Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-03-20
THE GOLD LOUIS.

When Lucien de Hem saw his last bank
note raked in by the croupier and rose
from the roulet table where he had just
lost the remains of his little fortune he
felt as if the earth was spinning and as if
he could not hold himself up.
Completely upset, he threw himself
down upon the leather recovered settee
which extended around the room. For a
few moments he looked vaguely around
the gamblng-room in which he had vast
ed the best years of his life, realized that
he was hopelessly ruined, remembered
that commode held a pistol with which
his father, Gen. de Hem, then only cap
tain, had used so well at the attack on
Zaatcha: then overcome by fatigue he fell
into a deep sleep
When he awoke he judged, after glanc-
ing at the clock, that he had slept scarcely
half an hour, and he felt an imperious de-
sire to breathe fresh night air. The hand
of the clock showed that it was quarter
to twelve.
Rising and stretching out his arms, Lu-
Glen suddenly remembered that it was
Christmas eve, and as if in irony his mem
DRY carried him back to the days of his
childhood and he saw himself putting his
shoes by the fireplace before going to bed.
Just at this moment, old Dronski, a de-
votee of the gambling tabe-came up to
Lucien mumbling something behind his
dirty gray beard.
f'Lend me five francs, sir. l have not
stirred from here for two days, and in that
two days the seventeen has not come up.
Laugh or not, as you please; but 1 would
give my hand if tonight at midnight that
number does not VIM
Tuoiou do Ham oh bic
he did not have enough in his pockets to
make the contribution which the inmates
of the place styled "the Polander's hun
bred sous" He went into the cloak room,
put on his wraps and descended the stair
case with feverish agility. During the
four hours that Lucien had been in the
place it had showed steadily and the streets
were white. The ruined gambler shivered
under his furs and walked quickly along
his steps were soon arrested by q, pitiable
spectacle.
On stone bench covered with snow,
which according to the ancient custom,
stood before the opening of hotel, a little
girl six or seven years old, scarcely covered
by ragged black dress, was sitting. She
had fallen asleep in spite of the bitter cold
in an attitude of fatigue and abandonment,
and her poor little head and delicate shout
ders were bent in an angle in the wall and
rested against the icy stone. One of the
sabots the child wore had slipped off from
her foot and was lying in front of her.
With mechanical gesture Lucien dc
Hem put his hand into his pocket; then ht
remembered that moment before he hat
not been able to find single piece to give
the errand boy at the club.
Urged by an instructive feeling of pity
hnwnUnr II n no nd
about TO take her in his arms, perhaps
and carry her to place of shelter for thu
night, when, in the sabot lying in the snow
he saw something glittering. 1t was
gold louis
benevolent person, woman, doubt
less. passing by had seen the shoe lying be
fore the sleeping child on this Christmas
eve, and recalling the touching legend, haC
given munifcently so that the abandoned
child might still believe in the gifts mad
by the infant Jesus, and in spite of he
misfortune have some confidence and hop
in the goodness of providence.
A louis that meant several days of res
and ease for the beggar Lucien wa
about to waken her and tell her about /
when he heard close to his ear as in
dream, voice-the voice of the Polande
-murmuring these words
81 have not stirred from here for tw,
days, and for two days he seventeen ha
not come up. | would give my hand if to
night at midnight that number does no
VIM"
Then this young man of 20, who ha,
never done dishonorable act, conceived
horrible thought. By a quick glance h
assured himself that he was alone in tn
deserted street, then bending his knee
and reaching cautiously forward he stol
the gold louis from cut of the fallen sabot
Running back as fast as he could to th
gambling house he reentered, bounded III
the staircase, thrust open the door of tn
acccursed place, entered just as the clocl
was sounding the first stroke of midnight
put the gold louis on the green cloth an
exclaimed, Gan on the seventeen
Seventeen" won. With a single strok
Lucien pushed the SO louis on the red. TIL
red won. He left the y louis on the sam
color. The red won again.
He made the double stakes twice, tire
times, always with the same success. H
had now before him al pile of gold and bills
He had won back the paltry amount, hi
last resource, that he had lost in the be
ginning of the game. Now risking two o
three hundred louis at once, favored b
fantastic fate, he was about to win bac
INC PdIllhOnf nc udu squdnueTeu III Sucn
few years. He played desperately, like
drunken man, like a mad man, and h
won. He cast his louis on the table reel
lessly with certainty and disdain.
But in his heart was burning pain; h
was haunted by thoughts of the begga
child sleeping in the snow, of the child h
had robbed.
''She was still in the same place. Q
course she was. In few moments, ye