Wichita eagle., 1888-11-27
sictoryI 1 have wonl'~ he cried.

but my revenge. monsieur, you Will
permit me to have my revengei"
"Revenge?"
Certainly; desire to play against you.
Did you think l would yield without a
struggled If l win the matter ends here"
And as it was not, after all, the game
OF ecarte they were playing, and the
turned card was the only one in which
they had the slightest interest. Nine.
d Arcueil quickly gathered them together,
shuf1ed them and gave them to her OPP
ponent
And you wish the turn to be-
"The queen of hearts"
The eight of clubs showed itself upon
the top Of the pack. Lucienne had lost.
"Againl" she persisted; try it again"
For well did she realize that it was
more than the ace of spades that she had
promised to obey; that Louis, her lover,
would not be dilatory in appointing the
rendezvous to which it, this ace of spades,
would call her-a rendezvous that, after
all. must end in parting; upon which scan
dal possibly would spy and tattle, and
chastisenent attend for a reckless, erring
wife. Lucienne shuddered.
Il cannot" she cried, Il dare not-I
am afraid. dare not abandon my des-
tiny to the will of cardl You are gal
liant man, Louis. Release me, beg Of
you-release me from this thoughtless
promise"
would still suffer the same. / love you
me. No, it is impossiblep
againl"
Notwithstanding tells me 1 shall
win. What card will you take now?"
The one that came up before-the
eight of clubs
''Eh bienl Shuttle and give them to me
yourself"
Once more she did as he told her, shut
fed the cards and gave them to him, and
once more, as on the other occasions, the
card that De Fremont turned was the ace
of spades.
"Ah!" she cried rising as if something
had stung her, Il was right-it is en-
chantmenti"
Whether she were sorry or glad Lu
cIenne d Arcueil could not at the moment
have told you. It was very late. The
orchestra was playing the last waltz.
Without a word Louis placed his arm
around Luciennes waist, and the two
lovers, heart to heart, the one with the
other, found themselves in the wave of
dancers.
Soon the music ceased, the guests made
their parting compliments-the ball was
over.
The next morning NJ. d'Arcueil con-
Quoted Lucienne to Andelys, and the day
afterward departed on his secret mission.
Ilc+ Il ir1a ~ al =
a distance with the interests of France,
the soldier also has his duty as French
man, and almost Immediately following
the departure Of the D'Arcueils from Paris
the -th was ordered to depart for
Africa.
The news of such an order was not re-
ceived with delight, but gradually, as the
hour approached for them to start, Louis
de Fremont felt his ambition to reawaken
the captain desired to see himself
colonel. With scarcely time enough to
put their affairs in order, to drop fare
well line to friends and parents, to climb
into the wagons, stop at Lyons and then
at Marseilles, the regiment embarked
upon the transport and in due time put
their feet upon African soil.
De Fremont, like the majority Of
Algeria, and now between skirmishes
amused himself revisiting places where,
as simple lieutenant, he had first
pitched his tent, the field where he had
won his maiden spurs" the bourgade or
struggling village where he had left a lady
love, for soldiers do not give up these
pleasing pastimes when they turn their
backs upon Paris.
Three months passed thus. BY the end
of the fourth he was well under way with
promising love affair with young in
structress of music, born Of French pa
rentage in Algeria but Parisienne by in
stinct One knows that Arabs are always
in a state of instruction. Louis was
likely to remain in Africa long while.
Nor was he astonished one morning
toward the middle of - to be ordered
to make a sortie against the tribe Of
Chachouia, then, as the military governor
had been informed by courier, making
daily ravages in the neighborhood of Con
stantine. 1t was his regiment that had
been selected to protect the colonistS and
quell the disturbance.
He went without reluctance, for those
of his comrades who knew the province of
Constantine spoke with enthusiasm Of
that wonderfully beautiful country, with
its plain of the Gazelles, its mountains of
Albatre and Sci. A splendid country, but
one in which, behind its thickets of laurel
roses, its intoxicating perfumes, its cliffs,
precipices and seductive hedges, danger
lurked perpetually, danger from the willy
Chachouia, ready to train upon you with
out moments warning the shining bar
rels Of their moukalas.
On the evening In question Louis de
Fremont and the 500 men whom he had
taken with him on the expedition were
resting at their sixth and last hating
place before reaching their destination,
gathered about O clear spring. A hun
dred meters further away the sentinels
were posted who guarded the camp. The
rest of the soldiers slept, drank or
mended their uniforms.
De Fremont, who was not in the least
sleepy, not ct all in the humor for view.
ing the country and regretful Of the
charms of the little music teacher, was
decidedly weary, not to say bored, by the
situation.
Play cards, them" cried Leroy pres
emily, little subaltern, with turned up
nose; what do you say, Lecaudey, to g
game Of cards?'
I'D play in minute" said Lecaudey, /
the lieutenant of the troop, but never
win; mores the pity"
And you, De Bremont?' appealing to
the captain.
Win or no win, I'm with you" he re-
sponded. And already the ''brusher, "-as
they called the orderly who waited on the /
mess, had opened one Of the camp trunks /
and was lost in its depths searching for the /
cards in the midst Of the thousand and /
one objects that soldiers know how to .
cram into the smallest snace Five min. /