The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-06-06

Began singing lou and saceetly.
oblivion, dreamy and comparatively
painless, which was the only mercy
which could come to him.
A step sounded on the bare boards.
She looked up, and the wounded man
raised his weary lids with a CLEAN of
gladness under them. Cecil bent above
his couch.
Dear Leon, how is it with you?'
His voice was softened to infinite ten
derness. Leon Ramon had been for
many a year his comrade and his
friend, an artist of Paris, a man of
marvellous genius, of high idealic
creeds, who in fatal moment of rash
despair had flung his talents, his bro
ken fortunes, his pure and noble spirit
into the fiery furnace of the hell of mil
itary Africa and now lay dying here, a
common soldier, forgotten as though he
were already in his grave.
"The review is just over. l got ten
minutes to spare and came to you the
instant l could" pursued Cecil. "See
here what bring you! You, with your
artists soul, will feel yourself all but
we'll when you look on these!
He placed on his bed some peaches
bedded deep in moss and circled round
with stephanotis, with magnolia, with
roses, with other rarer flowers still.
The face Of the artist soldier lightened
with longing joy. His lips quivered.
"Ah, God! They have the fragrance
of my Francev'
Cecil said nothing, but moved them
nearer into the clasp of his eager
hands. Cigarette he did not see.
''They are beautiful" the dying man
said family at length. "They have
our youth in them. How came you by
them, dear friend?'
'"They are not due to me-" answered
Cecil hurriedly. "Princess Corona sends
them to you. She has sent great gifts
to the hospital-wines, fruits, profu-
sion of flowers such as those. Through
her these miserable chambers will
bloom for awhile like a garden, and
the best wines of Europe will Stake
your thirst
1T is very kind" murmured Leon
Ramon languidly. "But am ungrate-
full. Cigarette here-she has been so
good, so tender, so pitiful For once l
have almost not missed you"
Cigarette, thus alluded to, sprang to
her feet, with her head tossed back and
all her cynicism back again. A hot COL
or was on her cheeks, the light had
passed from her face, she struck her
white teeth together. She had thought
Bela-faire-peur chained to his regiment
in the field of maneuver, or she would
never have come thither to tend his
friend. She had felt happy in her self
sacrifice, she had grown into a gentle,
pensiVe, merciful mood, singing here
by the side of the dying soldier, and
now the first thing she heard was of
the charities of the princess!
That was all her reward. Cigarette
received the recompense that usually
comes to generous natures which have
strung themselves to some self surren-
der that costs them dear.
Cecil looked at her surprised and
smiled.
my pretty one, is it you? That is in-
deed good. You were the good angel Of
my life the other night and today come
to bring consolation to my friend"-
"'Good angelv Chut, M. Victor!
There is nothing Of the angel about me,
hope. Your friend too! Pruttut! Do
you think have never been used 70
taking care of my comrades in hos
pitfalls before you played the sick nurse
here?"
She spoke with all her brusque petu-
lance in arms again. She hated that
he should imagine she had sacrificed
her fete day to Leon Ramon becau
the artist trooper was dear to him.
He smiled again; he did not under
stand the caprices of her changer,
moods, and he did not feel that inter-
est in her which would have MADE
him divine the threads of their "
carries. .--
II did not think to offend you, nv
little one," he said gently. II meant
only to thank you for your goodness
to Ramon in my absence" 49,.
Cigarette shrugged her shoulders.
''TheEe was no goodness, and there
need be no thanks. Ask Pere Matou