Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1903-05-21
His Ruling Passion

lourn in America. He had left his
country ruined and almost hopeless,
victim to his passion for gambling.
He was quite young when he had
left France, but he had squandered
away a large fortune and SO had
courageously decided to go into ex-
lie and try his luck in a new way
namely, BIZ work. He had started
away with f20 in his pocket and
had now returned after ten years
slavery almost a rica mamagain.
lie was once more on the boule-
wards, once more gazing at the bril-
lantly lighted shops and at the gay
crowd of fashionable loungers who
were strolling along apparently
without a care in the world. AT
last, feeling a little tired, he sat
down at one of'the tables outside
cafe, idly wondering whether any of
his former friends would recognize
him now.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his
shoulder and, turning round, dis
covered an old acquaintance of his.
"De Saumur, is it possible? Why,
old fellow, how many years is it
since we met, CT, rather, since we
parted" 2"
"Ten years, Rouval--just ten
years since / started off with my
f20 to try my luck over the sea-"
'And what sort of luck have you
had, old fellow?"
"Very fair-better than / expect
ed. Pve come back anyhow with
enough of the tneedfnl' to 90 along
all right now. How have you been
getting on all these years ?"
"Well, I've had some changes,
like every one else. Pm married
now and am getting on all right-at
least / should if could only leave
the confounded cards alone"
Take care, Rouyal, if you 60 in
for that still. ought to have been
a warning to some of you. Why
don't you give that sort of thing up
once and for all?"
''That's easier said than done.
What is a fellow to do at the club /?
And then if once you've won from
man you cannot refuse to let him
have his chance. and SO you go on.
i say, you'll come home with me. j
want to hear all about your doings
and introduce you to my wife,"
81 should like to come very
much.
"Well, it's settled then. Now tell
me something about your life over
yonder. How did you ever get q
start ??
"Well, had bad time at first, ]
confess. The motto of the country
there is, Every man for himself IL
one cannot hold ones own in the
fierce competition that is waged,
then there is nothing to do but give
in and disappear. On the contrary,
If you've got some grip in you and
can hold on and have got just
enough money in your pocket to
keep you from starving till you get
your foot on the ladder, why, there's
chance for you.
81 stood off at nothing, as / did
not know a soul in the whole coun-
try. As knew a good deal about
horses, / offered my services as
coachman TO a New York physician
and had the honor of driving him
about all day to visit his patients"
"De Saumur, is it possible ?"
at was, Rouval That was pre-
cisely how l commenced. When /
had got used to the life over there
and saw how things went, ! ven
tured on other things, and / GER
tainly had good luck, for everything
touched succeeded. AS soon as ]
had scraped little money together
/ put it into some shares in a rail-
way company, and so | went on un-
til / had made what / considered
enough to come back with"
Its been pretty rough on you,
Gilbert"
at has, and I don't mind own
ing it now The hardest thing of
all was to keep myself from gam
bling away the money as | made it.
1t was easy enough to rough it as
regards other things, both luxuries
and the necessities of lie, but it
was confoundedly hard to keep
away from the gaming tables, which
exist there just as much as here.
Thank heaven, / did resist though,
or | shouldn't be here now"
."Ah, my dear fellow, you won't
be long here in Paris before you'll
give in to your old habits. What
can a man do at the club? But
come along. We must start now. /
want to introduce you to my wife"
The two men got up and saunter-
ed along the boulevards to the Ave
nue. de fOpera, where Jacques Rou-
val lived.
After dinner Rouval took his new
found friend into his smoking den,
there to indulge in a cigar.
'DO you care TO have a look in at
the club 7" he asked him little lat
er on.
"No, / don't think do this even
ing. You know, is not cheerful
after ten years absence to return to
old haunts which are filed with
/ -