The Wagers.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 118, 20 May 1905, Page 10

The Wage rs.

♦ Some years ago T took my sent in tho diligence from Maihcilles to Il'I 1 ' . The railway that now connects those cities was not yet contemplated. There wero livo passengers in all. Of the!>e ono wiis a .vliorl, fut man, with .smooth cheeks and a red face. Though plainly dressed, his clothes wero very good, Hcioss his waistco.it ho woro a thick gold chain, which hu was caieful U) let mo aeo was allarhud to a huiulsonio watch, on the buck of which whs v, crest iv jewels. There was no doubt ho was a rich man, nnd <tlut I, nl all events, might have no doubt of it, he informed 1110 that his income- exceeded fifty ibousand fnincb v year, mid thut ho bid fun- to double it before five years wa.s gone, so prosperous \uis his business. 1 was partly wnusnl nnd partly disgiißled by his loquacity. Why ho should havo miulo a confidant of mo in particular I don't know, unites it was that I huppeued to Mt next him. Among other tiits of information ho gave me to know tkat this w.ts tho first holiday he had indulged himself with for thrcu years. "Where do you got out?" I enquired. "At P ," said he. "But why do you go so far from Marseilles for a holiday?" 1 asked. '•Monsieur," ho answered, "I am going to got married." "The deuce!".l exclaimed, laughing; "and you call that taking a holiday?" ''Why," said he, "that would depend. If 1 were going to marry nn ugly woman, now, 1 should cull this tour by 1111nlher nnmo. But, my friend, the lady I am engaged to is an angel ; sir, she ! might hnvo mil for ono of Mahomet's > houris. Her ey ■•>.—" Ho re ho went off inlo a long account of hia mistress's perfections, decorating ' his fluent description with all manner of shrugs, grimaces, nnd gesticulations. "You nro a very fortunate man, sir," said 1, "and I wish you joy.' 1 "Yes, nnd you may \whli tho lady joy, too, and congratulate her as well, for givo mo leave lo say it is not every woman who has tho luck to meet witn n. lumbnnd who unites lo the splendours of wealth tho accomplishments of genius and the graces of courage." I smothered a laugh. "So you have genius and courngo us well us'money?" Ho nodded vehemently. "Without boasting," snid hp, "I think I may pride myself on being possessed of all llin qualifications that recommend a man to the ladies." "bo long us they are sufficient to recommend j'ou to the lady of your choice_ yon should' be sati.*>fied." "They should be sufficient," ho replied, "and in my own mind I am persuaded that they lire sufficient ; but, though the young lady is beautiful as a houri, I regrfjat to say »he is lather perverse in her tnste, bo that for a long time I could hardly nniko nny headway in her affections. Indeed, sdie was weak-minded enough to avow a preference for a cousin of liera, a young lieutenant— a beggar, sir, nnd a mighty impudent dog to boot. , What Jiho could hee in him I could never tell. I'll allow Hint hi.s no.so is straight, hi« eyes good, and his teeth white and regular, but whal is the use of theno things in a man without money?" "To be suio," $>.iid I diowsiij, for tho j day was uunu, nud the lendciioy to sleep wus agguvulcd b) my dioiiing companion. "I'll bo perfectly frank with you," ho continued, "and lonfeis that I don't think she would ever have accepted mo had it not beeu for her father, who ih a poor man, and is very linger to havo mo as a uon-in-law, thinkiiijj; 1 shall pay oft' his debt*. 1 wish he may get it! j Bnh! I've allowed him to think anything > lie likes, for hisi I hulking costs 1110 110- ' thing, and being anxious to wed tho | girl, who, I declare to you, is beautiful—" And hero he went off ugi-in into another long description, which ho liborally garnished, as before, with sluuga und grimaces. "Then you don't cure about her lovo? Biiid 1, (sleepily. "Not a fig!" he answered, "not a Kg! I only want her. At ~my time of life, sir, we know tha hypocrisy of love, how easily.it is counterfeited. I have II ring at home with a paste stone in it. I declare to you it tlunhes like a diamond, and is thought na costly us tho best of the real stones 1 wear. So with lovo. The counterfeit passes for tho real ninety-nine times in the hundred ; and, though I'll own I would rather huvo tho real, if I can't gut it, I should bo just us well unti.sfitd with the hliuui." He then branched off into some very cynical remarks on tho nature of lovo, which, however, 1 urn ashamed to say I do not remember, n« 1 fell sound asleep very shortly alter he hud commenced them. I was awakened by Iho diligence stopping nt tho Uolden Lion Inn, in tho principal street of F . The fat, red-faced babbler, who it seeniH had been awuke through tho whnlo journey, and hud been boring a mildlooking gentleman who nut opponite him when lie had found mo usleep, got out, nnd 1 followed him. \lo pulled out his watch, which sparkled most gorgeoutily as it took tho sun's iujh, nnd exclaimed, turning to me— "A quaiter to four, sir. Half an hour after time." "I'll bet you that it is not," suid a gentleman, with very fierce inou.slneh<\«, who stood smoking a cigar befoie the door of a loir-roofed npartinenl. "1 should know," retorted the littlo red-faced man, turning tdnuply upon him, "for this is one uf Leroy's best watches. It coat me two thousand francH." "I'll bet you ten louis thnt it is not ono of Leroy's watches," said tho nioustnched smoker, coolly. Tho red-fneed mnn shrugged his sdioulders, nnd went into the travellers' room, Haying to me — "Don't dino hero. We can do better at a cafe," "I'll wuger you Iho vnlue of tho watch thnt Hip watch i« worth nothing*, and if you win, you will receive what you will not find it worth your while lo take," said the pentleinun wi(h tho moustaches 1 , following us. "I did not address my remarks to you, Blr." "I'll* bi«t you thnt. you did," said tha other, with the most provoking coolness. Tho little man, amazed by this persecution, touched liin forehead*, lo* signify that the gentleman with thn moustaches wus mini "I'll bet you don't prove thnt I'm nmd," suid the other. There was a pause. They looked like two dogs waiting to be slipped for a fight. "Upon my word," twid the rod-fucod mnn, "F know nothing of thi.s fellow. Ho is 11 most impudent rnncul, whoever he is ; nnd I have a good mind to mtirch him off." "I'll mako yon nny bet you like you don't mako mo march off!" exclaimed the other, pulling his moustache ; "und V\\ further bet you anything you like that I make you tuko the road buck to l'aris, aud that Ujo without any delay."

Tho litllu man, whose face wasi now x. doup crnn.sou with rago, blurted out — "You won't iiud that a very easy matter, for 1 cainu hero to get married." "One- hundred napoleon* you do not many I" "Sir, you avo an impertinent scoundrel, and I w ill pull your nose." 'Til mako you any bet, you like you Tho little man stamped with vago. Jlu glanced mound him for some moment.-, m silence, then uxuluimed— "l)o yon \wint mo to shoot you?" "I'll but you you don't shoot mo." [ "Where can wo prouuie pistols?" oxclaimed tho red-faced man, breuthinjr ihorl. "The landlord will accommodate us," aiuwcrcd tho other. Ho hurried into tho house, and reappeared -with a box containing a brace of pistols. 1 had hitherto treated the nffair ns a joke, laughing in my sleeve at the mifaced man's rage and tlie other's cool insolence. Jtut 1 thougrn, jt was vow timu to interpose. "Gentlemen, 1 I began. But tho moustached man turned upon me with a frewn. "I believe this gentleman to bo a coward, sir, 1 ' said Tie ; "and if you interfere, 1 shall coneludo you are conspiring to prevent him from proving himself a coward." I said no more, but followed tho two men to a lonely spot in tho park, where the cigar hero wus saluted by un officer of the garrison, *»vho was willing to becoino his second. Having loaded tho pistols, we placed the men. Jt was agreed I should givo the signal, which was to throw a fivefinno piece in the air. My position was a peculiarly disagreeable one. Up to the last moment 1 had believed that tho whole business was only it rather cuiel practical joke on the p.nt of tho man with the moubtarhes ; and as my curiosity w.ih excited to follow thin ndvenluro to its conclusion, 1 hud volunteered to bo tho red-faced man's second. But it seemed now that one or tho other, or both, must be killed. "Sir," said the man with tho cigar, turning to me, "I believe Master Jacques to bo an honest man, but though I can vouch for his wine, 1 can't vouch for his pistols. Before that gentleman and I mako a target of ono another, bo so good as to throw thai fivo-frane piece in tho air to see how my pistol curies." I did ns he desired, and tossed the money about seven yards high. I heard tho report of a pMol, and tho piece of money foil indented. "Met," said tho man \>hh tho moustaches, "I hat 1 piorce that leaf, vibrating at the extremity of yonder bough." And boforo the other could answer tho trigger was pulled, and the leaf was pierced. "Hot," continued tho man, with tho most ridiculous coolness, "that I shoot you clean through tho pupil of the Ml eye, and lay you dead, .md that jou mi.ss inf." The other was white as a ghost. "I believe you," ho said, t rumbling from hend to foot, and throwing his pistol down. "I guess your motives, and ■ admiro your sttatogom, and as 1 am not ' prepared to die, .shall take the ro.id back again to Marseilles." In fart, we saw him dopoiit himself in tho imnerinle of the diligi-nco. f turni-d to lint inouNtnehed gout lonian ! for nn explanation. Ho invited me to j take a of wino with him in the ' travellers' room, and with great good humour procooded to uolve tho enigma. Flo was a friend of the young lieutenant, and famous us thn most deadly shot in l''r,ihce. Ho had received a letter only the day before from bis frir-nd, beeping him t<« <:<>me to X , and help him to carrj out a tiise which h»» trust- j oil would ciKthlp him to marry tho girl ho was passionately in love with Tho mouHiichcd complied, left Palis, iiml ro'iehed F in timo to receive from his fiieiid'.N lips pjirtiou- j lar.s of the Mr.i let'em lm and t)u< young girl had lomviU-d heti« tvii them. That HtratC'tPtu •>•>»•» p<rieeily Bitccessful. Th:it little led-fmed man, an I iifterwatd.i luMid, mi hi* ro:ichin« Marseilles, wioto to the f.itlier of the intended brido, apologising for not having broil nhlu to keep his promise to go down to them. You may bolirvo he took good caro not to inform the father of tho real reason that, lind prevented liim from paying bin duties to his betrothed. The ifd-fucod man, howi'vpv, hud no intention of breaking off his marriage, until he was accosted one morning in the streets of Mmseillcn by tho inousliicht^l gentleman, who linked if he still persisted in his intention to marry tho young lady. "Certainly," wus tho reply. ''Then," said tlu 1 other, "if yon want to reach her hand, you will have to mount, tiist, on my dead body, nnd, secondly, on tho dead body of tho lieutenant. Are you prepared to scalo those fortresses?" '■('iirlninly not." "Then go home ; writo to the lady's father that circum.slnnces compel you to abandon your promise to wed her. I shall know by tho day after to-morrow if that letter has been written. If yes, T will bo your friend, and help you, ns I have helped tho lieutenant, in any honourable, lovo scheme you may choose to enter upon ; if no, be prepared to meet me in the evening." Tho letter was written, nnd six months nftor tho young lady was married to tho lieutenant.