Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-10-29

the cookery of the Cafe Anglais, ana
the Duke de Hardimont looked at
his companion with an air Of terri
fed astonishment. The soldier wore
a sad smile, which disclosed his
teeth, the teeth of wolf, the teeth
of starving man, SO white in that
clay colored face, and as If he under
stood that an explanation was ex-
pected, he said.
"Look here. Let us walk Up and
down on the road to warm our feet
and / will tell you things of which I
am sure you have never heard.
my name is Jean Victor simply
Jean victor-for / was founding.
and my only happy recollections are
those of my early childhood in the
hospice. Our little beds in the dor
mitory had white curtains. We used
to play IN tho garden under the big
trees, and there was good sister,
quite young, pale as a wax candle
she was going off in consumption
whose pet / was. aad l liked better
to walk with her than to play with
the other children, because she drew
me close to her as she laid on my
brow her thin, burning hand.
"But when / was twelve, after my
first communion, nothing but want
The trustees apprenticed me to
chairmender in the Faubourg st.
Jacques. 1t is not trade. you
know, and no one can make living
at it. And SO it was there that be-
gan to suffer from hunger. The old
master and his wife (who was after
ward murdered) were terrible misers;
the very loaf of which they cut you
thin little slice at meal times was
kept under lock and key the rest of
the day, and in the evening at sup
per you should have seen the mis-
tress with her black cap, signing
and groaning at every dip of the
ladle into the soup tureen. There
were two other apprentice lads from
the Blind asylum, and they were less
unhappy; they had no more than l,
but they at least did not see the re-
proachful looks of the wicked old
woman when she held out my plate.
But just here was the trouble; | al
ready had fierce appetite. Was
that my fault, / say2
II passed the three years of ap-
premiership ravenous all the time.
Three years The business could be
learned in month, but the trustees
cannot know everything, and never
suspect that people make money out
of the children. All! you are aston
ished to see me pick bread out of the
mudl Why, I am used to it; I have
picked many a crust out of the ash
barrel, and when they were too dry
/ would let them soak all night in
my water basin.
ITO be honest about it, however,
/ had sometimes streaks of luck; /
would light on bits of bread nibbled
at one end, such as the boys pull out
of their bags and throw on the foot
path when they come out of school.
l made it a point always to pass that
way when went on errands.
'ALl then, when my apprentice
ship was ended, l had only a trade
which, as told you, would not keep
a man in food. Oh, have tried
other trades; / am not afraid to
work, look you. have worked for
the masons, heen a shop boy, sweep
er; what do know besides2 Bah
sometimes there was no work; other
times l lost my place. In short !
never had enough to eat All con-
found it; what rage l have often
been in when passing bakery For
tunately for me at these times al
ways remembered the good sister in
the hospice, who so often told me to
be honest, and believed felt on my
brow the warmth of her little hand.
'At last, at eighteen, | enlisted. |
You know as well as l, the private |
soldier has just about enough. Now |
it's almost fit to mako one laugh
here comes siege and famine. You
SEQ | did not lie to you moment ago |
when ] told you that l had always, !
always, been hungryT
Tho young duke was a good hearted
man, and in listening TO this terrible
uttered by a fellow man,
by soldier whom his uniform made
his equal, he felt deeply moved. 1t
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