The herald., 1893-10-28
THE RED RIBBON.

q youthful face that on seeing the mar
row red ribbon dn his buttonhole people
sometimes askedAhim for his story. And
he, to avoid the embarrassment felt in
speaking of one'sAself, answered some
what maliciously:
ssI was born 90 years ago, and since
then-nothing everShappened to me-"
But it was not SO. 1t happened to!him
that he had bravely won this red ribbon
which showed so advantageously upon
his breast. Having been sent to Tonquin
as a cavalry officer, he had freed bat
terry of artillery which the enemies al
ready believed in,their possession.
Unfortunately it also happened to him
during the fight that he had received a
bullet In. 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, Nine. Julia Duchemin,
whose husband owned 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
Apiness. His brother-in-law, Jacques
A,uchemin, had been obliged to leave on
tbs day following the young officers ar
rivx VI.
, A. q compensation there was between
the Arother and the sister the latter's
daugh ter, a girl just over years ofsage,
who a ppeared delighted with Uncle
Fred an d with the gold lace of his funi-
form. an for whose benefit Frederick
became al boy again.
All the acquaintances they had-but
with whom they sustained almost con-
stant inter- course-were Mme. Bour-
geois, widow, and her daughter An
toinette, a young girl of IS.
Howspretty\ she was! Not sofmuch in
regularity of Eeature, but in her sim
pGcivy ,sher' natural grace, her personal
charIe.
AS for, Nine. Bourgeois, she was kind
ness itseA', but a iovial, indulgent, SEN
sible, snai ling kindness.
Mothela and daughter weresa charming
pair.
That is u hat our young man hard as
certained al once, to his no small ssatis-
faction. Ha, found an attraction he had
never befoA e experienced in meeting
these ladies' Were they late in coming?
Time seemed heavy to him. And fif his
sister advised him to go for themioff he
went at once.
It was not fl lr, it is true. Three hun
dred yards froi n the glass works. They
lived in lara villa, surrounded by
fine park, which belonged to the young
girl in her own 4 right, without counting
other property (which it was rumored
amounted to over million.
But Frederick aid not care for that.
It was the young girls character which
attracted him.
One morning after breakfast Freder-
lex was smoking cigar in the garden
by his sisters side, IN whose skirts the
little Martha was dill gently curling her
dolls wig.
At the table they had spoken of An
toinette, and now-now they still spoke
of her. Then after a mt1nent of silence
Frederick said, with sigh:
"What a pity she is SO lich!''
"Why?" asked Julia, loo king steadily
ut her brother. with eyes fal of anxiety.
"To WOO young girl you know to be
0 millionaire, when besides your salary
you scarcely have $4,000 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, exclaiming:
"You are crying! WHAT'S the matter?
What ails you?"
"Nothing!" she replied, with a smile
drowned in tears
The young man kneeled before her,
and putting his arms around her said:
"Julia! Julia! I have but you in the
world. You have some sorrow. Oh, I
beg of you do not hide it from me! Sis
ter, dear little sister! You have'no right
10 conceal it from me-"
She hesitated for moment; then in a
low voice, in accents choked with sobs,
she whispered her confidence. It was
simple and short
A bank suspended payment. Through
this they would lose a large amount.
That is why Duchemin was travelling.
Alas, his letters announced nothing goodl
But in the meantime what is the con-
hection between this disaster apd Fred
erick's love for Antoinette?
All, yes, yes! Becoming rich through
bis wife, the lieutenant would have come
TO his brother-in-law's rescue.
Julia, moved to tears, was saying:
Sand then Jacques is so kind, so dill
gent, so honest! If you only knew, Fred,
how he loves your sister and what hap
piness she owes him! All, ruin, priva-
hons-t that is nothing! The hard part is
that man like Jacques should bear the
andeserved stain of kind of disgrace.
Will it ever be granted to me to console
bim:"
In his turn the young man kept quiet,
covering his eyes thinking of this mar
riage which might have saved his rela-
lves.
But while lowering his eyes he saw his
ned ribbon, and it seemed to him he
ieard an interior voice repeating the SEN
nnce he had just uttered, "It would not
a. ..f4~1 J. n1nfl lam