The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-10-02
AN OFFICERS DEBTS.

All, all that was In the good old times!
was u young man then. Had just been
made sublisutenant and had debts to the
amount of e 200.
Considering had only been two years
at the military college that was pretty stiff
-e1 600 of debtsl But thore, / had found
all kinds of ways to spend money at Sau-
mur. Why, when we are young and al
ways in good spirits, nothing in tho world
is easier. How many times have We
amused ourselves, my comrades and /,
with smashing II few things after supper
at tho Budan hotel! Why, we used to drop
the plates til rough tho window for the
simple pleasure of hearing the music they
made as they landed OH the pavement be-
low.
Then, too, there was pretty little mil
liner in shop in the Rue d Orleans Her
name was RiAdegonde, and the trifes l
gave to her cost money. l wonder, by
the way, what she looks like nowP She is
good age, If she Is still within the land
of the living.
had an uncle who was supposed to be
something lille millionaire and con-
sidered myself his heir, but this said uncle
was as sound As the bridge over the Gard,
and in the meantime my creditors were
clamorous, and my relatives showed no
signs of intending to quiet them. All
these things taken into consideration 1
had thought II more prudent, in order to
keep these shameless creditors ut proper
distance, to exchange regiments and to
join the African light cavalry.
If l had remained in tho Eighth hus-
sars--in which regiment certainly our
white and gold uniform was very fetch
ing-I should probably have finished my
days by being pensioned off as an old cap
tain.
Fate Is very strange, for who would ever
have thought that 1 should owe my Mill
tary advancement to Radegonde-and
through her tp my debts.
We had very good time of it in Al
giers, what with the balls which the gov
ernor gave and the cafes, where we all
used to meet in the evenings And then
we had not I'd go far out of our way in or
der to talk to tho Arabsl
We only had to go ont Of the town by
the Bah Ayolm gate, and at the Maison
Carree just two leagues away from the
Cafe do la Ptrle, "the powder began to
talk" as they say over there, and this
kind of conversation continued without
interruption until the evening at the
bivouac of BpufTarick. Today there is q
railway buciNJ 10 pctLtStiy
ing.
lived in the neighborhood OF Mustapha,
and was as happy as bird In the air or
az fowl out in the meadows. For six
weeks / enjoyed perfect peace, but at the
end of that time bailiff living in Algiers
wrote to me, saying that 'he wished to
see me on business matters"
l guessed what that meant, for l had
| heard that phrase BEFORE and felt sure
there was rap being laid for me- but ]
went all the same to the address given.
Ho lived Id the Rue des Sotophages, this
balliff, and his name was Maroassee.
| don't know why, but all the time / called
him NJ. Marcassin, "a young wild boar),
and 1t seemed to me that he was not very
well pleased l should like to know,
though what the vile old quill driver could
expect after tracking me out In this way.
Why, the wretch had got the bills had
signed Mt Sa lmur and had orders to pro.
| ceed against me and what was still worse
to arrest me.
| Our conversation waxed warm, but I,
seeing the necessity fot prudence and
moderation, merely told him that the first
opportunity had would give him such
o horsewhipuing as he would long remcm.
Der, and thertupon left him. He follow
ed me to the stairs and called out that the
next morning he should go and see my
colonel, which threat he carried into ex
ecution.
Fortunately for me tho colonel was q
man of the ri ght sort, for he merely said,
ARREST him by all means II you can
| And then he sent me off Immediately
with u detachment to Join the third squad
ron, which was camping in the Hietidja
on the shores OF iouedel- oulol (in Arabic