River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-12
THE GOLD LUST.


dear 10 Balzac lovers for what Henry Curwen,
N his sorrow and Soug has called precious
Indications ~ to his garnet life al tha opening
Of his career, and to his one amusemfntl
When l was a penniless student I lived in a
little unknown street called La Rue de Lesdi-
guieres." All night worked in my little I'M
known attic: by day I read in neighboring
public library lived frugally, accepting ali
the conditions of a monastic life, so essential
to brain woTkcrs One single passion drew me
from my tuiou7 habits, but even that was a
study I used 10 90 about watching the man
ners Of the Faubourg, its people, and their
characteristics As i'll clad as the workmen
themselves, and as cereless of decorum,
they We're never on their guard against me,
so l could mingIo in the crowds, watch
their bargus, hear their disputes as
they came back from work. With me
the power Of observation was already in
tuitive penetrating the soul without neglect
Ing the body, SEEKING upon outward forms SO
thoroughly that 1t Instantly went beyond them,
till had the power Of living the very life OF
the individual was sauging As listeued
seemed welded 10 their life I felt their rags
upon my back. walked with my feet in their
tattered shoes; their desires. their wants, all
passed into my soul, and my soul passed into
theirs. II was the dream of waking man
To quit H., own belongings to become another
than myself by excitement Of the moral facuI-
ties, and 10 do this whatsoever willed it-such
was my solo distraction 70 what DO / owe
this giftz l. it second sight? Would the
abuse of it lead to madness? | have never
fathome.l The cause of the power. | have; 1 use
it-that is ALL
One day nv char-wOman came to invite me
10 be- present at her sisters wedding To give
All idea of what the wedding was likely to he
must explain that gave this poor woman for
" sou- month for making my bed every
morning, cleaning my shoes. sweeping nay
nom and preparing my breakfast Beyond
this she earue,. ten sous day at SOME wretch
ed calling; her husband earned four francs !;
they had three children, and yet they con
trved 10 be honest That sort of person in
terestS me | readily promised % 60 to tie
wedding. | looked forward TO blending myself
with the JOY oi these poor people in the way
have described
All the merry making took place at wine
merchants ia large room lighted by lamps
with tin Tcllec 'ors, hung with garlands of cut
paper. and furnished with wooden benches
sound the walls. In tins room were eighty
people trckcd out in Sunday best dancing for
dear life, and all expressing a simple animal
pleasure that WAS contagious, There were
three pieces of musiC-viOlin. clarinet, and tlage-
olet-ali played hy blind men from the asylum
of the Ounce Nngts Naturally they dld not
play Eo-siHi nor Beethoven, but the instant
looked al thcm knew the sought-f0r food of
my Imagination was found, and my curiosity
was stimulated 10 the highest degree. The
violin and hageolet players both had common
faces, hut that of the clarinet player was one
Of th0se phenomena that riyct the eyes of the
artist and the philosopher.
Imagine plaster castof Dante's face, light
ed mp with the red glare of an argaud lamp
and crowned with a forest of SILVER white
hair The bitter and melancholy expression
of this magnificent head was only efnObled by
blindness, for thought terminated the dead
eyes, fiery CLEANS seemed to dart from them
born of some oas Cvaseless desire deeply
craven on the rugged forehead, scanned with
wrinkles like the courses of an old wall
The old man paid very little attention to his
playing, Int, on the other hand the dancers
cared very little what was played | felt that
ahe old Homer cherished within himself an
Odyssey condemned to oblivion ALI the vio-
lent passions that govern a man, for good or
evil. were present IN his noblv chiseled, hvidly
Italian face His gray eyebrows jutted over
cavernOus eye-sOckets, that L dreaded 10 see
lighted with the fire OF thought as one breads
10 see the torches and the weapons of brigands
CLEAN at the mouth of a cave. There was a
lion Gagged in that body, lion whose rage was
spent with useless beating against the bars
The fire of despair was dead IN Its ashes the
leva had grown cold, but the burrows, the desc
latiol, little smoke, told OF the violence of the
eruption and the ravages OF the flames. The
thoughts that had nodded the mans appear
anca were as hot in his soul as they were cold
sIpOn his face. At pause m the music l
questioned him.
what countryman are yOu-you playing on
the olarinet?"
II am a Venetian" replied the blind man,
with a slight Italian accent
'Were you born blind or did you become
so."
BY accident, he replied, eagerly; ''the
cursed dropscreen."
''Venice is beautiful city; | always had a
fancy to go there" | continued.
'If | went with yOu, You would go TO some
purpose he replied His face grew ANNA
ted, his wrinkles worked he was much moved
SO on with your playing, DO@e, said the
hage0let Hope played over his worn face Like
a blue flame With blndman's sixth sense,
he felt the interest took III him.
why do they call You Doge." asked
''Their Joke ! am a Venetian patrician, and
might have been doge like another.
what is your name:'
They write it Canet here" he replied, "but
Il Italian it is Marco FacinO Cane, Prince of
Varese
"A descendant Of the famous eondottiere
whose conquests went to the duke of Milan"
'sThe same, he replied. In those days
Canes son fed to Venice aud vas registered
on the Golden Book To day there is neither
book nor Cane He finished with violent
rebellIOus gesture.
III YOU were a Venetian senator, YOU must
have been rich How did you lose your for
tuner"
At this question of mine he raised his head
as if he was really looking at me-a most tTag
ic acton-and answered:
Through misfortunes"
1 stood lost in a dream of Venice and the
Adriatic. Facino Cane stopped playing, stood
up, and togS my arm
''Let Us leave this place. he said, abruptly
and we passed out into the street Then he
spoke agan.e ''Will yOu gujle me to Venice.
Will YOU trust 10 me- You shall be richer
than the ten richest houses Of Amsterdam
or London; richer than a fairy tale.
He led me on 10 a solitary quarter, and atlast
sat down upon a block Of stone where the moon
poured its lightupon his silver hair. The noise
81 the tumult OF the bouieyards came to US
family. II was a fantastic scene.
I am twenty wears old, and you talk to me
Of millions. Do You think there IS any hard
ship would hesitate 10 undergo TO obtain them?
Don't anuse yourself at ms expense on such a
subject.H / CRED.
MAY die without absolution.' he swore,
violently If what am going 70 tell YOU Is not
true have been twenty years old like Won:
was rich handsome. noble, l began my life
with the first of all fOllIes-!Ove- Ny love was
like a lava food. Years ago | fell in love with
ore Of the NCnOramini. eighteen years old,
married 70 one If the Sagredos. rich senator
twice her a-,C ana WlllN III toNt Will HIS WIG
NV lady love aud !. stlll innocent as the angels,
were talking OF love one day, when the sposo
surprised Us | was uuarmed He missed
mo l sprang upon him and straugled
HIM with my bare hands, wrInginS
his neck like fowls. I wished to lily with
Blanca hut sls would not follow me. So much
f0T women, I Asi alone, was indicted aud
my goods were seQuestrated for my heirs.
However, ! hal managed TO carry OF my dia-
monds. i've rolled pictures by Titan and all
me gold went 10 Milan. where | WAS not
disturbed-my affair did not interest the state
Whether wumans faucies influence the IN
born child or not. II Is a fact that my mother
had a passion for gold. and my mania for it
amounts 70 such an intensity of desire, that in
all vicissitudes of NV life ] have managed TO
ke,., some about me- must handle gold con
st4litv When / WAS young always had two
or ;hree hudred ducats about ne
As he ~ he the old man drew two ducats
from his pocket and showed them to me.
Il have special sense for gold as well, he
continued; Though l am blind, / stop N
sfinctivaly before the jewellers windows. The
passion has been NV perdition became gam
blersO a. 10 stake gold ! was not a swindler, so
was swindled | ruined myself When my
fortune was gone was seized with desire TO
see Blanca. | returned secretly 70 Venice,
found her and was happy for six months, hid
den and cared for by her l thought TO finish
my life So But a suitor Of Blanca guessed
rival-thev have rem rkahle intultlOns IN Italy
set spies on Us aud surprised rs in each
others arms I did not kill him, but l wound
Cd i'm seriously. lie called his followers and
had she place surrounded l defended my
sci and Blanca helped me. Formerly she
woHld not hy with me, but after six months Of
har jiuess she wished 20 die with me- and re-