The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-11-03

it would have given you pleasure /
would not have thrown away my
bread"
mo harm DONE" responded the sol.
der; II am not 50 particular"
mo matter" said the gentleman,
'what 1 did was wrong, and l re-
proach myself for it. But 1 do not
wish you to carry away a bad opinion
of me, and as 1 have some old cognac
in my canteen. parbleau! we are going
to drink the drop together"
The man had finished eating. The
duke and he took a draught of the
brandy; the acquaintance was made.
.'And you call yourself?" demanded
the lignard.
"Hardimont," responded the duke,
suppressing his title. And you?"
"Jesn-Victor. They have just put me
back in the company. I come from
the hospital. 1 was wounded at
Chatillon. All! one fares well in the
ambulance and at the infrmary they
give you good horse soup. But I had
only a scratch. The major signed my
discharge, and. so much the worse, 1
must begin to die of hunger again.
Because, you may believe me or not,
comrade, but, such as you see me, l
have been starving all my life"
The word was frightful, said to a
v~oluptuary, who had surprised himself
a moment before in regretting the
cuisine of the Cafe Anglais. and Duke
de Hardimont regarded his compan-
ion with astonishment, almost amaze.
The soldiers dirty face wore a sad
| smile, which showed his white, wolf
like teeth-the teeth of famine-and
as if he understood a confidence was
expected of him:
"Tenez." said he, ceasing ~brusquely
to use the familiar thee" and thou"
in speaking to his comrade, doubtless
guessing him to be a rich and happy
man-'Tenez, let us walk a little
along the road to warm our feet, and
1 will tell you some things which,
without doubt, you have never heard
before. l am called Jean-Victor, SIM
ply Jean-Victor, because l was a
founding, and my only pleasant recol-
lection is the time of my childhood at
the hospital. In the dormitory there
the clothes on our little bed were so
white; we played in a garden under
great trees, and there was a good sis
ter, quite young, pale as a candle
she died of consumption whom /
preferred, and near whom 1 loved bet
ter to walk than to play with the other
children, because she would draw me
to her and place upon my forehead her
thin, feverish hand. But after 1 was
twelve years old-nothing but misery.
The administration apprenticed me to
jacques. That is not a trade, you
know; impossible to gain ones living
by it, as a proof of which, the master
could engage as apprentices only the
poor little fellows who came from the
Jeunes-Aveugles. 1t was there that /
commenced to suffer from hunger.
The master and his wife-two old Lii
mousins, who were murdered for
their money-were terrible misers, and
The loaf from which they cut
us a little bit at each meal remained
under lock and key the rest of the
time. You should have seen the
woman each evening at supper, with
her black bonnet, signing at each
glance into the soup dish when she
served us. The two other apprentices
the Observation-Disclosures less un'
happy; they were not given more than
/, but they did not see that wicked
woman's look of reproach when she
would hand me my plate. Unfortu'
nately, l had a good appetite. Was il
nv fault? l served three years ap
premiership, and all that time l suf
fered from continual and excessive
hunger. Three years! One learns the
trade in a month; but the administers
ton cannot know everything, and they
are glad to get rid of the children,
All! you were astonished to see me
pick the bread out of the mud? 1t was
habit. / have picked up many crust:
in the street, and when they were toe
dry 1 would let them soak all night II
nv basin. There were some God-sends
too. 1 must tell you all. There were
the bits of bread nibbled at n end
that the boys drew from their baskets
and threw upon the sidewalk when re
turning home from school. made i
a point to prowl about there when OF
errands. And then, when my appren
ticeship was fnished-it was a trade
as l told you. that could not support
man-oh! 1 have followed others.