Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-12-19
PHOENIX BRATTLEBORO FRIDAY DECEMBER 49, 1902

natural. One would have said that
the little ivory ball jumping into the
pigeon holes of the roulette table
was fascinated and magnetlzed by
the gambler and obeyed him. He
mad recovered in a score of plays the
few miserable notes of thousand
francs, his last resource which he
had lost at the beginning of the even.
ing.
At present covering with several
hundred francs at a time, and served
always by his fantastic luck. he was
in fair way to regain all, and more
than his family fortune which he had
In so few years squandered.
In his haste and desire to play he
had not taken off his overcoat: al
ready he had filled the great pockets
with rolls of notes and gold pieces
and not knowing where to heap up
his gains, he thrust paper and gold
into the pockets of his inside coat.
his vest and trousers pockets. his
cigar case, his handkerchief. every
place that could serve as a receptacle.
And he played always, and he gained
always, like a mailman, like a drunk
en- man! and he threw his handfuls
of gold upon the table at hazard, with
a gesture of certainty and disdainl
Only there was something burning
in his breast like a red-hot iron, and
he thought constantly of the little
beggar from whom he had stolen.
She is still in the same place! She
must be there! Immediately. yes.
when the clock strikes one, / swear
to myself that l will get away from
this place. l will take her, asleep.
in my arms. will take her home
with me; she shall sleep in my bed
tonight; | will bring her up, and will
settle a large amount on her; | will
love her as my daughter, and I will
take care of her always!
III.
But the clock struck one, and a
quarter-past and half-past and a quar-.
ter to two, and Lucien was still seated
at that internal table.
AT last, one minute before two, the
mead OF the house got up abruptly and
said in a loud voice, The bank is
broken, gentlemen; enough for to-
day"
With one bound, Lucien was on
his feet, and, pushing aside recklessly
the curious players who surrounded
and regarded him with an envious
admiration, he went out quickly rush
ing down the stairs and running to
the stone bench. From a distance.
by the light of a gas jet, he could
see the little girl.
Thank Cod" he cried, "she is still
there"
He approached her, and seized her
tiny hand.
oh, how cold she is Poor little
thing"
He took her in his arms, and raised
her to carry her. The head of the
child fell back without awakening her.
How one sleeps at her age!"
He pressed her against his breast to
warm her; and, seized with a vague
inquietude, he tried, in order to draw
her from this heavy sleep, to kiss her
on her eyelids, as one does to awaken
gently a loved one.
And then he perceived with horror
that the eyelids of the child were
halp-open, and that the eyeballs were
CLASSY, set and sightess!
His brain whirled with a horrible
suspicion; he put his mouth close to
that of the little girl; not breath
came from it.
During that time that Lucien had
gained fortune with the money stol-
en- from the little beggar, the poor
child without a home had died, died
from exposure to the cold.
w.
Feeling in his throat a horrible
choking sensation, Lucien tried to
cry out. and in the effort he made he
woke up from this nightmare and
found himself on the clubroom sofa,
where he had fallen asleep a little
before midnight, and where the wait
er of the gambling room, in going
out about five o'clock, had left him
sleeping, out of pity for the ruined
man.
misty December sunrise lighted
up the window panes.
Lucien went out, pawned his watch,
took a bath, breakfasted, and went to
a recruiting officer, where he signed a
voluntary engagement in the First
African Infantry.
ant; he has only his pay to live on,
but he gets out of it very well, being
a steady officer and never touching q
card; 1t would seem also that he finds
it possible to save something out Of
it, for the other day, at Algiers, one
of his comrades, walking a little be-
hind in hilly street of the Kaspa,
saw him giving something to little
sleeping Spanish girl in a doorway,
and he had the indiscreet curiosity
to see what Lucien had given to the
child.
The inquisitive one was much sur
prised at the generosity of the poor
lieutenant.
Lucien de Hern had put into the
hand of this INDECENT child a twenty
fiVe-franp Diece