Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-06-14
CHAPTER VIII.

.
few hours had wrought rapid changes
in her feelings.
Mamma. how many louis is hogs
head of wine WORTH
Your father gets something between
hundred and hundred and fifty francs
for his; sometimes two hundred, / be-
lieve, from what have heard him say"
And would there be fourteen hundred
hogsheads in a vintageT'
Il don't know how many there are,
child. upor my word; your father never
talks about business to me-"
But, anyhow. papa mnst be rich"
May be. But NJ. Cruchot told me
that your father bought Froidfond two
years ago. That would be a heavy pull
on him"
He did not even so much as see me,
the poor dearv' said Nanon, entering the
room. He is lying there on his bed like
calf, crying, you never saw the like!
Poor young man; what can be the mat
ter with him?'
Let us go up at once and comfort
him, mamma; il we hear a knock, we
will come downstairs"
There was something in the musical
tones of her daughters voice which Nine.
Grandet could not resist Eugene was
sublime; she was a girl no longer, she
was woman. With beating hearts they
climbed the stairs and went together to
Charles room, The door was open. The
young man saw nothing and heard moth
ing; he was absorbed in his grief.
How he loves his fatherp' said Eu-
genie in low voice, and in aer tone
there was an unmistakable accent ana
hopes of which she was unaware. Nine
Grandet, with the quick instinct of a
mothers love, spoke in her ear
Take care" she said, "or you may
love him."
Love him." said Eugene "Ahi If
you only knew what my father said"
Charles moved slightly as he lay, and
saw his aunt and cousin.
II have lost my father he cried; my
poor fatrerl If he had only trusted me
and told me about his losses, we might
have worked together to repair them.
My kind father! | was so sure that
should see him again, and | said good-by
so carelessly."
I'VE will surely pray for him." said
Nine. Grandet. Submit yourself to the
will of heavenw
Take courage, cousin" said Eugene
gently, nothing can give your father
back to you; you must now think how
to save your honor"
A woman always has her wits about
her, even in her capacity of comforter
and with instructive tact Eugene sought
to divert her cousins mind from his
sorrow by leading him to thing about
himself.
my honor?" cried the young man,
hastily pushing back the hair from his
eyes He sat upright upon the bed, and
folded his arms. "Ah! true. My uncle
said that my father had failed. Leave
mel leave met Cousin Eugene" he en-
treated. "Oh! heaven forgive my faith
er, for he must have been terribly UNI
happy
There was something in the sight of
this young sorrow that was terribly en-
geging 1t was sorrow that shrank
| from the gaze of others. and Charles
| gesture of entreaty was understood by
Eugene and her mother. They went 81
lently downstairs again, and sewed on
for nearly an hour without a word to
| each other. About o'clock a sharp
knock at the door sent sudden thrill
of terror through Nine. Grandet.
What can have brought your father
back?" she said TO her daughter.
Il have hooked them, wife," said the
vine grower, in high good humor. Il
| have them safe Our wine is sold The
| f3elgians were setting out this morning;
hung about in the market place in front
| of their inn, looking as simple as l could.
A man came up TO me. All the best
growers are hanging off and holding their
viutages; they wanted to wait. and SO
they can. | have not hindered them Our
Belgian was at his wits end ! saw that.
So the bargain was struck; he is taking
the whole of our vintage at two hun.
dred francs the hogshead. half of it paid
down at once in gold and l have prom
issory notes for the rest. There are six
| louis for you. In three months time
prices will go down."
| The last words came out quietly
| enough. but there was something so sar-
| donic in the tone that if the little knots
of growers, then standing in the twilight
| in the market place of Saumur in dis
may at the news Of Grandet's sale, had
| heard him speak, they would have shud-
| dered; there would have been a panic on
| the market-wines would have fallen
fifty per cent.
you have n thousand hobsheads this
year. father, have you notT' asked Eu-
genie. THAT will mean two hundred
thousand francsT'
| "Yes. Mademoiselle Grandet."
"Well. then. father, you can easily
help Charles"
| The surprise, the wrath and bewilder-
ment with which Belshazzar beheld Meme
| Meme Tekel Upharsin written upon his
palace wall were as nothing compared
| with Grandet's cold fury: he had forgot
! ten all about Charles, and now he found
| that all his daughters inmost thoughts
were OF his nephew. and that this arith
metic of hers referred TO him. II was
exasperating.
| Look here" he Numbered: lever since
| that scapegrace set foot in my house ev-
/ erything has gone askew. You take il
upon yourselves 10 buy sugar plums. and
make great set-out for him. / will not
| have these doings. / should think, at my
/ age, ought to know what is right and
4 proper To do. At sny rate. / have no
need to take lessons from my daughter,
nor from any one else. / shall do for
my nephew whatever il is right and
/ proper for me to do; you need not NEEDLE
/ in ii. And now. Eugene. il you say an
other word about il. will send You and
/ Nanon off 10 the Abbey at Meyers, see If
| don't Where is that boy? Has he
come downstairs yetT'
NO. He is crying for his father,
Eugene said.
Grandct looked at his daughter. and
found nothing TO say. There was soIne
touch Of the father even in him. He
/ took one or two turns up and down,
and then went straight TO his strong
room 10 think over possible invest
ments. He had thoughts of buying
consols. Those two thousand acres OF
woodland had brought him in SIX hun
dred thousand francs; then there was
the money from the sale OF the popiars'
there was last years income from Vari-
Gus sources, and this years savings, 20
say nothing OF the bargain which he had
Just concluded: so that leaving those
two hundred thousand francs out or the
1 nuaSfioo ha -oSSaSSei n hmm sun of