Wichita eagle., 1888-06-03

day week Is New Years day..
| "WeuT'
eWell2-don't you gee what that means:
On New Year day we give gifts to those we
| love-"
'Ahi-Gabriellei did not think of that!"
t.My dear Paul, you never think! That is
why l love you. But just see how [ am
! placedl You know that, if she chose-if she
took back her word to me-Gabrielle might
! have presents dresses jewels what you
will And II shall walk with her round
the Boulevards; the windows are full of
! pretty things; she viii scarcely look at them,
| for fear Of ve1ing me; and l shall not be
/ able to turn my eyes from them, for thinking
/ of what should Like to buy for her. shall
see the people crowding in and out, laughing,
! joking, happy in giving and receiving
/ for Gabrielle, nothingl Even the booths on
/ the edge of tho pavement we mr,st pass
| even the most trihing keepsake, l cannot give
! it herl That is what happens ON New Years
| day to the poor man who has q sweetheart"
"If had only something left to send to the
! pawnbrokerl"
| The exclamation escaped me unawares, l
! was so moved by Raours evident pain of
mind. Il made him laugh, however; he de-
clared that was my instructive resource.
L
confess it.
Let us look things in the face" I said at
last; ''surely there must be some resource if
we can only think OF it. l shall go to Levi
Jacob tomorrow; l shall demand loan;
shall tell him"
'That your friend Raoul Girard wants to
buy present for his a1lianced on New Years
Day? That won't soften the flint that does
,I711xy Vt I Iaz-i- a
Paul, And besides you owe him too much
already"
''Too true. And can you, then, think of
nothing!"
Nothing. Ycu'know that since LIE Petit
Monde stopped no other journal has accepted
my articles. And my wretched salary as
critic fer Le Drame is already overdrawn;
they viii advance me nothing. I had some
hope when the editor of The Monde gave me
that letter to NJ Beauvais. 1 thought he
might have paid us something in advance.
But that hope has failed"
For sorna time we both slipped our coffee in
silence. had never before seen Raoul thus
in open rebellion against his poverty; had
never before seen that shadow on his brow
which darkened it tonight.
''Our only hope now," l said at last, gloom
lily, "seens to be in a miracle"
''Say at once-in a letter from the director
Of tho Odeonw
And why not2 Only I would not call that
a miraclel You know what | said of your
comedy az the time, Raoul-you know what
TisSon, OF LIE Drame said of it"
II know, my dear Paul, that if you were
director of the Odeon the rehearsals would
begin tomorrow. But evidently NJ Des-
nouettes opinion is not ours. l wish he
would send back the manuscript; l could
make short story of it."
Raoul spoke lightly, but l knew that this
particular failure had bitterly disappointed
him Six months hard work had been given
20 that comedy. There were scenes and situ-
ations in it that-but this is quite needless
DEPRESSION.
"Eave not beard you speak Of relative
OF yours living in the Quarter!" ! ventured
to say; ''an uncle, was it not, who is rich?
PERHAPS he"
Useless 20 think of it! He is rich-hoyv
rich nobody knows but himself But he Is a
uliser; ne gruiges himself every nouthful 10
eats and every fagot he burns. He inusG be-
Eeve that there are pockets in the winding
shcetl You remember that day N the gar
dens Of the Luxembourg last summer
Quite well. We were sitting under the
trees feeding the birds with the crumbs left
over from our breakfast. An old man hob
bled past and frow8ed at Us. What was it
he said TO you, Eaoul"
4" Ioung man, lie said, never give away
what some day you may want yourself
And that j the mani ] never yet have asked
anything Of him for myself. Twice went
80 him, when my good uncle at Provirs-his
Own brother-was lying Ill and in want
Rather than give me money-rather than
part with lis cherished coin, he actually gave
me one or two things he had about hin, arti-
cles Of vertu-to sall!'
Il remember. What a singular man.
"He is a cur; | can cali him nothing else!
When my poor uncle at Provins died l went
to him again. 1t was about the costs of the
funeral Pay for all he said; then bring
en- exact account TO me- l paid for ali;
partly with what | could scrape together
partly by q loan from you. When l went
back I found that my worthy uncle had
given strict orders to the servant never on
any showing TO admit E2e again. That was a
year ago. and he owes me the money to this
dav 1t would make me rich now-if could
get it,"
And you have not seen him SINGER
Il have not tried. My interviews with
him were not pleasant. He affected TO be
lieve that my story was q fiction; that only
wanted his money to spend it on my follies!
He made me swallow adders Pah! Say no
more Of him. He is the one man on earth
that hate"
Ra0ul said this in a tone which left no
doubt as to the reality OF his hatred. l
noticed how his face flushed and his eyes
blazed, and could imagine how badly the old
uliser must have treated him, SINCE Raouls
anger was the rarest thing in the world.
Nothing more passed between Us on this
disagreeable subject: but l could see that
Raoul had not dismissed It from his mind
He WIGS silent and preoccupied, and the
shadow rested on his face. l knew that he
was thinking also of Gabrielle DuInaine, and
how he could offer her no gift on New Years
day That might seem q small thing, COM
paratively; but it was not SO TO tsaoul Girard.
For lie was very proud.
We left the cafe OF La Source unwilhnSly;
tho plash and ripple of the fountain seemed
to uurmur: Stay; call for another glass of
absinthe. another cup OF coffee. But two
francs.-fortv sousl-and an indsSinite num-
Der OF dinners to e5pend them onl We tore
ourselves away from La Source.
Arm in arm we went along the Rue Racine
and across the Place de fOceon, on the way
10 our common lodging. Raoul was strangely
silent, and noticed that ne walked az 8 much
svifter pace than was usual with hiIn.
Neither Of us had overcoat or umbrella;
these useful articles had drifted long since 10
the paUn6roker shop. The sleet iashed in our
faces, or thin garments were soon drenched.
the mud and water from the puddles splashed
up ABOUT Us. Is was 81 execrahle night. lt
snoul have been my part 10 solaoe myself
with little mild srullbling, and Raours to