Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-17

y ance Believe me, thank you from l my heart"
 .But you think me 'unsexed, all the samer'
 The word had ranked in her. She could launch it now with telling re- prisal He smiled, but he saw that his phrase, which she had overheard, had not alone incensed but had wounded | her.
 "Well, little perhaps he said gen. | tly. "How should it be otherwise! And, for that matter, have seen many 1 great lady look on and laugh her soft, cruel laughter while the pheasants were falling by hundreds or the stags | being torn by the hounds. And they had not a tithe of your courage.' Tt is well for you that I was unsex- ed enough to be able to send an ounce of lead into drunkardp' she pursued, with immeasurable disdain. If I had been like that dainty aristocrat down l there it had been worse for you. should have screamed and tainted and left you to be killed while I made tableau. Oh-he, that is to be .feminine,' is it not?"
 Where did you see that lady?' he asked in some surprise.
 "Oh, I was there!' answered Ciga- rette with toss of her head south ward to where the villa lay. .'I went to see how you would keep your prom ise''
 ''Well, you saw kept it."
 She gave her little teeth sharp click like the click of trigger.
 "Yes. And would have forgiven you if you had broken it."
 Would you? I should not have for given myself"
 "Ah, you are just like Marquise. And you will end like him.''
 every probaMy"
 'Why did you give those chessmen to that silver pheasant" she asked him abruptly.
 "Silver pheasant?
 "Yes. See how she sweeps, sweeps, sweeps so languid, so brilliant, so use- less bah! Why did you give them?'
 "She admired them. It was not much to give.'
 ''Ah. you would not have given them to a daughter of the people,"
 "Why not P
 "Why not? Because her hands would be hard and brown and coarse, not fit for those ivory puppets, but miladi's are white like the ivory and cannot soil it. She will handle them so gracefully for five minutes and then buy a new toy and let her lapdog break yoursv'
 Like enough" He said it with his habitual gentle temper, but there was ffs1,s I sx, Sy, chessmen had become in some sort like living things to him through long asso- citation. Cigarette, quick to sting, but as quick to repent using her sting, saw the regret in him. With the rapid, un- calculating lberality of an utterly un- selfish and intensely impulsive nature she hastened to make amends by say ing what was like gall on her tongue iD the utterance.
 'And yet" she said quickly, perhaps she will value them more than that. I know nothing of the aristocrats not I! When you were gone, she championed you against the Black Hawk. She told him that if you had not been q gentle man before you came into the ranks she had never seen one. She spoke J
 t'She did?"
 She saw his glance brighten as it turned on her in a surprised gratifca- ton.
 "Well, what is there so wonderfulw
 Cigarette asked it with certain pet ulance and doggedness, taking name sake out of her breast pocket, biting it's end off and striking q fusee. A word from this aristocrat was more welcome to him than bullet that had saved his life!
 Her generosity had gone very far, and, like most generosity, got nothing for it's pains. Well! Well.' thought his champion as she made her way through the gay, lighted streets. 'T swore to have my vengeance on him. t is droll vengeance to save his life.''
 "Hola, Cigarettew cried the zouave Tata, leaning out of the little case ment of the As du Pique, as she passed it. Come in. We have the devils own fun here"-
 "No doubtrs retorted the Friend of the Flag. Ut would be odd if the mas ter fiddler would not fiddle for his own.'
 Come in, my pretty one!' entreated Tata, stretching out his brawny arms. "You will die of laughing if you hear Gris-Gris tonight. Such song!'
 "A pretty song, yes, for pigsty!'p' said Cigarette, with glance into the chamber, and she shook his hand off her and went on down the street. A I night or two before new song from Gris-Gris would have been q paradise to her, and she would have vaultsd through the window at single bound into the pandemonium. Now, she did not know why, she found no charm in it. And she went quietly home to her little straw bed in her garret and curled herself up like kitten to sleep; but for the first time in her young life sleep did not come readily to her, and when it did come for the first time found restless sigh upon her laugh ing mouth as she murmured, dream ing, "How beautiful she isv'