San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-03-12
ONE NIGHTS WORK.

true type of the gendarme, this Alcides
Gastebois, Of x. Good as good bread,
guileless as a child and just as justice With
all this the figure of Hercules and slave to
his duty and to his instructions.
He had served through 1879 as brigadier
of cuirassiers, been left for dead in the midst
of the hop fields of Reichsoffen, and, cured
by the Prussians, had returned to France
when peace was declared to be passed into
the gendarmerie, thanks to his congo, free
from the slightest punishment.
Decorated with the medal, he had for a long
time awaited promotion to the grade Of mare
chal des logs, the marechalat Of his hopes
and dreams He was scarcely, they had
thought so at least, well enough educated to
dictate proces-verbal; then they suspected
that his intelligence was little bounded but
he was so gallant soldier, so honest a man,
that at last in ls-, and when nearly 40years
of age. he saw himself granted the double
stripe of silver and dispatched with four
other men to the Belgian frontier to watch
the contrabandists and assist with his strong
hand the custom house officers
1t was happy day for him when he saw
himself installed in the little house that
served as barracks and stood at the end of
the village. 1t had two chambers and a
room on the lower floor for an office, and he
was chef of the detachment 1t was ideal
He waxed and twisted to sharper point than
ever the ends of his tremendous mustache,
and redoubled the zeal and punctuality of
his service.
Before a month had gone he was the terror
and bugbear of all the slnugglers and their
trains of dogs taught to cross the lines with
nj tDb In CIV g q
had purged the entire country. One only of
his enemies continued to brave him and to
battle by force of craft and skill his track
ings and constant sentries.
There was a dweller in the village itself a
certain Antoine Piou, as blonde and thin as
the marechal DIES logis was brown and heavy,
but very genteel with his curling hair, adroit
and cunning as monkey, and endowed with
lungs and legs of steel that permitted him to
laugh to scorn the stoutest horse IL the cav
airy.
He and his ferocious bulldog Etranne-in
the pronunciation of the country Aytran-
glay-had more than once slipped through the
fingers, SO to speak, of the brave AlCides and
his massive nag, and more than once Etranne,
that is, had left the print of his fangs in his
shoulder. 1t was duel to the death between
The one of them scorned with all the
strength and dlsdain of the colossus the eff
Terminate lean one whom he could have
crushed between his ten fingers; the other
dsdained with all the scorn of a coxcomb
ani a strutting dandy the stupid giant
whom he fooled so easily into believing that
bladders were lanterns, and, as if to round
of their detestation, both of them paid their
court to the same village maiden.
Mile Adelaide Fournaim was her name,
and her parents, two worthy people, kept
little cabaret very much frequented almost
within sight of the post of the gendarmerie.
Laidc, as she was called by every one, was
beautiful girl, delicate and slender as bios
som, a sort of Marguerite pushed forth from
the stem of a corn flower. You should just
have seen her in her little apron tripping
back and forth to serve the Sunday dinners
of the gros bonnetS of the neighborhoOd.
NJ. LIE Marie himself, even did not disdain
upon those days to take her by the chin and
compliment her on her charming appearance.
Laide was not only beautiful but coquettish
and proud, and turned a deaf ear to the
country lads who would have talked to her
of marriage. All, mean, but Antoine Piou,
the cOntrabandist and friend Of her child
nOOu WIFI WHOM SD6 nau letIDeu ueT CdIc-
chism at NJ. LIE Cures knee and Alcides Gas
tebois, the handsome sous-otficer and COM
mandant of the gendarmerie
As for big Alcides, he was, as have told
you, most seriously touched by Ladies charms
and filed with the deep but mute admiration
of one upon new ground. From the little
table where he SO often ate his modest repast
his big round eyes, round as lotto balls, never
quilted her for a second as she came and
went, and his mustache quivered despite its
waxing as she said to him in her low, soft
voice:
Bon jour, NJ Alcides, and how are you
| todayP
He had truly become mad about her; he
would have thrown himself into the fire for
her, and, more than that, had nearly forgot
ten the service and the exactions of discipline
for Ladies sake Love renders one blind
they say, and Alcides neither saw nor took
account of the frequent presence of his enemy
in the Fournaim cabaret, though it was true
that whenever he appeared there Antoine de-
parted almost Immediately.
This it seems to me, should have made him
reflect but he was not Of the country, you
see, and did not know that Laide and the
contrabandist had grown ~ together, that
be had been always with Der, aud was always
-..-r-rn ~ NJvvr pAcF