Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-08-22
A TRAGEDY OF GENIUS.

In the latter part of the year IS a
handsome and hopeful! young artisan Of
Paris landed at Castle Garden, New
York.
The name of his emigre was Pierre
Leger. His alleged mission wa to give
more profitable exercise To his mechan-
ical skill in the broad field of American
industry. He had come to our shores
to escape that curse of pauper labor
competition existing in his own ancient
and somewhat overcrowded continent.
Possessing characteristic French fru-
gality and an avowed degree Of prof
cheney in his profession, this sanguine
young foreign mechanic felt already as
0red that a few years of well directed
toll in his line in the New World would
enable him to win comparative wealth
here, when he would return to France,
Transporting his fortune as a marital
tribute to his fair and plump tlancee
living far away in Paris.
The misfortune of not having pre-
viously learned the United States Ian
guage proved to be a tremendous OBJ
stacle against this young mans imme-
diate prosperity. After wandering
YEARLY for many days through the
strange streets of the American metrop-
oils, he could find no doorway open for
him to that magical domain of modern
American industry,
Pierre Leger at lat lost heart. He
had not another franc left TO pay for a
nights lodging, not another sou where
with to purchase a morsel of bread.
Thus, Struggling his shoulders with ex-
pressive sang froid, he decided to termi-
nate his existence
An hour after midnight, exactly n
month after his arrival in America, this
respondent yo,ng Frenchman, with
haggard eyes, hollow cheeks and shiv-
ering frame, stood on the very edge of
IN East river quay, gazing down into
the dark depths of the water. The
tide below lay like Il lake of cold blue
steel polished dimly by the waning
light of a wintry moon. Above was an
equally pitiless expanse of chill blue
sky, in which the cherries stars ap-
peared to he but pale points Of frozen
light and the moon but a round frag-
ment Of some celestial iceberg. 4 self
doomed wretch. this poor man leaned
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES as If some
irresistible power were bahinl pushing
him slowly 70 his untimcly fate. No
friend in the night was near - reach
forth a re,ruing hand and drag him
away from that certain embrace of
death
As that dread self sacrifice was about
10 be completed. Leger drew back with
4 startled and loss dreary expression on
his pIllid lectures. \ single wavelet
had cut ail|art the reflected face Of
the round moon booking mp at linn
from the srcel blue wafer. lCs ripping
light, smiling back. - il were, to lis
own mnurniul gaze, reminded linn of
ths brighs face Ia Ills distant natiye
city which liad inspired him 10 20 forth
aud seek lis fortune across the wide
set.
Ii was C%Ochoucttc WHO louhpd at him
thus from the lustruus reflected sphere,
divided into the sembIauce Of a silent
laugh by that dimpling ripple across its
middle, Cochonette, the companion Of
Of his holiday rambies in the Bots and
Champs Elysees, when humber Paris
takes the air; Cochonette, the happy
eonsoler Of long gone hours of loneli-
ness: Cochonette, whose little round
hands and pouting lips had pressed
him with alternate farewells as he
went forth, a voluntary exile, Tor a few
or many years into a remote and
strange land.
II was thus fortunate for Pierre that
the moon was both full and in the
zenith. But for this he would not have
seen the reflection, nor been reminded
Of her from whom he had parted. As
it was, he saw what he did, and decided
10 postpone his tragedy, to make yet
another trial.
Providence seemed to reward him
for his better resolve; for, on looking
upward, a new idea was at once i'm.
planted in the brain Of the reinvigo
rated man. Before him lay moored a
rag Transporting vessel from Marseilles.
IL was the latest arrival. The day be-
fore he had read from The Courier des
Etats Unis, in asmall French wine shop
Of the city, that the cholera had ap-
peared iD certain Mediterranean ports,
and the New York health board would
permit the importation Of no more
cargoes of rags henceiorward from that
quarter Of the world.
Pierre resolved at once 10 turn chif-
fonier; and even before the morning
sun had risen the industrious young
man had gathered about as large a
bundle of rags as he could convenient
ly carry in his emaciated condition.
For these he was paid, to his astonish-
anent, 20 cents, or about / franc. After
. few days of work, with a bag upon
his shoulders, the energetic citizen Of