The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-21
LOVE AND LOTTERY.
After the style of Victor Hugo as Trans
lated From the French.

After the style of Victor Hugo AS Trans
lated From the French.
Jean Jacques Dumont was 20 and hotel
clerk. Few young men of 20 are hotelclerks,
but lean Jacques was superior to most others.
The most remarkable thing about Jean
Jacques was diamond he did not wear.
Diamonds were invented by hotel clerk in
2963 B. c., and may now be purchased in the
Rue Italiens for two francs the dozen.
1t might be that their extraordinary cheap
ness caused Jean Jacques to determine not to
wear diamonds, but little woman with one
eye, who picked rags by means of a crooked
stick, and who went to the hotel daily, told
the organ grinder at the. corner that Jean
Jacques had another reason; and she was
right, for Jean Jacques was of sterner mold
than him who would let the cheapnesS of an
article deter him from buying it.
Jean Jacques played lottery. This was the
real reason, which he told himself while he
smote his breast and looked with envious eyes
at the glittering gems on the Chinese laun-
dried shirt bosoms of his colleagues.
Envy was discovered by Esau, husband
man who fourished in the time of Abraham.
The Chinese are not descendants of Abra-
ham, but they wash shirts. They are known
as Washee Washee, polite term constructed
by Count Bret Harte in the course
of speech rebutting the theory
that steam heaters are used in the
lower rooms of Esysium.
Jean jacques was 10 love. That is why he
played lottery. Love and lottery had never
before been connected, and Jean Jacques
acknowledged even to himself that only a
man OF genius could have connected them.
The more Jean Jacques played lottery the
more he loved. This was strange, but Jean
Jacques was not stranger.
Not at the house of his beloved; she of the
gazelle eye and the raven locks, the idol of
his heart, that is when he was not playing lot
terry.
Jean Jacques wanted money. The father
of airline had said to him, "When you have
$4,000 francs you may have Arlne;" if not
and you ask me again the boot, you know"
and Jean Jacques knew.
One night he dreamed that 5,Io,5I was the
lucky combination" He borrowed all his
friends money and bought all the tickets
which had 5, 10 or 81 marked on them.
1t was life or death. He turned pale and his
hair-of that bright red color which Airline
ioNSu 81 "Si-iSipSN tic WIN W idioC hiS
cap.
A knock was heard at Pere Georges resi-
dence. 1t was the next morning after the
grand drawing. Arline's heart stood still
while she frightened her corset. She knew it
was he, her Jean Jacques without diamond
Pere Georges was reading La Gaulois
when Jean Jacques, breathless, rushed in, a
copy of Figaro in his hand.
"Tis mine" said he, falling over Pere
Georges equity foot.
Pere Georges arose with incompatible
dignity. Monsieur? said he, lifting his
glasses on line with Jean Jacques nose. &.
"The prize" gaSped the young man, and
then fell fainting.
The stern old man now understood all he,
too, had been playing lottery. AS he looked
at the vi9ge of the young man, over which
had come the ashen hue of death, he relented
and said, "Arline must be his"
They were married that very evening,
these two who loved each other so
well. Pere Georges must pay 1000 francs to
a creditor before noon the next day.
But his note went to protest. Jean
Jacques did not appear.
The reason Jean Jacques did not appear,
was that he was dead. lie had committed
suicide.
1t was not his fault. True, he pulled the
trigger, but he would not have done so had
the lottery men paid him 5000 francs.
They told him he had not won it, and il
was so. The mistake was due to the Figaro.
The manager of that paper had not exercised
his usual discretion in raising the devil then
in his office. This devil had bad habits.
Solomon speaks of bad habits. The devil
had all of the bad habits Solomon speaks of,
and few others patented since Solomon's
time.
He was hired for Napoleon to replace a
type, the figure 80" with one bearing the
figure 81" The man who hired him was
Arline's rejected lover, and he had bribed a
lottery vender to tell him the numbers Jean
Jacques purchased.
1t was not 5, 10, 81 that drew the capital
prize, but S, 10, 50. So Jean Jacques blew
out his brains.
Airline mourned. She looked charming in
black. A theatrical agent saw her and en-
gagged her on the spot. She is now travelling
with Madison Square theatre company.
The devil alone got his due.
Mexican Railroad Interests.
Steady progress is being made in the con-