The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-29

contemplating the advantage Whlcn ne
might derive from the possession of
Eusenie's fortune. But to Eugene
Charles was a hero, a demi-god and
hero and demi-god in distress. He was
the first who had brought love into her
life: his presence had made the drearI-
ness of her existence bud and blossom
into something rare and strange to her
and unguessed before.
But the time came when. at the stern
command of old Grandet, his nephew
was to leave the house and begin his
Journey out into the world to seek his
fortune across the ocean. Eugene went
to him with the little hoard of gold COM
posed of the pieces which her father had
given her upon her birthdays and pressed
the pitiful treasure upon the man she
loved. Charles did not refuse the offer
ing. He did, however, have the grace
to open his travelling dressing case and
show her secret compartment in which
were two portraits, one of his father
and one of his mother set In frames of
gold enriched with pearls. He gave her
the case, saying that IL he sould die, or
should not be cble to repay her what
she had advanced him, the pearls and
the gold would recompense her.
Eugene looked at Charles with a
glance of rapture. How noble, how
thoughtful he was! He saw the look,
and Selling her hand, kissed it fervently.
"Oh, what to us Is sordd gold or miser-
able pearls!'' cried Charles. Between
us there can be, from now henceforth,
only feeling and the sentiment of love-"
On the eve of his departure Charles
managed to see Eugene alone, and the
young people exchanged their vows, each
promising eternal consistency. He pressed
rapturous kisses upon her lips, and she
returned them. Il am thine forever
they repeated to each other over and
over again az they embraced.
Old Grandet felt nightly relieved
when he saw his nephew set out the
next morning. He kissed him on both
cheeks and babe him go and make his
fortune. Come back rich" he said
In the meantime l will take care OF
the honor of your father You car
leave his name safely in my hands,
SO the handsome Charles went forth
to do battle with the world and Eu-
genie sat herself down to dream and
to wait. The ocean rolled between hel
and Charles, but her thoughts flew over
1t, swift and strong, to the palm COW
cred isles where the man she loved was
toiling for her, toiling that he might
come back and make her his own. II
a xva iva ul,
for she believed and loved, and If the
time seemed long to her she was
cheered by the vision of what awaited
her at the end of the dragging years.
The liquidators of the estate OF
Grandet of Paris paid As per cent of the
claims against 1t with commendable
promptness, but when the creditors
after a long wait, asked for another
dividend the liquidators were forced tc
confess that they had no further funds
The creditors wrote off to Grandet OF
Saumer. The old man threw the letter
into the fire and let the creditors rage
The estate was "in liquidation" They
must wait. Finally the birthday OF
Eugene came around once more, and
according to custom, her mother gave
her the usual two dresses. and her IA
Their went early to her bedside with his
gold piece. Something prompted the
old man to ask to see Eugenie's little
hoard-perhaps he wanted to gloat
over 1T. he loved the sight of gold
After hesitating a while Eugene con-
fessed, with tears, that she did not
have it. The father was furious, and
rushing upon her. demanded what she
had done with It, The mother, who
was present, cried out that his conduct
would kill her. but he replied that in
her family people obstinately refused
to die. The mother sank, fainting, to
the floor, and Eugene called out that
cried Nine. Grandet. "Nanon, help me
to my bed"
With a curse the old man turned to
leave the room, roughly commanding Eu-
genie to come down to him as soon as
her mother had been placed In her bed
Eugene, still refusing to tell what she
had done with her golden hoard, was con-
fined for time by her father in her room
and fed upon a diet of bread and water
1t was only the evidently rapid decline
of Nine Grandet that finally caused the
father to set the girl at liberty. Nine.
Grandet fingered on for some months,
and 1t was only when she was near death
that the hard-hearted old miscreant, her
husband, would allow her to have a physi-
clan. Before she died she said to her
daughter: Eugene. there Is no happi-
ness on this earth-only in heaven. We
women are born to suffer-and die"
Left alone now with her father, the
years went dragging along their weary
length, until five of them had been num-
bered. And in all that time Eugene re-
ceived no word from Charles. She tried
to account for his silence in various
ways. Perhaps he had not succeeded, and
was ashamed to write until he had. Per-
haps he would come the, next day, rich
and proud, to claim her hand. And then
the horrible thought-perhaps he was
dead. But had he been dead she would
have heard of it, she thought-her father
would have been informed Then her
father one day fell down in a paralytic
shock and Eugene tended him with ten
der care until he died, telling her with
his last words to take care of his money,
as he would demand an accounting of her
when they met after death. Eugene was
now quite alone in the grim old house
with no one but Nanon to talk to her.
She found herself enormously rich-but
alone. Oh. where was Charles? This she
Kept saying to herself, sometimes aloud
and Nanon tried her best to comfort her.
1t was not long after the death of hts
uncle that M. Charles Grandet returned
from the West Indies. and returned with