Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-12

| suppose he had lost it himself A little hole
in the pocket, tiny rip in the hem-the
money must inevitably fall through--voilat
| l could assist In the result myself. opened
my knife-the stuff was thin-in two strokes
the work was done. But to carry the ras-
cality to an end l slipped the pieces through
| the hole to assure myself that what imag.
ined could really occur. Then waited in
an agony Of terror for grendfather's return
At IL O'Clock, when he came in again "a
dress himself for dinner, some difference in
the weight of the waistcoat must have at
tracted his attention, for as he lifted it to
draw it over his shoulders he stopped sud
denly and ran his fingers into his pockets.
was speechless-transiaxed with fright-as
saw the stupefaction Of my kind old parent
when his fingers passed completely through
the stuff and emerged through the rent in the
| hem.
''Sacre die" he shouted sis IL thus thou car.
est for my thingsr turning angrily upon my
aunt, at that moment entering the room to
set the table. behold, through this and
| through thee have lost my money. Instead OF
| nodding over thy rosary thou hadst better at
| tend TO thy business and mend the holes in
my clothes"
The fact that my aunt and not myself re-
ceived the hnilstorm OF my graudfather's dis
| pleasure, in no wise lessened the stings OF
conscience, for | loved her dearly, but that
wonderful pipe Of Bigeard's drew me like a
| lover, and at the thought of being able to
possess it hardened my heart to everything.
AT o'clock, when ! came from school, il
became my property, and grandfathers sill
yer was IN the clutches of the Jew. Buying
tobacco and matches with the thirteenth
| franc took the road through the unculti-
waited fields between the vineyards and the
woods of Jure.
Marching along, stopping from time to
| time TO finger the pipe in my pocket, l was
filed with delight. l could smoke at last,
| really smoke, for now that golden bowl of
seafoam was mine.
Arrived at the end of the waste land, l
seated myself in the edge of the wood, and,
softly couched upon a bed of moss in the
shade of spreading poplar, commenced to
fill my pipe, Vineyard upon vineyard Of
heavily laden vines stretched into the valley
at my feet, the river sparkled in the sun
shine, the larks warbled above my head
was perfectly happy and had not even a
twinge of remorse.
The bowl filed, lighted it with solemnity
and voluptuously drew my first Whit. What
excellent tobaccol What pearly smoke /
fiercely blew up toward the dappled sky
Miroufle was right, it was sweet as honey.
Nevertheless, at the end of a quarter of an
hour my enthusiasm had abated little 1t
seemed to me that my hand was growing
heavy and that had singular uneasiness,
accompanied by contractions at the pit of
the stomach. laid my pipe upon the moss
beside me, hoping that it would pass away,
but it did not pass away. My head whirled
my eyes watered; was dying with frightful
nausea, and had only time to throw myself
fiat on the ground. l was ridiculously sick,
vomiting again and again. The punish
ment had begun.
When the crisis had passed pocketed my
pipe heroically, and still staggering with
weakness took the road toward home l was
not very brilliant youth, but l thought to
myself IF this is the honey in that bowl of
amber, tits bitter enough, truly
1t seemed to me that the entire family had
purposely assembled in the back shop when
entered it on my return, my grandfather
reading, my father Gltering drug, and Aunt
Honorine mending the famous vest.
Goodness, Claude, but you are palel Are
you sickl" Aunt Honorine cried as she saw
enter.
''No, aunt,n replied. cat least not now,"
and l began to stammer.
"At least not now,n repeated my father,
here. Come nearer" as hesitated. "Pouf!
How you smell of tobacco! Why, you've
been smoking, sir and suddenly seizing me
by the arm he dragged me toward him with
such savage violence that the pipe came half
way out of my pocket. He saw it and he
knew it,
"'ris Bigeard's pipe" he shouted, "the
pipe of that miserable bankrupt. Where
did you get it and with what money! An
swer, tell you, answer" and he shook me
like plum tree.
More dead than alive, l appealed with
looks of distress, to my aunt and my grand
father. They were speechless with aston
ishment.
"Calm yourself, my son." grandfather
said at last; ''calm yourself. Tho money
was mine l had the weakness to give it to
him. l am tho one in fault"
"You, my father, you encourage vice like
that 'Tis monstrousl As for you, you
good for naught," turning upon me angrily,
Ego to thy chamber and keep to it, sir. For
this days work you go to bed supperless,"
and in a frenzy of rage my father threw the
pipe upon the floor and ground it into a
thousand pieces,
A quarter of an hour after had gone to
my quarters beneath the roof the door
opened and Grandfather Pechion entered
the room
"Claude, my child,' no began, with sor-
rowful gravity "do not think that you have
deceived me in the least. l know how the
vest was ripped and where the money has
gone. had pity on you only because your
father was capable of killing you had he
discovered the truth You have committed
O theft, my son, and if ever you should be
tempted to do SO again remember that to
save you your grandfather lied-lied, my
boy, and ut my age. l am now your ac-
complete in robbery
threw myself on his breasu-I could not
speak for grief and shame-but he knew by
the violence of my sobs and my kisses wet
with tears that the lesson had gone home
and that | would never do so again-no
never.-From the French of A. Thennet by
Z. c. Waggoner.