The herald., 1894-04-15
FLIP"

third time in the last 90 minutes! Fin
ish ecarte for me tonight. Let's go onto
the veranda. How hot it is, and how
old Flip is snoring-quite apoplectic!"
The speaker threw down his hand and
passed his fingers wearily through his
tumbled hair. His opponent, Villiers,
pushed back his hair, with yawn, and
started drumming the DEVILS tattoo on
the table, while the sleeper snored more
alphabetically than ever, and he who
had watched the fall of the cards fin
ished off his drink and shouted:
"Vasilli.' ttas
"Sair!" ~
Wake up, you child of a bondwom-
an, and bring me large brandy and
soda, with plenty of snew in 1.-THE
cleanest you can get-d'you hearf"
"Or-right, sair.''
The sleeper muttered in his dreams.
"Poor old Flip-dreaming always
dreaming Of that heartless Jezebel,
said Villiers as the trio moved out on
the veranda.
Then spake he who had called for
drink and whose name was Jones-plain
Jcnes-and said:
Il have never quite got to the bottom
of that affair. Old Flip only spoke to
me on the subject, and that very sketch
lily, as we were riding through the pass
to Cophino. Do you know the rights Of
the matter, Fidus Achates?"
"Oh, yes" answered Villiers.
''Then tell US the story"
"Wait till the drink comes and
you We stopped your mouth with another
cigar, and then will, though it's too
hot almost to parley."
AS he spoke he threw himself into an
easy chair, an example which was
speedily followed by his companions.
Presently the Greek serving boy reap
peared with the iced fluid. He did not
Immediately retire, and ON Villiers an
grily asking him what he was waiting
for he replied hesitatingly in his broken
pigeon English:
Kalitsa gunia. signor, comey to me
and say, 'Inglese signor, Harvey, being
here?' Ne say. Yes Signora say,
GO telly me, signora, Inglese signora,
wanty see-savey? Me say, 'Or-right, >
and go plenty quick bring soda water
Me coming back presently after by :
by, plenty quick me coming-fnish sig
moral"
"Oh, get alongl You've been drink
ing too much vino, you scoundrel!''
No, me no drinky vino. Me-
"Oxo!p, snapped Villiers, and the
Greek withdrew.
AS he passed through the adjoining
room the sleeper moved uneasily and
muttered a woman's name.
You heard that?' inquired the teller
of tales. well, that's the keynote.
AS far as I remember it was eight years
ago and during Ascot week that the
trouble began. Flip had been just three
months engaged to Lily Fane-ever met
the Fanes of Ridley Manor?-and they
were to be married in the autumn.
Flip-you'd hardly know him now for
the ardent, impulsive old fool he was
then-worshiped the very ground she
trod upon, while she was nothing but a
heartless, erasping, scheming
A1bO<tNJ OFCA tlc olO4lOo, I'll dN lCd tuo
hope of all the Joneses.
Then Villiers, with short laugh:
Rather waste of words perhaps
where one would suffice. She was a
woman, and can any good thing come
from a woman?
We'll, to the point. For a mere ca
price, arising from an arrogant bet that
she could do with Flip as she liked, and
you know old Flip's pretty hard nut
to crack, she told him after lunch on
the cup day that he must go abroad at
the end of the week and not return un-
til week before their wedding, which
was to take place, believe, on Nov
Is. or course he took it as joke, but
that night she again repeated her extrav-
agant demand, saying she was really
i'll earnest; that some one had doubted
if his love for her would carry him
such lengths at her expressed desire.
Did he fly into furious passion, as
would you or or any sane man? Not a
bit. Like the infatuated fool he was, he
said it was very hard, but that if she
really wished such extraordinary proof
of the affection she should never doubt,
and SO on. The long and short of it was
the end of the week saw him at Monte
Carlo. OF course he went in for little
fiutter, just for something to do.
Equally, of course, he won. He tried
again, and again he won. Then the
fever took him, and he played.
He was very comfortably off and SO
had no excuse for plunging as he did,
and if it hadn't been for that accursed
girl he might have been happy, pros
porous country gentleman today instead
of wreck in the government service on
a miserable pittance of e250 year in
this benighted island.
"Well, one unlucl1y night the crash
came. should be sorry to say how
many thousands melted like snow at ono
fell swoop, He was ru5fe a. absolutely
ruined. He had to sellevery stick he
possessed, and thHt tl6ps he wrotesto his
girl and offered hegDheE faaedo1n.
II suppose fYsF8 Ae'6fidiy paiet Of