Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-09

with heartbreaking smile 81 am going
out stupidity with consumption, as they do
In the nth act, you know, when the ven
cradle doctor, with head like Beranger,
feels the first walking gentleman's pulse
and lifts his eyes toward heaven, saying,
| The death struggle approachesp Only
1 the difference is that with me it continues:
| it will not conclude-the death struggle
Smoke away; that doesn't disturb me-" he
| added, seeing me put my cigar one side,
| his cough sounding like death rattle.
L tried to find encouraging words
| talked with him, holding him by The hand
| and patting him affectionateiy on the
shoulder, but my voice had in my own
ears the empty hollowness of deceit, and
| Miraz, looking at me, seemed to pity my
efforts.
was silent
Look, said he. pointing to his table;
| see my work bench. Tor six months /
| have not been able to write"
made Il new attempt to revive him
! DE, at his age! Nonsense! He wasn't
taking care of himself. He must pass the
winter in the south; drink good draught
of sunlight. He could He was easy in
his money matters.
But he stopped me- putting his hand on
| my arm.
Listen" he said gravely. I'VE have
seen each other seldom, but you are my
oldest, perhaps my best friend. You have
proved me pen in hand. Well, am going
| to tell you something in confidence for
| you to keep to yourself unless it may serve
on some occasion to discourage the young
| literary asPirants who bring their manu-
scripts to you-always praiseworthy &C
| ton.
Yes, have been successful Yes, have
| been paid franc line. Yes, have made
| money, and there in that drawer are a GER
| tain number of yellow, green and orange
| papers from which u coupon is clipped
every six months, and which represent $500
| OF income. Ii Is rare in our profession, and
! TO gain that poor hoard have been obliged
| TO initiate the unsOciable virtues of "a miser
| know how to deny jewel to my wife, a
| dress 10 my daughter. But at last | have
| that money. And often said to myself, if
| should die their bread is assured, and here
| Is !iCtle marriage portion for Heleni And
/ Was conJent-l was proud.-for | know
| them, the stories of our widows and our
orphans, the fourpenny help of the govern
ment, the tobacco shops for 600 francs in the
province, and, if the daughter is Intelligent
and pretty like mine, the dramatic author,
an old friend of the father, who advises her
to enter the conservatory of acting, and
who makes of her-mercy of Godi that
shall never be.
But for all that, my boy, it is necessary
that | should not linger. Sickness is ex-
pensiTe, and already it has been necessary
to sell one or two bonds from that drawer.
To seek the sunlight, as you suggest. to
bas& like lizard in the tropics, one more
bond must go, and there would not be
enough to last To the end if | should wait
for seven or eight years more, now that ]
can no longer write. Happily there is
nothing to fear. But what | have suffered
since have been incapable of writing and
have felt my hoard of gold shrink and
diminish in my hand like the Magic
Skin of Balzac, is frightful. Now you
understand me, do you not2 and you will
no longer bid me take care of myself No;
If you still pray to God, ask him to send
me speedily to the undertaker's."
Fifteen days later some thirty of us fol-
lowed the hearse which carried Louis
Miraz to the cemetery. 1t had showed the
day before, and DR.. Arnold, the old fire.
quenter of painters studios, the friend and
physician of the dead man, walking behind.
me, called in his brusque voice:
Very commonplace, but always terri
black on white. The funeral of the poor.
Brr!'
At last we came to the edge of the grave
The place and the time were sad Under a
cloudy sky the little yew trees, swayed by
the wind, threw down their burdens of
melted snow. The bystanders had formed
circle, and were watching the grave dig
gers, who were lowering the coffin by
cords.
Near a cross bearer, whose short surplice
permitted the bottom of his trousers to be
seen, the priest waited with finger in his
book, and, having grasped the rim of his
hat under his left arm, the orator already
held in his black gloved hand the funeral
grafton, hastily patched up by the aid of a
comrade over a couple of glasses ut the
corner of a cafe table.
Suddenly, as the priest began his Latin
prayers, DR.. Arnold seized me by the arm
and whispered In my ear:
You know that he killed HIMSELF"
looked at him with establishment. But
he pointed to the group in black, composed
of the pretty widow and her daughter, who
were sobbing under their long wells and
clasping each other in a tragic embrace,
and he added:
For them. Yes, for six months he threw
all his medicines in the fire, and designed
~ committed all sorts of imprudences. He
confessed it to me before his death. | had
not understood it at ALL, who had ex-
pected TO prolong his life at least three
years by creosote. At last the other night,
when 1t was freezing cold, he left his win
dow open, as if by forgetfulness, and was
taken with bleeding ut the lungs. Yes,
that he might leave bread for those two
women. The cure does not dream that he
is blessing suicide.
But what of it, my good fellow? Miraz
Is In the paradise of the brave.-From Tales
by Francois Coppee