, 1888-11-20

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 a
gaming table.
You'd a great deal better talk" cried
Lecaudey, complainingly. and STOPPING to
pick up a roll of something that had fallen
from the trunk as the "brusher" had re-
placed the contents; tits devilish slow
kicking my heels while you two amuse
yourselves. Zoundsl" he added, his y
alighting upon the package in his hand;
"here's a ind-it's a paperl"
"And the game-what shall it be?" de
manded De Fremont, cutting for deal.
"Ecarte, of course; it goes quicker"
Are you readyT" cried Lecaudey, un-
folding the sheet; you wouldn't talk to
me, SOL revenge myself by reading to
you. Political BuIIetin-Parfs, April 30:
The Gazette de France refuses -
"Oh, enough, enough, Lecaudeyl" cried
Louis; throw it in the fire, man; stop
the stuff"
will you stop your playing, then?
VIII you talk to me2"
mo, l won'tl" replied De Fremont;
"voilal my response turn up the ace
of spadesl"
refuses, Lecaudey began again.
Mercy mercy L~ecaudey" added De
Fremont adversary; pitch it away, that
internal paperl Give us a rest from poll
tics and financed"
Don't listen to himl" said the captain.
Think of the camel Attention to the
turn up, ace of spadesl"
But the news of Paris, the letters
from Italy, follow the 'informations,' a
urn at the news in the province, official
appointments, the hunt, the balls
"Sacristii' from time to time groaned
the little subaltern. but it's long, that
journali'
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 ACTS"
Again it was De Bremont's play, and
again he turned the ace of spades. To
to him it said-nothingi Love, you see,
goes SO quicklyl
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 90. Rue de
Courcelles."
"Aline Bernier, 50, Rue Saint Honore."
Jean Lysart, ct Get, ct Get. the play
ers meanwhile continuing to manipulate
the cards.
Ace of ~spadesl" called Louis for the
third time, maxine Tho turn up.
"Lucienne dr., ILL.," concluded Le-
caudey, widow years, Rue Saint
Ger
De Fremont started to his feet.
"What did you say, L~ecaudey?" said he.
"Lucienne d'Arcueil, mon ami; l was
finishing up the list of deathsl"
Lucienne d'Arcueill Dead Widowed
and that card, that ace of spades, once so
benefcent, today SO accursed! and which
returned anew at the name-as if called
at the name of his forgotten Lowell
But would L%ucienne 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
of spades that he had seized in his hand
All at once a shot broke the silence of
the night.
ITO armsl To armsi" cried the voices
of the sentinels, followed by a rafting
volley.
TO armsl" repeated the captain; ito"
- the words died in his throat; he had
not time even to draw his sword; a ball
had struck him in the heart; he fell, the
fatal card riddled between his fngersl
He had not called Lucienne d'Arcueil to
the rendezvous of love, but she, widowed
and dead, had called himl-Translated
from the French for The New York Mer-
curry by E. c. Waggener.