Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-03

1Hen snoulu charge you less, no
doubt. But are they rich,"
well off; no more"
DO they keep carriages"
Yes, with two horses don't wish Tn
deceive you"
generous, and the amends ought to be pro-
portioned to-
THE amends-well, you estimate them
at?"
Fifty thousand francs"
L leaped to my feet. Fifty thousand
francs! Impossiblep'
II only state the sum so as not to have
to disobhge you. Refuse if you choose.
The paper shall remain in my drawer /
shall never use it, unless"-
But l must have it,"
Then you must pay And be assured
that none OF the money shall find its way
into our treasury. 1t shall be distributed
among the poor, M. lie Baron-among the
poor"
lcould scarcely believe my ears. lifted
my eyes toward Bontemps, and he seemed
TRANSPORTED. His vulgar countenance
was ennobled, and he took on the proper
| lions of a St. Vincent de Paul He smiled
as he looked at me.
Well NJ. lie Baron, do you accept"
Il accept" i took out my check book
and wrote a check on the Bank of France.
Then we made the exchange, one bit of
paper for the other.
fastened back to my Office, and again
went up the stairs four steps at a time. 1
had but one thought-to give safety and
happiness back to the poor woman who
| waited for me, prey to such cruel agony
threw open the door of my Office The
lovely Italian girl was there in the same
| attitude; she seemed not to have stirred in
her horrible waiting. She saw me and
| leaped 10 her feet. Never shall forget the
look with which she Intercepted me.
| With a gesture | held out to her the paper.
| She seized it as if she had been an animal.
| as if the instinct of self preservation.
awakened in her for the first time, had
robbed her of all her charm of manner
| and had brought her back to the state of
nature. She read the paper twice, touched
1t, scanned it with burning eyes to assure
herself that 1t was the same, and then with
cry OF JOY threw it in the fire She
watched 1t burn with inexpressible happi-
ness, and then turning toward me, her
hands outstretched and all her grace re-
turned, she cried:
oh, thank you from the depths of nv
soul" Her voice still shook with emo
ton and so he gave it back"
"He sold it," I said.
She recoiled. Sold it' How-he dared9"
Yes, and | did not hesitate"
What did you give him?"
Fifty Thousand francs"
She grew extremely pale The day was
almost gone, and in the dusk her eyes gilt
tered like stars. Mechanically held out
my hand. She took it. Her own was
lrrv.
fell fainting into my arms.
She went away as she had come. and I
remained, $4,000 francs less at my bankers,
but with the recollection of her gratitude
In my heart had taken up the ordinary
current of my life again when. ten DAYS
later, on opening my Figaro at breakfast.
my eyes fell upon the following reporto-
rial echo of the affair:
NJ BONTEMPS' SPLENDID GIFT.
Yesterday NJ. Bontemps, the well known di-
rector of the masasins of the Paradis DIES Danes
handed to the Society for the Relief of the De-
serving Poor the sum of 5000 francs to be dis
tributed among the poor of the twenty arron-
easements of Paris This remarkable and sue
cessfui man of business, in making so generous
use of his immense fortune proves that he has
not forgotten his Own early years, devoted to the
most laborious toll
L was ptutt. linen q Hash of
inspiration made daylight within my thick
head. But it was with my money that
the rascal was being so generous! But up
to the present moment l was the generous
philanthropist, for l had not been reim-
bursed, and probably never should bel But
what a hideous speculation this cession of
the paper signed by the lovely Italian for
my $4,000 francs had beenl But it was pure
cheating Thus exciting myself with one
but" after another, l finally worked my
self into such a state of deadly anger that
/ could no longer contain myself, and
jumping to my desk wrote to Bontemps as
follows
SR-H you had given the 80 600 francs in CHAIR
ty anonymously l should have had nothing but
compliments for you But in taking credit TO
yourself for a charity which has cost you nothing
you have done a contemplate thing. Unless to
day you do not send me a receipt for second
so 600 francs given by you this time to the poor
of Paris you shall find the whole story of our lit
tie transaction in to- morrow's paper
BARON DE TREsoRIER
Bontemps replied with these words:
SIR-n you tell the story l shall be forced to
name the lady. BoSrEnPs
To this / responded by definite dis
PATCH
Sniff you name the lady shall 60 tomorrow
afternoon to your Office, pull you out of it by the
ears and box them for you before all your clerks
BARON DE TREsoRIRR
tie believed me, and that evening had
my receipt.
The week after the countess adventure
| she left for Italy. At the end of a month I
received her fathers check for $1,000
francs, accompanied by vague expressions
OF thanks, which showed that he was igpo-
| rant under what circumstances nv SER
| vices had been rendered to her | Thought
| no more of my young Italian friends until
| one day received letter bordered with
black, in which the afflicted husband in
| formed me that he had had the unbappi
| ness to lose his wife under the most tragic
circumstances. After their departure from
| Paris she had fallen into a melancholy. the
more inexplicable as it had been she who
| had desired to return to Italy To the
| most affectionate inquiries she remained
deaf, and though from time to time she
seemed to make an effort to throw Off her
somber apathy, and would be for a day or
so charming and graceful as before, she
| soon fell back into her former state.
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