Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-06-10
THE TRAPPIsT's VOW.

| mar Z - w
Sergius Kousmenski had unconscious
| ly walked toward the Casino. What led
him th-Ie that evening hc meyer ai,,r-
ward could say He was no gambler
never haG J-cM 50, even i'll his ou1ger
days, and now thae he was abou-. final
~ to settle Gown n lie he certainly
felt no inclination for the card table.
He was SO happy tonight Olga Krie-
wenko had at last definitely allowed hirl
| to fix their wedding day Yes. he was
going to marry Olga. the beautiful Pole
he, Sergius Kousmenslxi, governor of
Warsaw, whose severe rigor against the
conquered race had been so much com
mented upon and so highly commended
in st. Petersburg
Sergius Kousmenski watched the play
ers nearest to him for some little time
then his attention was drawn toward
| the farther end of the room, where va
banque was being played.
A Russian was holding the bank. He
seemed exciseG aud anxious Probably
he was losing heavily, Sergius thought,
| lbl AaiAA, NuOSt 1dtt ne CDulu not see.
had a large heap of gold ami notes bv
her side, while the banquier's pile seemed
| sadly diminished. He saw very little
OF her, only an exquisitely goved hand
| from time to time.
The banquier had started a fresh deal
while Sergus, full of curiosity. endeav
| ored to get a closer view of The LADY,
Six hundred roubles,' she said in a
melodious voice that made Sergius Kous-
menski start md set his pulses throb-
bing violently
1t was 0lgas voice. His Oiga What
was she doing here in this gambling
den? His iancee, his would-be wife.
1t all seemed like dream that the
beautiful girl he loved, the one whose
rigid devotions SO often had caused him
to smile, should be sitting in the Casino
gambling among the roues and demi-
mondaines of Warsaw.
The dealer now turned up an ace, the
| highest card possible; the players had
lost, and all the piles of gold, Olga's
included, were swept away in favor of
the banquier. Sergius could not see her
face, but the hand that once more puG
up the stake, a heavier one this time
trembIed slightly.
Olga had now only a pile of bank
notes in front of her. One mau-her i'm
mediate neighbor-had Just risen. and as
he did So Sergius caught sight of card
the ace of hearts-lying Just under
meath her chair. Sergius wondered that
nobody else saw it; he wondered if Olga
did. No, for she apparently did not
either, notice her handkerchief which
also at that moment dropped ON to the
floor. Sergius did not take his eyes off
her. She was very pale, and her eyes
| looked hard and set, He had noticed the
card that had been dealt to her: it was
| a seven.
The hystanders had transferred their
attention to the dealer; only Sergius
was looking. with certain amount of
sympathy, at Olga's hand which was
twitching nervously She looked for her
handkerchief, noticed she had dropped
1t, and stopped slightly to pick it up
The next moment the banquier turned
up his card; it was queen
You pay met" said Olga quietly. as
she turned up her card-the ace of
! hearts.
Sergius looked at her; she seemed
ready to faint as the dealer counted out
90 600 roubles to her, lie did not at
| first understand it all. for he had dis
tinctly seen that she held seven, till
| presently he CHANGED to look upon the
| floor The card from there had disap-
peared
When he looked up again. Olga had
| collected her money her gloves. her
| handkerchief and had risen to 20, Then
she turned and faced him, and their eyes
| met
She knew he had seen all; he met her
look OF terror with one of such mutter-
able contempt that she closed her eyes
to shut out the fearful vision.
| When she opened them again he was
gone
Yes. he had gone. fled he knew not
whittier, to hide his desolatiou and
! shame even from those who knew it
not. mstmctvely. he had directed his
steps toward the outer gates of the
city. and, having passed them, he was
walking through the fields that led to
the iappist monastery, yonder by the
| hillside
As Sergius looked before him. he sud,
denly saw Olga at the farther end of
the field. She was walking briSGly. and
a few moments afterword had disap.
peared into the chapel.
| ne ran across the Ht3d ana pushed
| open the heavy paneled oak door. \
monk was absorbed in devotious before
the altar, and another tigure-a womAus
was there. on her knees laying bare
| her soul before God, and sobbing bitter
| ly. How he longed the next moment to
| take her in his arms. but she rose and
touched the kneeling monk ON the shoul
| der.
He walked mp to the small saer.,,y
door and heckoned TO an unknown Der
son within, who then stepped out while
the monk waiting. stood like one of the
5 atues carved in stone upon the altar
The newcomer appeared to be Young