The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-11-25
&&.ia~C3tIEtcNS
A jHILb'S TEAR.


TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.
In Il Partisan Green-rOOm Il new per
| former was complaining OF nervous
uass. From some OF her companions
she received encouragement, but the
majority expressed themselves after
| this fashion: such tremOrs are in
durable AS nature has formed us,
bold or timid, cold or ardent, grave or
gay, so we must remain. Whoever
saw an ambitious man cured of his
ambition, or miser of his avarice ~
Some members of the company Oh
iected to the fatalism of these observe
tons, and one said IF you ask for
q converted miser, l can show YOU
one. Here he is | am one"
The man who said this was q popu-
lar dramatist, noted for generosity.
His statement was received with
calculations of Nonsense :" I'm.
possible ~ do you expect us to be-
lieve that ~ Indeed" answered he,
quite seriously, Il speak the truth. |
was a miser, although now, l trust,
am such no longer. If you would care
to hear it, l will relate to you the story
of my conversion. 1t was effected by
child's tear" All present imme-
diately crowded around him, and
heard from his lips the following re-
cital:
"In 1884, said the dramatist, 81
had just given to the theatre of the
Porte Saiute Martin one of the most
successful of my pieces. One day
about that time two letters reached
me by the same post. Both were from
Marseilles. One was from theatrical
manager, informing me that he intend
ed bringing out my new piece there,
and that he desired my presence at
| the final rehearsals of the drama.
| With regard to remuneration for my
| trouble, | might make my own terms
in reason. The second letter, a very
brief one, ran thus: Monster, the
wife and daughter of your brother are
| dying in want. Some hundreds of
francs would save them, and doubt
not that you will hasten to visit con
nections SO near to you, and make
arrangements for their present and
future comfort This letter bore the
signature of DR.. Lambert, of Mar
settles.
LAS l have already told you, was
a miser in the worst sense of the word.
The physicians letter, far from NOV
! ing me to pity, merely renewed GER
tain angry feelings which had former
| ly existed in my mind towards my
sister-in-law. When, some years back,
my brave sailor brother, who has since
been drowned, had written to tell me
of his approaching marriage with a
fisherman's daughter, |, in my iniser-
able pride and miserliness, had replied
that in marrying penniless girl, |
considered that he was doing a most
foolish and degrading action. | was
even wretched enough to advise him
to break off the match, if that were
still possible. My brother, like the
honorable man he was, welded the
cir! he loved. My Sister-n-iaw. who
.ras . high-spiritsd Breton, never for
got my letter, and despise@ its writer
| When size IosI her husband, and found
herself in need. it was long ere she
could bring herself TO apply to ne
Bat the sight Of her only child vast
ing away from sheer want, had at last
broken down her pride.
As the engagement at the Mar
settles theatre seemed likely 10 prove
Il highly profitable one, /, as you
might expect, lost no time in accept
ing the offer. | wrote OIL 10 the man
ager at once. and followed my letter
in person with as little delay as posi-
BILE. When arrived at the principal