The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-10-16
UNMASKED ~CARD-SHARPER.

n Story of a Young Man who was Detect
ed Cheating i'm a Club.
They were discussing the latest scan
dial. Ayoungman ofgoodconnections
had been ANONYMOUSLY expelled from
a club. Playing in collusion with a
professional gambler, he had cheated
at cards and in q few months he had
won a considerable sum.
"And has he killed HIMSELF" asked
some one.
"Bahl'' replied another. "Do men
kill themselves for SO little nowadays?
1t was different in thegood old times"
Gin the good cid times, as you call
them" said old General Roy, "those
who adopted the card-sharper's pro-
fession killed themselves no more
than do those of the present time.
A few exceptions there may have been
among those who were detected at the
outset. But if the first attempt sue
ceeded, they did as they do to-day,
they quickly accustom themselves to
their degradation. All, it is so easy!
When respect for his own name we will
not restrain a man at the first step,
it is entirely dead withinh him, and even
a scandal will not revive it. By the
way, | can tell you of a curious case in
point, where the hero blew out his
brains, BUTT was not asuicide. Listen:
ait was some fifty years ago. The
yx.n66 &c Al oA f,pon MO q not fhn tnyrnfh1o
gossip thatit is to-day, andsensation-
al news never passed certain bounds.
There were not fewer scandals, but the
scandals we're less known. In fact, /
think there were rather more. Not
that we are more virtuous, but the
fear Of publicity is certainly a great
check.
"Among the elegant young fellows,
the gilded youth of those days, who
furnished the greater part OF the a
dalous gossip by their eccentrici-
ties and duels, was q young gentle
man attached to the kings household.
/ shall call him the Vicomte Roland.
The name was not an illustrious one;
in fact, the yicomte vas the fruit OF
one ofthose mixed marriages introduc-
eddy Napoleon /. General Comte Ro-
land, whose heavy cavalry charges are
matters of history, had married the
daughter of the Marquis de Bransac, a
member of one of the wealthiest and
most powerful families of France. His
son was then about t~wenty-six years
of age. He had not the robust, plebi-
an beauty Of his father, who had been
one of the h~andsomest men in the ar
my. His was rather the delicate and
distinguished grace ofhis mother, whose
idol he was. Having loved her hus-
band passionately the countess was
o wrapped up IN his son.
s'Theextravagant life led by the son
had causeda quarrel between the par
ents. The countess lived in the Bran
sac Hotel, one of the finest inthe Fau-
bourg Saint Germain, while the general
secluding himself in a little chateau in
the forest of Senart, passed his time
in the pleasures of the chase. They
say he had ill-treated his wife, but it
was utterly untrue. The fact is shat
there had been between hegeneral and
his wife, two terrible scenes.
s'The first was caused by an idea
which took possession of thecountess.
She found this name Roland too
plebeian for her son, and tormented
her husband to obtain the kings au-
thority to add to it that OF De Bran
sac. The general theoretically refus-
ed.
" My name has sufficed for me- said
he for me who have made it famous.
1t will do for this fine gentleman, my
son. If he does not find it brilliant
enough, let him try to add to it's
Iustre.'
'sThe second scene was brought
about by the vicomte abducting a bal
let dancer, and by a duel and a debt
which were the consequences of this
little affair. The general brought the
son before his mother and roughly re
proved him for his folly. Instead Of
supporting her husband, the countess
made excuses for her son. Women al
ways are ~indulgent toward the man in
a love scrape.
ssAstha general told his son that his
fortune was not sufficient to maintain
such scandalous absurdities, the
countess unhapIily interiecsed;