Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-06-04

player and obedient to him. In a dozen
stakes he had recovered the few wretched
thousand franc notes, his last resources,
which he had lost at the beginning of the
evening.
Now, punting with two or three hun
dred louis at time, and aided by his fan
tastic vein of luck, he was on the way to
regaining, and more besides, the heredi-
tary capital he had squandered in so few
years, and reconstituting his fortune.
In his eagerness to return to the gaming
table he had not taken off his far coat
Already he had crammed the large pock-
cts with bundles OF notes and rouleaux of
gold pieces, and not knowing where to
heap his winnings, he now loaded the in
ner and exterior pockets OF his frock coat.
the pockets of his waistcoat and trousers,
his cigar case, his ndkerchief-every-
thing that could be made to hold his mon
ey.
And still he played, and still he won,
like mad man, like a drunken man!
and he threw handfuls OF louis onto the
''picture," at hazard, with a gesture of GER
ainty and disdain!
! Only something like a red-hot iron was
in his heart and he thought of nothing
but of the little medicant sleeping in the
SHOW whom he had robbed.
"Is she still at the same spot? Surely
she must be still there! Presently-yes
l yx,hn o,n k,sIr T -
will quit this place. will take her sleep
ing in my arms and carry her to my home;I
put her into my warm bed; L will bring
her up, give her dowry, love her as if
she were my own daughter, care for her
always! alwaysw
But the clock struck 1, then a quar- ter,
and then a half, then three-quarters.
And Lucien was still seated at the in
fernal table.
At lengte one minute before O'clock,
the keeper of the bank rose abruptly and
said in a loud voice:
"The bank is broken, gentlemen
enough for to-day"
With a bound Loucien was on his feet.
Roughly pushing aside the gamblers, who
surrounded him and regarded him with
envious admiration, he hurried away
quickly, Sprang down the stairs and ran
all the way to the stone bench. In the
distance, by the light of lamp, he saw
the little girl.
"God be praisedn' he said; she is still
there"
He approached her; he took her hands
sob! how cold she is, poor little one"
He took her up under the arms and
raised her, so that he might carry her: her
head fell back without her awaking.
"How soundly children of her age Sleep"
He pressed her to his bosom to warm
her, and seized by vague inquietude, and
with view to rousing her out of this
heavy slumber, he kissed her eyelids.
Then it was that he perceived with ter
ror that these eyelids were half open.
showing half the eyeballs-glassy, llstless,
motionless. Upon his brain flashed a
horrible suspicion. He placed his mouth
close to that of the little girl; no breath
came from it.
While with the gold peice which he had
stolen from this mendicant Lucien had won
fortune at the gaming table, the home
less child had died-died of the cold!
Seized by the throat by the most fright
full of agonies, Lucien tried to utter cry,
and'in the effort which he made awoke
from his nightmare on the club settee, on
which he had gone to sleep little before
midnight, and where the attendant who
had quilted the house last had left him
out of charity.
The misty December mornsng was gray
ing the window panes.
Lucien went out into the street, pledged
his watch, took a bath, breakfasted, and
then went to the recruiting Office and
signed an engagement as volunteer in the
1st Regiment of Chassours d'Afrique.
At the present time Lucien Hem is
lieutenant, he has only his pay to live
upon, but he contrives to make it suffice,
being very steady officer and never
touching card. 1t appears, even, that he
has found the means of saving. for the
other day at Alglers one OF his comrades
who was following him at few PAGES
distant in one of the hilly streets of Kash-
ba, saw him give something in charity to
little Spanish girl sleeping in a doorway,
and had the indiscretion to see what it was
that Lucien had given to the child
Great was his surprise at the lieuten-
ants generosity.
Lucien Hem had put into the hand
of the poor child a piece of gold.
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Bismarck Newspaper Union.