The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-02-21

! candles: about the room were several
mahogany tables with green cloth tops
Seated at these tables were elderly gen.
tlcmen, respondent in their many decOra
| tons, and all absorbed in card playing
They conversed in low tones, as if in !:
| church, and only the strains of distant
orchestra occasionally interrupted thu
sights quite overpowered me, and just as
! was about to quit this sanctuary
heard my name called; turned; it was
my colonel who had spied me. He pro
posed game of ecarte. l bowed &C.
ceptance and took the chair just vacated
by his partner. Several persons wcrc
standing around our table, and can re-
call the feeling Of vanity experienced at
being seen in public with my superior.
The colonel proposed a stake Of five for.
ms, to which agreed. We cut for deal
he drew seven SPOT. [ drew jack. II;
this first hand I captured all the tricks.
In the next hand he swept the board.
We were now even-two and two. 1t
was now my turn to deal.
"Whilc shutting the cards I noticed
that the card at the bottom of the pack
was the king of diamonds: how bright it
looked in it's scarlet color! At sight of <
Was seized with an uncomfortable de-
sire to-steal it! For the moment l inl-
agincd myself at home, ut my own table,
un,ei tne la1lp' my WE opposite me:
and quietly (unobservcd, l thought
drew from the bottom that king Of dia.
monds, which l played at the proper
time. cxclaiming with feigned surprise
Hello. I have the kingv Hardly had
uttered the words when I felt pablo,
spreading over my face. The colonel no
ticed it, stopped playing and looked a:
me in silence. Ny breathing became
rapid. l was so overcome with shame
that could have died on the spot.
"FrOm rear room came the sounds of
the orchestra playing I1ife's Joys The
colonel kent his eyes right on me-a
steady, penetrating, hard look, full of
contempt and sadness. Finally he
turned his eyes away and remarked cold
". We'll. since YOU have it, mark it.
The game was quickly ended. He lost.
pushed toward me with the finger tips Of
his white gloves the five florins, remark
ing. You have Won, sir I had not yet
recovered my cQuanimity, so completely
had Wy. grief Frustrated me, but could
not let my colonel so away in that hui
NOR.
II said to myself, 'He is worthy man.
| did that act unconsciously, and he'll
laugh it off: No doubt he'll consider it
a joke. he'll pat me on the back and
that'I be the .end Of it, I caught up
with him. AS soon as was by his side,
I said to him, in low. suppliant tones.
ColOncl-colonel- But could not ut
ter another word. He stopped, gazed
at me as he had done at the card ia
BILE. and his look again penetrated me,
| burned into my very soul. Then I un-
derstood that 1 was lost. dishonored in
his estimation. I felt that no matter
what | might have said in extenuation OF
my crime he would consider it simply a
lie, so l hung my head, kept silence and
he went away. From that day I have
never loved my profession, although
| was the most noted among my comrades.
"No matter where I went. whether il
quarters, or at drills, or in the houses
where W. had our reunions, I felt that
look of the colonel, that silent looi
| which always seemed to say, Lieut.
Malten, you're a thief?
I'm course of time was made a cap
tain. Then lost my beloved wife with
| whom l used to cheat at cards. Then
came Sadowa, which you know put al
end to my military career. And so you
have my story. I may have spun it out
q little too long, for which l apologize
but, gentlemen, you must play without
me. ''-Translated from the French fol-
the New York Commercial Advertiser by
r. Mcguire.