The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-07-09

| left Saint Ayr had only seen him
from time to time. As / held out nv
hand to him he looked at me fxedly
without moving.
"How do you do, Latriville! Don't
you remember me? Mayran, you know
Corporal Mayran of the Sixth!' -
"Ah! Is it you, old friend! II is
good to see you again! 1 should have
guessed that it was you-to recognize
you was impossible, l am blind!'
"Oh! poor old fellow!" said l, pain
fully impressed.
"Yes, 1 left my eyes in Tonkiu; it is
rather difficult to get around. but the
rest is good" added he with a smile.
"Thensl have an Antigone who makes
me forget that am not complete. BY
the way, is my wife here, that may
introduce your"
| eyes. dear" answered Nine. de Latri-
vile, in soft, gentle, firmly musical
voice.
my dear Jeanne, this is Capt.
Mayran, (perhaps commander now, l
do not know one of my comrades at
Saint Cyr, like our good Jacques. All!
my friends! what happy inspiration
brought me here! We will live over
our old life together, and talk of old
times, will we not?"
/ was surprised and saddened by
this gayety which seemed forced. l
could not imagine that a man stricken
! by such terrible affliction, condemned,
before forty years of age, never to see
anything more; neither marvellous ma
ture, before which was in ecstasy just
now, nor the faces of loved ones, nor
the delicate beauty of this charming
woman, could be otherwise than
crushed under the weight of an incura-
BILE despair. When we returned to the
terrace after having accompanied Latri-
vile and his wife to their rooms, and
made the engagement to meet them at
dinner, l could hold my tongue nc
longer, but communicated my refiec.
tions to Jacques, saying that our poor
! friend must have tremendous dose OF
philosophy, or stoicism too affected to
be sincere.
why. no, my dear fellow" an
swered Jacques. II assure you that
Latriville is not as unhappy as you
think. To begin with, he is getting ac.
customed to his infirmity. and you
know that time and habit smooth
things down wonderfully. Then, he
finds in the devotion and affection OF
his wife consolation that many pos.
| sessing both their eyes might envy
him.
"Granted; still. without being blind
he might have wife quite as charm.
ing, quite as devoted"
| mo, since it was on account of his
blindness that she married him."
t'How sop
"Well, you know how his marriage
took place, and it is one of the facts
which best prove my theory of the law
OF compensation. have always held
that there does not exist on earth be.
ing always happy, or always unhappy,
and that, early or late, we expiate in.
! solent good fortune, just as unmeritcd
misfortune brings reparation early OF
late. 1t is like baccara, in which every
player has his lucky day. Latriville is
a living proof of the truth of my sys.
tenn"
"Oh! see here" interrupted, u have
no doubt of the truth of your philoso
ply, but l want some explanation OF
Latrivillc's case. AS I told you, lost
sight of him long ago, and am quite
ignorant as to how his story can helr
out your ingenious, or at any rate, con
soling theory"
True! true! Then listen and You
shall judge for yourself. When ou,
friend left for Tonkin with his regi