The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-12-17
NINA.

Il
and La Grande Chaumiere; in fact Of
all those choreographic establishments
which the Partisan grisette visits regu-
larly in order to lose her heart-and not
infrequently her rosy cheeks and the
freshness of her youth.
Harcourt pretended to study medicine,
and it was among these pretty girls
/ sellers of flowers. embroiderers of linen,
/ and painters models-that he managed
to forget tie terrors of the hospital aud
| the scenes - the surgical anphitheater.
Charles Harcourt had just arrived at
the time Of life when a soft down shows
on the lip, when love knocks at the
breast, and when the heart resembles n
lusty tree, full of vigor, from which has
fallen as yet neither leaf nor fruit.
The tromboneS Of the orchestra roar,
/ like thunder on stormy sea: the vio-
Inns scream like sea gulls above the
waves; the music rolls and growls like
! some hungry beast. All is confusion.
White shoulders and gold lace gleam
through the heavy air. The innocent
and the guilty dance together in the
same deliriOus motion.
While the dancers turn aud whirl,
advancing wildly and as wildly retreat
ing, far in q corner siis u slender girl
watching the dance with am air of sad
ness. Her mourufnl eyes follow the
| crazy motions Of the crowd with aston
| ishment and light sigh moves the
! folds of null on her breast.
In the midst OF this indescribable
confusion, this pellmel Of figures and
voices, appears that Of a handsome boy
of twenty-five, remarkable for his vivac-
ity and the boldness Of his speech and
gesture. Finally. when the violins have
} ended their agOnizing cries and the
lamps are dying before the oncoming
daylight, this boy, whom his friends sa-
lutte as Harcout, leaves the ball, new
conquest upon his arm--it is the slender
brunette of the corner.
Charles Harcourt appeared no more
at the balls Of the Latin quarter, but
spent his days at LEcole de Medicine,
passing his first examinations with dis
tinctiUn. In one of those fascinating
little houses--such are Beranger pre-
tends to have inhabited at twenty
Charles made his home, guarding ieal-
ously the dangerous happiness Of a
union contracted without the help of
le maire and which is called morganatic
To avoid the use of n less delicate phrase.
His conquest Of the ball was named
Nina. She was good and affectionate
child, and in spite of the anacreontiC
quadrilles of the Latin quarter, she was
innocent. She had kept her heart in.
tact. 1t was her sole economy. Charles
and Nina loved one another like two OF
La Fontaine's doves. But Nina was a
consumptive, and Charles read with af
fright the death Of his happiness in the
paling face of his beloved.
His care Of her was uutiring; but thi,
implacable malady never releases, and
soon in kiss Charles received his mis-
tresss last sigh. Nina died in the hos
pital; her long illness having exhausted
their feeble resources. and Charles had
the cruel courage to deliver the body o.
his beloved to the investigations of tn,
pathologist. He wished to pursue, ever
in the flesh, this rival who had killed
her He made use of cynical usage t,
preserve the skull. This. with a plaste
mask nodded upon the emaciated bod,
of the dead girl, was all that RENAME,
10 him.
Mina's loss affected Charles profound
ly. Out of character frivolous an,
careless, devoted only TO coarse pleas
ures, had grown a deep and serious love
This honest and generous affection ha
stihed the germs of evil. Nina dead
he was seized as by vertigo, and h
plunged into the abyss He found him
self face To face with evil, and threw t
this monster the rest of his youth.
In this ocean of false pleasures the rC
membrance of Nina was drowned. an
a petulant little grisette called Mariett
took her place. One night in Novembe
Mariette and one of her friends, Charles
} and one Of his companions were togethe
5 in little house on the Rue Ores. TIL
8 night was cold and sinister; masses ,
heavy clouds were driven across a gra
sky, the moon showed her mounful fac
only at intervals, sudden showers bet
upon the windows, and the wind howle
at the cracks.
These four young people drank an
sang, unaffected by the storm and the
strange environment. 1t was the stranq
medley of the students life that Shove
in the small room-here sigus OF wOrl
and There the broken bottles Of drinl
ing bout A small table held a driy
tibia. pile of medical works. SON
empty wine bottles and some articles
the toilet. There. too, was the plsst,
cast of the dead Nina. figure slendl
10 meagerness, the eyes cavenous al
- gY.rt,. tfa linz .1iat,Vta.l int, ca ,,.ft, Oh
= | emile. the plaster discolured by the kiss
placed upon those lips in eternal far
we'll Upon the chimney were a candl
"a small clock and human skull
one side tiny couch, on the walls racl
- for pipes and some cheap ithugrapl
Marette aud her friend Rose lounge
about in untidy dishabille. Earne
made pretense OF study, while ChaIlt
dullrd by the warm and heavy air
y the roon. leaned on the long table
\, sileuce. IL was q group worthy of d
- brush of Calint
- What is the matter with Charlie.
.r cried Ernest, shutting his book uuisil
As "he Is as sober a. a merchant
He is thinking Of Nina said Ma
ette, bitterly,
ul I w W hel "A nlt7ll t7H - NNi it'lr tflAl va.
- | to end tue affair" said Rose, decided
q But often, even when l am here
M find him sitting before thar pla-trrcas
l. said MsIiette, sulleuly.
"Oh, iI's perfectly ph.unic.' laugh
n, Ernest.
p" "Bahr' said Rose; lyon doH'r obi,
/. 10 a plaster rival, do you;"
nd To the health Of Nina, cried Egue
l Charles lopked up quickly, ThI
jihes cut linn Ia the heart
Pr "Miua was a good girl, he said.
A. THAT remains to be seen, cried Ma
he ette; Il am a good girl, too, am mo-
- you will be when you are d-a
- Knocked Ernest.
al Charles, said Mariette, ''confess d
you love Nina still!'
= mo; i do not!'
"More than you love mr;'
mo, no! ] love you.
Every we'll, then prove it. Theri
H. that horrid skull that you keep "a
p. sacred relic. I've seen it grinuing
there long enough. Let us make
punch in H."
"Ah, that's am original idea!' or
Ernest. "Hariette you have the ian
dn inatiOn Of poet
iANt $50 la 10 then ani1 Charles