.
That night. too, he was not in happy vein
My wife and staked few napoleOns on rOuqe
ct NOR, just for the fun of the thing and. having
lost. gracefully retired into the humble CAPACITY
of spectators. Miss Rogers also put timidly q
gold piece or two on the game of chance, and
won. She doubled, trebled and ultimately sex
tupled her gains when she stopped handling
her gold triumphantly, and declaring that every
penny OF it should go to the poor of San Reno
The interest of the evening was concentrated
upon Laurowski and the Doctor, who plunged
recklessly into the gambling vortex.
Hansen. cool and collected, threw his money
down with the indifference of man who cares
not straw whether he win or lose The Count
seemed to have some system of his own, and
watched with ill-dsguised anxiety the results
<k ,Os.lor