The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-15
A SKETCH BY BALZAC.

SKETCH BY BAIlZAC.
Last winter / f%requented 4 house, the only
one perhaps at that time where in the even.
ing the conversation escaped from politics
and the Stiffness of the salon. Thlthel
came artists, poets, statesmen, savants and
young fellows devoted to the chase, horses
women, gaming and dress, but who, in the
reunion, took il upon themselves to dis.
pense their wit as elsewhere they lavished
their money or faulty.
Between IL O'Clock and midnight on the
occasion / speak Of the conversation, until
then brilliant and antithetic, assumed
narrative form: in its precipitate course it
drew forth curious condolences, several por-
traits and q thousand follies.
We were indebted to Al old soldier for
the tuIn the conversation had taken. He
salon, and when he planted himself straight
as an arrow in front Of the fireplace. lifting
the two tails of his blue coat, one of the la
dies said to him
well, general, did you winT
"Oh, mon Dieu, no. l did not hold a sim
gle good hand"
The same question put to several players,
who were, without doubt, thinking Of max
ing their escape, demonstrated, az usual,
that everybody had cause to complain Of
the game. From a carefully made recapit-
ulation it appeared that a sculptor who to
my knowledge had lost twenty five louis was
accused and convicted of having won 600
francs.
bah! money wounds are not mortal,'
said a savant, ''and as long as Il man has
not lost his two ears"
'Can a man lose his " ears?" demanded
She lady.
go lose them he must bet them,'' replied
the physician.
but are they ever staked?"
II should say so!'' cried the general,
raising one Of his feet to present his toes to
the ire. II knew in Spain,'' pursued he,
Sixth regiment of the line-he was killed at
the siege Of Tarragonn-who staked his ears
against 1000 ecus. He bet them fairly and
squarely. His adversary was another cap
tain Of the same regiment, an Italian like
himself, and, like him, a scrapegrace; they
were two very daredevils, but good officers,
excellent soldiers.
I'VE were then bivouacked in Spain.
Bianchi needed 1000 scus for the following
morning, and as he possessed only 1,5W
francs he fell to throwing dice on n drum
head with his comrade while their COM
panions were preparing supper.
"There were, ma fol, three fine quarters
OF goat meat cooking in pot beside us, and
the rest of us officers watched alternately !
the game and the goat meat, the boiling Of
which sounded very agreeablY in our ears,
for we had eaten nothing since morning.
Our soldiers came in one by one from their
foraging expeditions, bringing wine and
fruit,
"We had a good meal in prospect. The
pot WAS suspended above the fire be means
Of theee poles arranged in the form of a
fasces and sufficiently removed from the
flames not to burn; besides, the soldiers,
with that marvellous instinct which charac-
teriZes them, had raised a little rampant of
soil around the fire.
"Bianchi lost everything. He did net
utter a void; he remained as he was, squat
ted on the ground; but he-crossed his arms
and occasionally at his adversary. At that
moment l feared lest he might do some
wicked act-he seemed ready to murder his
opponent. Finally he arose suddenly as if
TO fee from some temptation. On arising
he kicked over one of the three poles which
upheld the pot and the goat meat and our
supper went to the four winds of heaven.
I'VE sat by in silence, and although the
famished stomach does not have much re-
spect for passions, we dare say nothing to
him, SO much did it pain US to ses him.
The other was counting his money. Blanchi
pot and perhaps thought that he now had
no more supper than honey He turned
toward his comrade and said with an
Italians smile.
"'Do you want to bet your 1000 ecus,'
pointing to aSpanish sentinel, posted about
15O meters distant from our picket, whose
baYonet we saw in the moonlight. do you
want to bet you 1000 ecus that without
other weapon than the spit Of your cor
poral,' and he took the saber of a foot
guard, Il will not 90 to that sentinel, bring
back his heart, cook it and cat it?'
Eyes, saids the other; but suppose you
succeed
"'Well,' he said. in that case you shall
out off my two ears
"'Agresd,' said the other.
"'You are witness of the bet,' cried
Blsnchi, wi9h a triumphant air, turning to-
ward US.
And he started of.
I'VE had no longer any desire to eat. We
all sprang to our feet to see what he would
do, but We saw nothing at all. In fact, he
turned into a path and crawled like a SER
pent; We did not even hear the sound that a
not quit the sentinel. Suddenly a slight
groan, a deep and hollow 'heu' made Ms
start. Something fell. Boum! And we no
longer saw the cursed-excuse me, ladies',
the cleaning bayonets.
Five minutes afterward that scapegrace
l3lanchl was galloplng in the distance like a
horse. He came back to us very pale and
painting fearfuliy. He held in his hand the
Spanisrd's heart and showed it laughingly
to his adversary.
Tho latter said to him with a serious
air:
"'That's not all!''
"'I know it!' replied Blanchi.
without washing tho blood from his
hands hs set up the poles again, readjusted
The pot. quiokened the fire. cooked the
heart and ate 1t without being in the least
He pooketsd the 1000 eous. which he had
to a little Partisan ~vivandiere
whom he was Standardization for
he San Francisco Sunday Call.