Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-02-22

mahogany tables with green cloth tops.
Seated ut these tables were elderly gen
tlemen, Respondent in their many decora-
tons. and all absorbed in card playing.
They conversed in low tones, as if in Il
church, and only the strains of distant
orchestra occasionally interrupted the
whisperngs of the gamblers. These
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 a game of ecarte. / bowed ac~
ceptance and took the chair just vacated
by his partner. Several persons were
standing around our table, and can re-
call the feeling of vanity / experienced at
being seen in public with my superior.
g ssSsss 4eoloael proposed a stake of FIVE for
ms, to which / agreed We cut for deal,
he drew seven SPOT. | drew jack. III
this first hand / captured all the tricks.
In the next hand he swept the board.
We were now even-two and two. II
was now my turn to deal.
while shutting the cards | noticed
that the card at the bottom of the pack
was the king of diamonds how bright il
looked in its scarlet color! At sight of Z
| was seized with an uncomfortable de
sire tO-steal it, For the moment | I'M
agined myself at home, at my own table
under the lamp, my wife opposite me
and quietly (unobservcd. l thought
drew from the bottom that king OF dia
monds, which | played Mt the proper
time. exclaiming with feigncd surprise
Hello. l have the king! Hardly had
| uttered the words when | felt a pallol
spreading over my face. The colonel no
ticed it. stopped playing and looked 4;
me in silence. My breathing became
rapid. / was so overcome with shame
that l could have died on the spot.
From a rear room came the sounds of
the orchestra playing Lies joys The
colonel kept 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.
| Then. as he arose from the table. he
pushed toward me with the finger tips OF
| his white gloves the FIVE forms. remark
ing. You have won, sir l had not vet
recovered my equanimity, so completely
had my grief Frustrated me, but I could
not let my colonel so away in that hui
NOR.
II said to myself. He is a worthy man
| father of family; l will tell him that
| l did that act unconSciouSly, and he'll
| laugh it off. No doubt he'll consider il
| a joke: he'll pat me on the back ant
| that'll be the end of it, I caught VI
/
! | said to him, in low. Suppliant tones
Colonel colonel But l could not ut
ter another word lie stopped. gaze,
Mt me rs he had done ut the card IN
bic. and his look again penetrated me
burned into my very soul. Then l un
derstood that ! was lost dishonored il
his estimation. | felt that no matter
what l might have said in eXtenuation o
my crime he would consider it simply
lie, so l hung my head. kept silence ant
he went away. From that day | hay,
never loved my profession, although
was the most noted among my comrades
No matter where | went, whether il
quarters, or Mt drills, or in the house
where wa had our reunions, | felt tina
| look of the colonel, that silent loo
which always seemed TO say, Lieut.
| Malten, you're Il thief"
''In course Of time ! was made a cap
tain. Then / lost my beloved wife wit
whom l used TO cheat at cards. The
came Sadowa, which you know put n
| end 10 my military career. And so yo
! have my story. | may have spun it on
| a little too long, for which | apologize
but, gentlemen, you must play withou
me. "-Translated from the French fo
the New York Commercial Advertiser b
| Il. Mcguire.