The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1912-06-10
THE CRIPPLE

T1HE following adventure happened to
about 1882. I just taken train and
settled down in corner. hoping that 1
should be left alone. when sud
denly opened again I a say:
Take monsieur just a crossing;
the step is high
Another voice answered: That's all right. Lau-
rent. I have a firm hold the handle"
Then a head appeared, and hands seized the
straps hanging either side of the door
and slowly pulled up enormous body, whose
feet, striking the step, sounded like
When the man had hoisted his torso into the COM
partment noticed. the loose edge of his trous-
the end of wooden leg, which was soon
followed by it's mate A head appeared behind
this traveller and asked: Are you all right. mon
sieur?"
Yes. my boy"
Then here are your packages and crutches"
And servant who looked like old soldier.
climbed in, carrying in his a stack of bundles
wrapped in black and yellow papers and carefully
tied; he placed after the other in the net
his masters head. Then he said: There. mon
seur, that is all. There five of them-the
candy, the doll. the drum, the gun, and the pate
de foies gras."
Thank you. Laurent: good health"
The man closed the door and walked away. and
I looked my neighbor. He was about thirty
five. although his hair almost white; he
the ribbon Of the Legion of Honor he had a heavy
mustache and was quite stout. with the stoutness
of strong and active kept motionless
account of 1nfrmty. wiped brow
sighed, and. looking full in the face. he asked:
Docs smoking annoy you monsieur"
mo. monsieur"
Surely I knew that eye that voice that face.
But when and where had them? had GER
tainly met that man. spoken him. shaken his
hand That was long, long time 1t
lost in the haze wherein the mind seems to feel
around blindly and pursues them
like fleeing phantoms without being able seize
them. He, too. observing me, staring me out
of countenance. with the persistence a man
who remembers slightly but completely. Our
ssed hv taOt
turned away: then. after few minutes. drawn
together again by the obscure and tenacious will
of working memory, they met 1
said: Monsieur, instead of staring at each other
for an hour would 1t not be better to try
to discover where we have known each other?"
My neighbor graciously: You are
quite right, monsieur"
I named myself: Il Henri Bonclair, a mag
istrate"
He hestated a minutes: then with the
vague look and voice which accompany great
mental tension he said: "Oh. 1 remember per-
fectly. 1 met you twelve years before the
the Poincels."
RevaIiere?"
I was Captain Revaliere even up to the
time when I lost my feet-both Of together
from cannon ball"
Now that we knew each others identity we
looked at each other again l remembered per-
fectly the handsome, slender youth who led
cotillons with such frenzied agility and graceful
ness that he had been nicknamed the fury
Going back into the dinn distant past I recalled a
story which 1 had heard and forgotten. one of
those stories which listens but forgets and
which leave but faint impression upon
memory
There something about love in Little by
little the shadows cleared up. and the a
young girl appeared before Then her
struck with the force an explosion:
Mademoiselle de Mandel 1 remembered everything
1t indeed a love story. but quite COM
monplace The young girl loved this young man.
and when had met them there already talk
of the approaching wedding The youth seemed
to be very much in love. very happy.
l raised to the net. where all the pack
which had been brought in by the servant
were trembling from the motion of the train and
the voice of the servant came back If
he had just finished speaking He had said:
There. monsieur, is all There o
them: the candy, the doll the drum, gun.
pate de foies gras."
Then, in a second, whole romance unfolded
itself in my head II like all those which I
had already read. where the young lady married
notwithsta nding the catastrophe. whether physical
o financial; therefore, this officer had been
manned in the had returned after the
paign to the young girl who had given him her
promise. and she had kept her word
considered that very beautiful. hut simple. just
considers simple all devotions and clnaxes
.sE:Ns..EEs*sS IN ~eAyNTf11o @S-------.--