The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-06-06

love pleasure and grace it so welr'-
t"Ouf! have had so much of it."
said the little one contemptuously.
1T is so tame to me. Clouds of dust,
scurry of horses, fanfare Of trumpets,
thunder of drums and all for nothing!
Bah! I have been in a dozen battles
land 1 am not likely to care much
for sham fght.''
NAY, she is unjust to herself" MUIR
INJURED Leon Ramon. "She gave up the
fete to do this mercy-it has been a
great one. She is more generous than
she will ever allow. Here, Cigarette,
look at these scarlet rosebuds; they are
like your bright cheeks. Will YOU
have them? I have nothing else to
give"
"Rosebuds!' echoed Cigarette, with
supreme scorn. "Rosebuds for me? I
know no rose but the red of the tri-
color, and l could not tell weed from
a flower. Besides, l told Miou-Matou
just now, if my children do as I tell
them, they will not take a leaf or q
peachstone from this grande dame
how does she call herself ?-Mme. Co.
roma d'Amague!"
Cecil looked up quickly. "Why not %
Cigarette flashed on him her brilliant
brown eyes with a fire that amazed
him.
because we are soldiers, not pau
pers. And it is not for the silver
pheasants, who have done nothing to
deserve their life but lain in nests of
cotton wool, and eaten grain that
others sow and shell for them, and
spread their shining plumage in a sun
that never clouds above their heads,
to insult, with the insolence of their
pity and their charity the heroes of
France who perish as they have lived,
for their country and their fagv'
Cecil laughed slightly, but he an.
sWered with a certain annoyance:
There is no 'insolence' here; no ques.
ton of it. The princess desired to of.
fer some gift to the soldiers of Algiers
l suggested to her that to increase the
scant comforts of the hospital and
gladden. the weary eyes of sick mer
with beauties that the executive never
dreams of bestoWing would be the
most merciful and acceptable mode OF
exercising her kindness. If blame there
be in the matter, it is mine'
In defending the generosity Of what
he knew to be a genuine and sincere
wish to crafty his comrades he be
trayed what he did not intend to have
revealed-namely. the conversation that
had passed between himself and the
Spanish princess. Cigarette caught at
the inference with the Quickness of her
lightninglike thought.
"Oh-he! So it is shew
There was whole world Of empha.
sis, scorn, meaning, wrath, comprehen.
sion and irony in the four monosylla.
bles. The dying man looked at he1
with languid wonder.
"She? Who? What story goes with
these roses?''
"None," said Cecil, with the same in.
Election of annoyance in his voice
"None whatever. A generous thought.
fulness for our common necessities as
soldiers
"Oufr' interrupted Cigarette before
his phrase was one-third finished. 1.-THE
stalled mare will not go with the wild
coursers. An aristocrat may live with
US, but he will always cling to his old
order. This is the story that runs with
the roses. Miladi was languidly inso.
lent over some ivory chessmen, and
Corporal Victor thought it divine be-
cause languor and insolence are the
twin gods of the noblesse. Miladi,
knowing no gods but those two, wor.
ships them and sends to the soldiers O:
France, as the sort Of sacrifice her gods
love, fruits and wines that day after
day are set on her table to be touched,
and Corporal Victor finds this a char
ity sublime-tO give what costs moth.
ing and scatter few crumbs out from
the profusion of life of waste and in
diligence! And I say that if my chill
dren are of my fashion of thinking
they will choke like dogs dying of
thirst rather than Stake their threats
with aims cast to them as if they were
beggars!'
With which Cigarette lit her pipe and
hurried away. Her wrath was hot and
her heart heavy within her. She had
given up her whole fete day to wait on
the anguish and to soothe the solitude
of his friend lying dying there, and her
reward had been to hear him speak of
this aristocrat's donations, that cost
her nothing but the trouble of a few
words of command to her household, as
though they were the sanity charities
of some angel from heaven. In that
moment she could have shot him dead
herself without seconds thought.
"You have vexed her, Victor" said
Leon Ramon as she was lost to sight
through the doors Of the great desolate
chamber.
II hope not. 1 do not know how" an
swered Cecil. 1T is impossible to fol.
low the windings of her hayward ca.
prices-a child, a soldier, dancer, e
brigand, a spoiled beauty, a mischiev.
Gus gamin. How is one to treat sucl