The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-08-19

the hum BILE dress he wore as a ship
boy. Pope Sextus v. wore inlald in
the pontifical golden cross the last cent
which a charitable passer-by had given
him when, in his childhood, he was
herding swine. Marius Balochard dis
played on the mantel-piece of his din
1ng-room magnificent frame of violet
velvet in which appeared a silver five
franc piece.
1salochard, who now was settled in
Paris, at the head of a large dry goods
establishment which he managed with
his partner Bourdalin- Balochard, the
happy husband and the kind father,
the posscssor of u great fortune, and
who enjoyed the consideration of his
neighbors-had begun his career in a
very humble way.
Having come from Marseilles, at
twenty years of age, with the avosved
intention of conquering Paris, he sue
ceeded without too much difficulty in
obtaining a situation clerk in the
Magazins du Louvre at a salary of
eighteen hundred francs year.
There he found time to do two
things: to become intimate with fell
low clerk working at the same counter,
and to fall in love with Mile. Estelle
Becot, the daughter of Nine. Becot,
who owned a large dry goods store in
the Rue des Petits-Champs. Bourdalin
belonged to the race of fashionable
clerks. When evening came, he dressed
elegantly and went to the clubs. AS
for Balochard, he invariably spent his
evenings wandering under his Dulcina's
balcony and watching through the
lighted shop windows the desk behind
which be already saw himself sitting
by Estclle's side
Things went on so for quite awhile;
then on a certain day Marius thought
that there was no reason why n clerk
from Marseilles could not aspire to the
hand of a Partisan, even if she were
rich; and on fine Sunday he ventured
to call and state his aspirations. All!
good reader, what repulse! He was
almost kicked out of the door!
He fastened to relate his sorrows to
his friend Bourdalin: but the latter
was himself in an absolutely lugubrious
state of mind. He had lost three thou
sand francs the day before in club,
where, on account of his fine appear
ance, he had enjoyed some credit, and
had not the first cent to pay it with.
The contact of two misfortunes in
creases both. The friends already were
talking about rope, revolver and char
coal, when Bourdalin had an inspira-
ton. There was still one glilnmer of
hope left to them. One of his friends
from Bordeaux had just won thirty
thousand francs at Monaco. Why
could they not have the same luck?
Yes, by the way, why not? Could
not a Marseillais and and an Arlcsien
beat the bank when a simple Bordelais
had, single handed, got the best of it to
the tune of fifteen hundred louis?
They called in all the money they
could, they borrowed, they invented all
kinds of stories to get cash from their
families, and at last they succeeded in
collecting eight hundred francs.
Provided with that amount, and with
leave for a weeks absence. the two
friends took the train and landed the
next morning at Monte Carlo. 1t had
been agreed that each one should take
half of the capital and that they would
operate separately; after that they
would share the profits.
BY. virtue of this agreement, Bourda-
lin and Balochard made only one jump
from the train to the Casino, and i'm
mediately took their places, one at
roulette table, the other at table of
trente ct 9uar0nte. Fortune greeted
them with her most gracious smile At
seven o'clock they met again; one with
twenty Thousand francs, the other with
sixteen thousand. They wisely resolved
to be satisfied with that and with joy
Gus hearts went to the hotel and treated
themselves to O fine dinner.
Every one knows that one effect ofA
bountiful meal ID tonmaks everything