Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-03-12

With weary brain and trembling
legs, he threw himself upon long
leather safe which surrounded the
gambling table.
For several minutes he looked
vaguely about these private gambling
rooms where he had spoiled the most
beautiful years of his youth, recog-
nized the worn features of the differ
ent gamblers, cruelty lighted by the
great shaded lamps, heard the soft
clinking of the gold upon the green
table, felt that he was ruined, lost,
and remembered that he had at home,
in the drawer of the commode, pair of
pistols which had once been the prop
crty of his father, General de Hern.
when he was a captain then, only,
worn out with fatigue, he fell into a
profound sleep.
When he awakened, his mouth dry
and parchod, he ascertained by glanc-
ing at the clock that he had scarcely
slept quarter of an hour, and he felt
an overwhelming desire to breathe the
fresh, cool, night air. The hands of
the clock pointed to a quarter of an
hour of midnight As he arose and
stretched himself, he remembered that
II was Christmas eve, and with al
ironicsl play of the memory, he saw
himself a little child and putting, be
fore he went to bed, his shoes in iron
| of the fireplace.
At this moment, old Drousl<i,
| pillar of the place, typical Pole
wearing r rusty, long coat, trimme
with braid and large ornaments, ar
preached Lucien and muttered thes
words through his gray beard:
''Lend me five francs, sir. 1t Is no1
two days since | have not left tn,
club, and during these two DAYS
have not seen seventeen win. Yo,
may laugh at me, if you wish, but
will cut off my right hand if soon, a
midnight, this number is not tn
one.
Lucien de Hern shrugged his shoul
ders, He had not even enough in hi
pockets to give to that beggar, whor
the frequenters of the place calle
lies cents sous du Polonais. " III
passed into the anteroom, took his ha
and coat and went down the staircas
with n feverish agility.
Since o'clock, when Lucien wen
| into the club, the snow mad been fall
ing steadily and the street-a narrow
one in the centre of Paris, with high
houses on eth II side-was white with
snow. In the calm, black blue sky
the cold stars scintillated.
The ruined gambler shivered in his
furs and began to walk rapidly, turn
ing over always in his mind those
! hopeless thoughts and dreaming more
than ever of the box of pistols which
awaited HIM IN the drawer of his com
mode; but after having taken several
steps, he stopped suddenly before a
heart-rending spectacle
Upon a stone bench, placed accord
ing to an old custom near the large
door of private house, a little girl
scarcely six or seven years old, dressed
III Il ragged black frock, was sitting in
the snow. She had fallen asleep there
despite the cruel cold, in a pitiful Mt
titude OF fatigue and detection, and
her poor little head and tiny shoulder
had dropped into corner of the wall
and were resting upon the icy stone.
one OF the old wooden shoes with
which the child was shod had fallen
lrom the foot, which was hanging
down, and lay drearily before her.
Mechanically Lucien de Hern put
his hand TO his vest pocket, but he re
membered that a moment before he
did not find even a franc, and that he
could not give fee TO the club waiter
nevertheless, pushed by an instructive
sentiment of pity, he approached the
little girl, and he started, perhaps, to
raise her in his arms and to give her a
place of shelter for the night, when he
saw something glisten in the shoe
which had fallen from her foot
Hc bent over it; it was twenty
five ranc piece.
A charitable persona woman, M
doubt II had passed that way, had Eeel
on hat Christmas eve that shoes tina
had fallen in front Of the sleepin,
cm'd, m recalling the touchin!
Legend, she had carefully placed ther'