Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-09
''I shp,,ld like to sec him an c duel. 7

l 4 S3QittG lihC to SCc fltHL ~ u ttitgt.,,.- nonchalant. Give inc Che aristocrats- the real thing, you know, not the ginger cakes, just gilt, that are ashamed of be- Ing honest bread, but the old blood, like Bel-a-faire-peur.''
 l The colonel laughed, but restlessly; the little ingrate had aimed at n sore point in him. He was of the first l empire nobility and he was weak enough, though n fierce, dauntless, iron nerved soldier, to be discontented with the great fact that his father had been n hero of the army of Italy and scarce inferior in genius to Mas sena, because impatient of the minor one that, before strapping on a knapp sack to have his first taste of war under Custine, the marshal had been sbut postilion at the posting inn in the heart of the Nivernais. I "Ah, my brunette" he answered, with rough laugh, "haye you taken my I popular corporal for your lover? You should give your old friends warning first, or he may chance to get an ugly spit on saber."
 ! The Friend of the Flag tossed off her sixth glass of champagne. She felt for the first time in her life Il flush of hot blood on her brown, clear cheek, we'll used as she was to such l jests and such lovers as these.
 .'IIc would be more likely Np spit than be spitted if it came to duel," she said coolly. T should like to see him in duel; there is not q prettier sight in the world wien both men have science. As for fighting for. mo, will thank nobody to have the impu- dence to do itunless order them out. Coqueline got shot for me, you remena- Der; he was pretty fellow, Coque- line, and they killed him so clumsily that. they disfgured him tcrribly-it was quite Il pity. l said then would have no more handsome men fight about mo. You may, If you like, Mir. Black Hawk''
 E Which title she gave with n snucy laugh, hitting with a chocolate bon bon the black African burned vis- age of the omnipotent chief she had the audacity to attack. High or low, they were all the same to Cigarette. She would have 'sslanged' the em- + ness, and the army had given her a passport of Immunity so wide that it would have fared i'll with any one who had ever attempted to bring the vivan- diere to book for her uttermost mis- chief. ss
 By the way she went on, quick as thought, with her. reckless, devil may care gayety, "one thing-your corporal will denoralize the army of sAfrica"
 "Eh? He shall have m ounce of cold lead before he does. What inp"
 "He will demoralize it." said Ciga- rette, with sagacious shake of her head "If they follow his example, we shan't have Il chasseur ora spahis or piou-piou or . sapeur worth any, thing
 "Sacre! What does he doy' The colonel's strong teeth bit savagely through his cigar. He would have giv- cn much to have been able to find n single thing of insubordination or lax fly of duty Ill soldier who irritatcd and annoyed him, but who obeyed him implicitly and was one of the most brilliant fire eaters of his regiment. G"IIe won't only dcmoralize the ar my pursued Cigarette. with vivacious eloauence, .but If his example Is fol lowed he'll ruin the prefcts. close the bureaus, destroy the excheauer, beg gar nll the officials, make African life as tarne IS milk and water and rob you, colonel, of your very highest and dearest privileges!'
 ts.sSacre bleu!" cried her hearers as their hands instinctively sought their swords What does he do?" @Cigarette looked at them out of her arch black lashes.
 tS.'Why, he never thieves from the Arabs! If the fashion come In, adieu to our occupation, Court martial him, colonel!''
 W With which sally Cigarette thrust her pretty, soft curls back oyer her tenn ples and launched herself into lansQue- net with all the ardor of n gambler and the ylvacity of Il child, her eyes flashing, her checks flushing. her little teeth set. her whole soul in the whirl of the game, Inade all the more riotous by the peals of laughter from her com rades ana the wines that were washed down like water
 Meanwhile, where she had left him among tlie stones Of the ruined mosque, the chasseur whom they nicknamed Bel-a-falre-peur Ill . double sense be- cause of his "woman's face" as Tatn Leroux termed it, and because of the terror 1is sword had become through north Africa. sat motlonloss. with his
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