The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-21

1 The student MarSenlre becomes a wonderful creature at grinding. He 1 does not pause even to draw a picture now and then. He lives, breathes, eats, dreams knowledge. He was in this delirious dream of work work, work, when another let ter came from Clara. It had queer, shaky. zigzag handwriting. He kissed | it before he opened 1t. Then all at once the room danced be- fore his eyes. There was humming l in his ears. He dropped back in his chair. relaxed, hopeless. The letter told him that La Belle Nivernaise was to be broken up at last People had come to calculate the value of her poor old bones for firewood They. were looking at everything from the Crews boathook to the baby's cradle.
 Two days afterward there Is no longer a question of the student Mau- gendre passing his examination. It IS | solely matter of saving the student Maugendre's life.
 It would be best, says the doctor to old Maugendre, that he be restored to his old country freedom-if he should | recover.
 If he should recover! Old Maugen- dre renounces his dream of having son who wears the green and silVer uniform of the School of Forestry. He will give up every hope-only let the lad recover! Let him but consent to live. to speak to him, to put an arm around his neck and say: Father! am getting we'll now. Father! The old man, who has clutched his son as he had clutched gold, Is willing | to make an almost complete surrender of him. Sitting at that bedside where young Life is striving with ancient Death, the man Is stripping his miser's | skin.
 | When the student Maugendre comes to himself after many weeks there are voices whispering near him. He hears footsteps as of people tiptoeing. He fancies even, that he hears a we'll known stumping.
 Surely he must be on La Belle Niver- naisei Before his newly gathered senses can tell him otherwise, he cries, feebly enough: "Yo ho! Crewl Yo, l hor'.
 The curtains are withdrawn. The | light of day dazzles him. Tn that blinding radiance he sees all the dear ones on whom he has called so often in his fantastic, wild, but ever longing dreams.
 Every arm is stretched toward him, every one of those good brave, honest faces smile toward him. l But, says the VOiCe OI Oiu Maugendre, breaking in anxiously, "he must keep his arms under the bed clothes. he must keep quiet, he must not get excited
 So anxious is old Maugendre that he speaks faster than he has spoken In many years. Think of it!" says he, looking now at Victor. then at Mother and Father Louveau. and Clara. and babies, and Crew, but ever resting his hfnl of Tha Principal had just told me that you were making such progress! You were working like a machine. You may imagine how proud I wasi And just at that moment they rushed in to say that you were i'll. Ahl My dear lad. how III you werel I did not leave you for moment. You kept raving about La Belle Nivernaise. about Clara about new boat. and what not Then I found Clara's letter and read 1t to see what had caused your. trouble of mind. You may think then that hurried to find these good friends oi yours and mine that I might ease youi mind as soon as you should be better They are now living with me, ant shall stay there till we arrange theii affairs. Is It not so. my friend Lou veau?'
 The two arms come out of the bed clothes, despite all the orders of al the doctors in the world. and Maugen' dre Is embraced-not only embraced but he feels on his hard, witheret cheek the kiss of a sonl
 Then they chat over plans Clara il to stay and nurse Victor til he is abl' to come home. Mother Louveau will keep house temporarily for NJ. Maugen
 dre while Francis superintends som
 work for him. Meantime Maugendrt himself is going to Clamecy H.
 knows some people there who will b.
 delighted to give the command of
 barge to so clever a bargeman a.
 Father Louveau.
 IL was a month before the work wa
 finished. Then Louveau asked Mau
 gendre anxiously:
 "weIj,j 1nave I a chance? Will the,
 he thing to do with me. thos