Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-12-13
Helena, Montana, Thursday December 13, 1888

stantine. 1t was his regiment that had
been selected to protect the colonists and
quell the disturbance.
He went without reluctance, for those
of his comrades who knew the province of
Constantine spoke with enthusiasm of
that wonderfully beautiful country, with
it's plain of the Gazelles, it's mountains of
Albatre and Sci. A splendid country, but
one in which, behind it's thickets of laurel
roses, its intoxicating perfumes, its cliffs,
precipices and seductive hedges, danger
lurked perpetually, danger from the willy
Chachouia, ready to train upon you with
out a moments warning the shining bar
rels of their moukalas.
On the evening in question Louis de
Bremoat and the 500 men whom he had
taken with him on the expedition were
resting at their sixth and last halting
place before reaching their destination,
gathered about a clear spring. A hun
dred meters further away the sentinels
were posted who guarded the camp. The
rest of the soldiers slept, drank or
mended their uniforms.
De Fremont, who was not in the least
sleepy, not at all in the humor for view
ing the country and regretful of the
charms of the little music teacher, was
decidedly weary, not to say bored, by the
situation.
play cards, then!" cried Leroy pres
emily, little subaltern, with turned up
nose; what do you say, Lecaudey, to a
game of cards?"
"Td play in a minute" said Lecaudey,
the lieutenant of the troop, "but l never
win; mores the pity!'
"And you, De Bremont?' appealing to
the captain.
"Win or no win, I'm with you," he re-
sponded. And already the "brusher," as
they called the orderly who waited on the
mess, had opened one of the camp trunks
and was lost i'll it's depths searching for the
cards in the midst of the thousand and
one objects that soldiers know how to
cram into the smallest space. Five min
utes later game that left good deal to
be desired in the way of comfort and ade-
quate light was preparing to begin be-
tween Louis and his friend upon the top
of the trunk now closed and serving as
gaming table.
You'd great deal better talk" cried
Lecaudey, complainingly, and STOPPING to
pick up roll Of something that had fallen
from the trunk as the "brusher" had re-
placed the contents; "its devilish slow
kicking my heels while you two amuse
yourselves. Zounds!" he added, his eye
alighting upon the package in his hand;
"here's find-its paperl"
"And the game-what shall it be?' de-
manded De Fremont, cutting for deal.
"Ecarte. of course; it goes quicker"
"Are you ready?' cried Lecaudey, un-
folding the sheet; ''you wouldn't talk to
me, sol revenge myself by reading to
you. Political Bulletin-Paris, April 20:
The Gazette de France refuses -
"Oh, enough, enough, Lecaudey!" cried
Louis; throw it in the fire, man; stop
the stuff
will you stop your playing, then?
VIII you talk to me?'
''No, l wont!' replied De Fremont;
"voila! my response-I turn up the ace
of spadesl''
"Mercyl mercy! Lecaudey!" added De
Bremont's adversary; pitch itaway, that
internal paperl Give US rest from poll
tics and fnancep
Don't listen to him!" said the captain.
"Think of the game! Attention to the
turn up, ace of spades!"
''But the news of Paris, the letters
from Italy, follow the informations,' a
turn at the news in the province, official
the hunt, the balls"-
"Sacristil" from time to time groaned
the little subaltern, "but it's long, that
journall'
Nevertheless the reading went on, and
with it the grumbling-"They had come
to struggle with the Chachouia, and not
with Lecaudey and his divers facts"
Again it was De Bremont's play, and
again he turned the ace of spades. To
you, my readers, the card speaks volumes;
to him it saio-nothing! Love, you see,
goes so quickly!
Chronicle of the court, read Lecaudey;
legal affairs" but, like love, the longest
paper has it's end; the lieutenant had
come at last to fatalities, to marriages., to
deaths.
"Etienne Godefrey, aged %. Rue de
Courcelles."
"Aline Bernier, SO, Rue Saint Honore."
"Jean Lysart, ct cet., ct cet., the play
ers meanwhile continuing to manipulate
the cards.
Ace of spades" called Louis for the
third time, making the turn up.
"Lucienne d'Arcuell," concluded Le-
caudey, widow, 26 years, Rue Saint
Ger
De Fremont started to his feet.
"What did you say, Lecaudey?" said he.
"Lucienne d'Arcueil, mon ami; l was
finishing up the list of deaths!"
Lucienne d'Arcueill Deadl Widowedl
and that card, that ace Of spades, once so
benefcent, today so accursed! and which
returned anew at the name-as if called
1t the name of his forgotten love!
But would Lucienne be dead if he,
Louis, her lover, had called her as it had
been arranged he should do? This was
the question the captain asked himself as
he stood there, his eyes fixed upon the ace
If spades that he had seized in his hand
All at once shot broke the silence of
,he night.
"To arms! To arms" cried the voices
If the sentinels, followed by rattling
volley.
"To armsT repeated the captain; to-
- the words died in his throat; he had
not time even to draw his sword; ball
1ad struck him in the heart; he fell, the
fatal card riddled between his fingers!
He had not called Lucienne d'Arcueil to
he rendezvous of love, but she, widowed
md dead, had called him!-Translated
rom the French for The New York Mer-
Jury by E. c. Waggener.
Aid tn Memory.