The Portland daily press., 1892-10-12
NICE'I'TA.

Anatole staggered.
] He had come gayly to pass tile even.
ing with his old friend, DR.. Bardais
venomous substances are known all
over the world, whose nobility of heart
and almost paternal goodness Anatole
had learned to know better than any
other living soul; and now, without the
beast hesitation or preparation, he heard
this terrible prognostication issue from
those authoritative lips!
Unhappy child, what have you done?'
continued the doctor.
Nothing that know Of" stammered
Anatole, greatly agitated.
'sTax your memory; tell me what you
have eaten or drunk-what you have in
hailed"
The last word was ray of light to
Anatole. That very morning he had re-
ceived a letter from one of his friends
who was travelling in India. In the let
ter was flower plucked on bank of
the Ganges by the traveller strangely
formed red flower, the perfume of which
he now recalled the fact vividly-had
appeared to him to be singularly pene-
trative. He hastily drew forth his pock-
etbook and produced the letter and its
contents and handed them to the savant.
] '.'No doubt is possible!' cried the doc
tor; sit is the Pyramenensis indica-
the deadly flower, the flower of bloodw
'.Then-you-really -think"-.
"Alas! l am sure of it."
''But-it is impossible! l am only
five and twenty years of age and feel
full of life and health"
Sat what hour did you open that fatal
letter.
"This morning at 9 o'clock"
! "Well-tomorrow morning, at the
same hour, at the same minute, in full
health, as you say, you will feel pain
in your heart-and all will be over"
"And you know of no remedy-no
means OFF
"None" said the doctor.
And covering his face with his hands
he sank into chair overcome by grief.
In face of the profound emotion Of
his old friend, Anatole understood that
he was really condemned.
He hurried from the doctors house
like mailman. His forehead bathed in
perspiration, his ideas all confused, 60
ing he knew not whittier, he sped on
and on amid the darkness of the night,
taking no heed of the loneliness of the
streets he was traversing. For a long
time he pursued this blind course, until
at length, finding bench, he sank down
upon it.
How many hours had he still to live?
! The persistent and distressing sound
of racking cough brought him back to
consciousness; he looked in the direc-
ton whence it came and saw, seated
upon the same bench, a pale and weak
little flower girl-a child not more than
eight years old, who, as Francois Cop
pee says
IDiesof the winter while offering us the spring
That verse of the poets occurred to
the mind of Anatole; he felt in his
waistcoat pocket and found there two
sous and two louis. He was going to
give the poor child the two sous, but rec
ollecting that he had only few hours
longer to live he gave her the two louis.
This incident did him good.
He had been like man stunned by
blow on the head; his bewilderment was
overcome now and he began to reassem-
BILE his dislocated ideas.
"My situation" he said to himself, sis
that of man condemned to death. A
man in that position may still, however,
hope for pardon-many of that sort are
pardoned in our days. In past times
even some have been saved from the ak
or the cord to devote themselves to some
difficult or dangerous piece of work-the
launching of ship, for example, or as
in the time of Louis XI to marry an old
woman. If / were consulted in the
matter should prefer to launch ship.
Unfortunately shall not be consulted
during the short interval of time that
remains to me. But, by the way, how
long have / got to liver
He looked at his watch.
'sThree o'clock in the morning-it is
time to go to bed. To bed-waste in
sleep my last six hours! Not if I know
it. l have certainly something better
than that to do. But what? Of course
to make my will
A restaurant--one of those which keep
open all night-was not far off. Ana
tole entered it.
s.Garcon, bottle of champagne-and
ink and paper"
He drank glass of Clicquot and looked
thoughtfully at the sheet of paper be-
fore him.
"To whom shall bequeath my 5000
francs year? I have neither father nor
lnother-happily for them! Among the
persons who interest me, l see only one
--Nicette.
Nicette was charming girl of eight
cen, with blond tresses and large black
eyes; an orphan like himself-a COM
munity in misfortune which had long
established between them secret and
complete sympathy.
His last will and testament was speed
lily drawn up; universal legatee, Nicette.
That done he drank second glass of
champagne.
'sPoor Nicette!' he unused; "she was
very sad when last saw her. Her