Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-10-07

he turned his eyes To the girl it seemed as
if the room had been plunged in darkness. |
Then all the blaokness in his heart, |
which he had crushed under, rose and en-
veloped him.
"Who plays cards tonightP" he asked |
lightly. ''It will be tho last game we
shall play here, perhaps, for years"
A few minutes later there was a half |
laughing, half serious group assembled |
round the table, and Philip Boyd was deal
ing the cards with strange grim smile
upon his face.
He put down the pack, and the game
began. 1t began noisily at first but the
laughter gradually ceased, and Philip
watched the pile of money grow at his side
with smile of bitter satisfaction.
That night he went to bed with his
pockets full of gold, but the weight of it
was at his heart, and all night he tossed
with two gray eyes looking into his soul
until the morning dawned.
Three months later India was at its hot
test, and in spite Of everything that could
be done the heat of the messroom was al
most unbearable.
"Whew" calculated Garston, leaning
back in his chair. 'What beast of eli
mattel"
Boyd, at his side, watched him with the
eyes of orouching tiger, but the express
sion was only in his eyes.
Farley, on the other side of the table,
slipped his wine lazly.
Presently Boyd shifted his cigar little.
As he did so he caught sight Of something
under the table and held his breath and
watched 1t.
1t was creeping slowly over the mating
"a dark, evil, treacherous cobra, and it
was making straight for the white gleam
Of Garston's linen clothes.
For an instant dark thoughts rushed
through his brain. A wild wish rose up
in his heart to let the snake do its deadly
work and remove his rival once and for
all. Then he emembered-what he had
never realized hefore-that Pauline had
looked into Aubrey's face with loving
eyes, and the bad thoughts died instantly
away.
The next moment he spoke in husky,
breathless voice, that arrested suddenly
| the attention of all the men in the room.
"Garston," he said, "sit still. Can you
| keep perfectly still for minute?"
Something in the tone of his voice made
| Garston's face grow pale.
eyes" he whispered.
| 'Then don't move muscle. Sit still
| for your life."
Boyd's voice trembled little, and ho
glanced hastily across the table. At Far
leys elbow was a jug of milk, and he
| pointed to 1t with shaking finger.
"Pour it out, he said, Gas quickly as
| you can and bring it round. I daren't
move.'
There was dead silence. No one stir
red, no one moved, and then Farley car
ried round the milk and set it on the floor.
| As he did so the snake coiled round Au
brey's boot, lifted it's head, paused and
| then glided suddenly toward the milk.
| The next instant the silence was broken
by the sound of Philips sword crashing
| downward on the floor and Garston start
ed to his feet, white and trembling, and
faced Boyd, with the snake lying dead be-
tween them.
"Boyd," he cried, "you have saved my
life"
Boyd made no reply. He was looking
intently at the snake.
"Boyd," CASTOR repeated huskily,
"you' We saved my life!'
And he held out his two hands toward
him.
Boyd took one and shook it. Then he
turned away uneasily, and Garston follow
| ed him.
"Boyd, want to tell you, he said. ~
want to confess. I've been thinking all
sorts Of evil things of you. I've believed
all this time that you were n blackguard
and unworthy of honor. 4 thought, like
the beast am, that you cheated at cards;
that you cheated us all that last night at
Grey's Court. I thought you tried to cut
me out with Pauline; that you would have
killed me if you could. thought you
hated me and tried to ruin me. Now
know that it was my own evil mind and
that I'm the biggest cad that ever walked.
Boyd, ask you to forgive meP'
Boyd looked up with a strange, strained
look upon his face and then hurried away.
A few days later there was a rising
in the hills, and when the regiment re-
turned it brought with it Philip Boyd's
dead body. He had fought like hero
and died of hundred wounds. When
they went to his room, they found a letter
addressed to Aubrey Garston, and to be
delivered in case of Boyd's death.
When Garston opened it, he found two
things One was letter, and the other
was an envelope containing his 1 o US
and notes of hand, and the letter ran:
"You were right. was blackguard
was worse even than you thought, and
hated you from the very moment I knew
you cared for her. cheated you, l tried
my best to ruin you, and swindled yor
all that night at Grey's Court. 1t was
only the thought that she cared that saved
you from the snake. In this letter
you will find the money you lost to me
Take it back. 1t was dishonesty won
and the thought of it cuts me like knife
y V If did not feel somehow that this
war will see the end of me, should moi
make this confession. There is one thing
would ask, and that is-if you can--keel
all this from her. -
Needless to say, Aubrey did. To this
day Pauline does not know Philip Boyt
was man unworthy Of honor. An
swers.
why He Was So Positive.
1t was at the club-a man club-ant
, the members were discussing woman