Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-09-19
THE RED RIBBON.

a youthful face that on seeing the mar row rcd ribbon in his buttonhole people sometimes asked him for his story. And he, to avoid the embarrassment felt in speaking of ones self, answered some what maliciously:
 Il was born @G SGars ago, and since then-nothing ever Happened to me-"
 But it was not so. It happened to him that he had bravcly won this red ribbon which showed so advantageously upon his breast. Having been sent to Tonquin as cavalry officer. he had freed bat tery of artillery which the enemies all ready believed in their possession.
 Unfortunately it also happened to him during the fight that he had received a bullet ill the side.
 As he had been too recently appointed lieutenant to be promoted to the rank of captain, he received instead the cross of the Legion of Honor, and this greatly helped to heal his wound. Still, how ever well healed it might have been, he remained very weak. He was sent home to become stronger.
 And this is how, for the last fortnight, he had been living in clover at the home of his sister, Mime. Julia Duchemin, whose husband owned a glass works at Boves, near Amiens.
 Frederick was happy there for he loved his sister and his sister loved him. There was but one drawback to his hap piness. His brother-in-law, Jacques Duchemin, had been obliged to leave on the day following the young officers ar rival
 As compensation there was between the brother and the sister the latter's daughter, girl just over , years of age, who appeared delighted with Uncle Fred and with the gold lace of his uni form, and for whose benefit Frederick became boy again.
 All the acquaintanCes they had-but with whom they sustained almost con stant intcrcourse-were Mime. Bour- geois, q widow, and her daughter An toinettc, n young girl of IS.
 How pretty she was! Not so much in regularity of feature, but in her sim plicity, her natural grace, her personal charm.
 As for Nmc Bourgeois, she was kind ness itself, but a juvial, indulgent, sen sible, smiling kindness.
 Mother and daughter were q charming pair.
 That Is what our young man had as rertaincl at once. to his no small satis- faction. He found an attraction he had never before experienced in meeting these ladies' Were they late in coming: Time seemed heavy To him. And if his sister advised him to go for them off he went at once.
 It was not far. it k true. Three hun drcd yards from the glass works. They lived in n large villa. surrounded by fine park, which belonged to the young girl in her own right. without counting other property which it was rumored amounted tn over million.
 But Frederick did not care for that. It was the young girls character which attracted him.
 One morning after breakfast Freder- iCk was smoking a cigar in the garden by his sisters side. in whose skirts the little Martha was diligently curling her dolls wig.
 At the table they had spoken of An tuinettc and nuw-now they still spoke of her. Then after a moment uf silence Frederick said, with sigh:
 What pity she k so rich:'
 "Why:' asked Julia, looking steadily at her brother, with eyes full of anxiety.
 To woo young girl you know to he a millionaire, when besides your salary you scarcely have 5000 a year. would not be acting like gentleman.
 To her brothers surprise. Julia did not answer. She had turned her head aside. He put his hand on her shoulder. with heavy heart. eNclaiming;
 You are crying! What Is the matter? What ails y"u;'
 Nothing" she replied, with a smile drowned in tears.
 The yuuug man kneeled before her, and putting his arms around her said:
 Julia Julia, ] hay" but you in the world N,u have some sorrow. Oh. I beg of you do not hide it from me! Sis ter. deal little sister. You have no right to conceal II from me.
 She hesitated for q moment then in a low voice, in accents choked with sobs, the whispered her confidence. It was simple and short,
 i bank suspended payment. Through this they would lose a large amount That is why Duchemin was travelling. Alas, his letters announced nothing good! But in the meantime what is the con nection between this disaster and Fred 1 erick's love for Antoinette: ] An. veS. yes. Becoming rich through | his wife the lieutenant would have come 1 10 his brother-in-law' rescue. Julia, moved to tears. was saving:
 And then Jacques is so kind, so dili- gent, so honest! If you only knew, Fred, 1 how he loves your sister and what hap ! piness she owes him! An. ruin, priva- 1 tions-that is nothing. The hard part is 1 that man like Jacques should bear the undeserved stain of a kind of disgrace. ] Will it ever be granted to me to console him:'
 In his turn the young man kept quiet, l lowering his eyes. thinking of this mar riage which might have saved his rela- | tives.
 But while lowering his eyes he saw his red ribbon, and it seemed to him he heard an interior voice repeating the sen tence he had just uttered, 1t would not be acting like gentleman"
 He also saw that Martha no longer curled her dolls wig. Sitting on the ground motionless and silent, the child was looking at her .lother, who wept si- lently. She wcpt-in silence also.
 Julia" said the young man soberly, ''go, in my name, to ask for Mile. BOur- geois hand"
 At last" triumphantly exclaimed An toinette's mother after Julia had formu- lated her request. Then calling her daughter she added in the same joyful tone: "Comc-he has come to it! An swer, darling. Tcll-tell how backward We found him."
 A lovely smile, so chaEte in its frank ness, lit up the young girls face and without speaking she advanced toward | Mime. Duchemin with extended hands