Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1893-07-21
Revaliere's Sacrifice.
BY GUY DE MAUPAssANT.

BY GUY DE MAUPAssANT.
This adventure happened to me il
1882. I had just taken my seat in {
corner of an empty compartment il
the car, and had closed the door, with
the hope of remaining alone, when il
was suddenly reopened, and I heard a
voice say:
BE careful sir, the step is very
high.
Another voice replied Don't be
afraid, Lawrence. | will take hold Of
The handles"
Then q head appeared, covered with
round hat, and two hands, erasping
the leather straps suspended at each
side of the door, slowly hoisted large
body whose feet mnde a noise on the
ear steps like that of cane striking
the ground When the man had
drawn his body into the car. | noticed
the painted ends of two wooden legs.
A head appeared behind this travel
Ter. and heard its owner ask:
Are you comfortable, sir?"
Yes. my boy"
Then here are your bundles and
Your crutchea
And servant who had the air of
an old soldier, got into the car. bear
ing in his arms lot of packages done
up in black and yellow paper. care
fully 4io1 and 4laoel 4ha.n ana af4ar
the other in the ~5etwork rack above
his masters head. Then he said
There, sir, that is all. There are
five bundles: the sweetmeats, the doll,
the drum, the gun and the pates dc
fote gras. "
That's all right, my boy"
"A pleasant journey, sir.
''Ihank you, Lawrence
The servant stepped down from the
car, closed the door and went away,
while 1 observed my neighbor. He
was, perhaps, thirty-fve years old, al
though his hair was nearly white. He
was decorated, wore n mustaehe. and
had that pursy obesity of strong and
vigorous men whom an imfrmitv
obliges to remain inactive. He wiped
his brow, pulled, and, looking me
sluarely in the face, said
"Does smoking incommode You.
monsieur"
"Not at all, " replied
knew that eye, voice and face but
where and when had l seen them? |
had certainly met this man, spoken to
him and shaken his hand. 1t was
long, long ago, lost in that haze where
the mind seems to obscurely seek and
pursue its souvenirs, like fleeing phan-
toms, without being able to grasp
them.
My fellow-travcller now began to
examine me with the tenacity and fixity
of man who recollects slightly but
not entirely Annoyed by this steady
contact, our eyes turned away then,
after few seconds, attracted by the
obscure but persistent action of mem
DRY, they again met and / remarked.
Really, monsieur, instead of look,
ing stealthily at each other for an
hour, would it not be better to try and
recall together whore We have metz"
You are quite right, replied my
neighbor with good grace.
My name is Henry Bonclair, mag
istrate, added.
He hesitated a few seconds; then,
with that vagueness of eye and voice
which generally accompanies great ten
SION of mind, he said
"Ah, yes. Imet you at the Poncels,
before the war, dozen years ago.
Exactly. All! All you are Lieut.
cnant Revahere?"
Yes, | was even Captain Revaliere
until the day when lost my feet both
Of them at a single stroke from pas
sing she'll
We looked at each other anew. now
that We were acquainted
remembered perfectly we'll having
seen this man when he was a tine-look-
Ing slender fellow. who led the cotil.
lions with q nimble md graceful fren-
~. But behind tins figure there still
fioated something I could not grnsp.
some story that had known and for.
gotten, one of those stories to which
one lends kind and short attention
and which leave only an imperceptible
impression on the mind. There was
no love in it Irecalled the particular
sensation from the depths of my mem
ory but nothing more.
Little by little, however, the shad
ows cleared away, and the face Of