Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-20
THE LOUIS DOR.

hundred francs raked in by the merciless
banker of the roulette game, and when he
had arisen from the table where he had
inst lost the remnants of his meager for
tune, after stalking all in one last supreme
effort to redeem his losses, he felt a sudden
dizziness and thought he was going to
fall. With bewildered brain and faltering
limbs he staggered to the long bench
which encircled the gaming table, and for
a few minutes vaguely watched the treach-
erous game on which he had wasted the
best years of his life noted the worn and
haggard faces of the players; listened me-
chanically to the light sound of the golden
coins rubbing on the green baize; reflected
upon his loss, his ruin, and recollected
that, after all, he had in his bureau
drawer the brace of army pistols which
his father, General Hem, when only a
Captain, had SO bravely used in the attack
on Zaatcha. FINELY, worn out with
fatigue and excitement, he fell into pro-
found slumber.
When he awoke he saw by the clock
that he had slept scarcely half-hour, but
his mouth was dry and parched, and he
felt an irresistible desire to breathe the
cooling air of the night The hands OF
the clock showed that it lacked but a
quarter of an hour of midnight, and while
rising and stretching his benumbed arms
Lucien suddenly remembered that it was
Christmas Eve, and, by an ironical trick
of memory, he beheld himself little
child, putting his shoes by the fireplace
before going to bed.
At that moment old Dronski, the classic
Pole whose thread-bare cloak, with its
braided and beaded ornaments, was most
familiar sight to the habitues of the gam
ing-house, approached Lucien and mum
bled few words that were rendered al
most unintelligible by the dirty gray beard
that enveloped his mouth.
'Lend me five francs, Monsieur 1t is
now two days since have stirred from the
table, and during those two days the
seventeen has not come up. Laugh al
me if you wish, but l would stake my
right hand that when the hour of mid
night strikes tonight that number will
appearp
Lucien shrugged his shoulders incredu.
lousy. He no longer had in his pocket
the amount necessary to pay this tribute,
which the frequenters of the circle called
"the Poles cent sous" Going into the
ante-room, he put on his hat and over
coat, and then hastened down stairs with
feverish rapidity.
During the four hours that he haG passed
in the gaming-h house the snow had fallen
heavily, and the street, which, like many
of those in the center of Paris, was rather
narrow and flanked with high buildings
was covered with mantle Of white, while
in the peaceful dark-blue vault overhead
the stars twinkled with frosty brilliancy.
The ruined gambler shivered beneath
his wrappings and began to walk rapidly
NOT caring whither-while he brooded
darkly over the utter hopelessness of his
position, from which the only escape
seemed to be by aid of the brace of pistols
awaiting him in the drawer of his bureau
But, before he had taken many steps, OF
matured his project of self-destruction, he
stopped suddenly before most pitiful
spectacle.
On stone bench placed, according to
an old-time custom, near the main door Of
mansion, a little girl of not more than
six or seven years, scantily clad in ragged
black dress, was sitting in the snow. De
spite the bitter cold, she had fallen asleep
there, in an attitude betokening the mosl
utter fatigue and detection. Her poor
little head and slender shoulder seemed
to have given away against the angle
of the wall, and rested on the icy stone
One of the old shoes of the weary child had
become detached from the foot which hung
limp from the narrow bench, and lay on the
ground before her.
With mechanical movement, Lucier
de Hem put his hand to his vest-pOcket
but remembered with chagrin that mo-
ment before he had not been able to find
even a piece of twenty sous, by chance
overlooked, 10 give as pOurboire to the
waiter who assisted him to don his coat al
the "Circle."
Nevertheless, impelled by an instructive
sentiment of pity, he drew near the little
girl, and was about to lift her in his arms
and secure her shelter for the night, when
in the shoe that had fallen on the snow
he saw something glitter in the frosty
light
He leaned forward-it was a louis dor
Some charitable persona woman, with.
out doubt-had passed that way, had seer
on that cold Christmas eve that shabby lit
tie shoe lying before the sleeping child
and recalling the touching legend, had put
there with noiseless hand munifcent
aims, so that the poor little abandoned
waif might still believe in the gifts of the
Christ-child, and might preserve, notwith-
standing her misfortunes. some confidence
and hope in the goodness of Providence.
A louis ! it meant many days of repose
and comfort to the little mendicant
and Lucien was upon the point Of
awakening her to tell her of her good
fortune, when he heard, close to his ear, as
in a dream, voice-the voice of the old
Polish gamester, with its smooth, drawling
accent, murmuring the words:
at is now two days since l have stirred
from the table, and during these two days
the seventeen has not come up.
would stake my right haud that when the
hour of midnight strikes tonight that
number will appearF'
Thereupon, this young man OF twenty
three years, the proud descendant Of a
race of gentlemen, and the heir to grand
military name-this young man who had
never before failed in point of honor
conceived dreadful thought, and was
seized with desire at once wild, hysteri-
cal and monstrous. With hurried glance
he assured himself that he was alone in
the deserted street; then bending his
knee and cautiously stretching forth his
trembling hand, he stole the louis from the
little sleeper's shoe With his utmost
speed he returned to the gaming-house
climbed the stairs at few bounds, saw
agely opened the wadded door of the
cursed room. and entered at the very mo-
ment the clock began to strike the hour
of midnight.
Rushing madly forward, he laid the
piece of gold upon the green cover, and
cried;
The whole on the seventeen
Seventeen" won.
With a stroke of his hand, Lucien
pushed the thirty-six louis upon the red.
The red won.