The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-07-04

II
|IS broad strip of unoccupied
ie8J ground from the camp, were
- the grand marques set aside
for the marshal and for his guests.
They were II in number, gayly deco
rated as far as decoration could be OBJ
tanned in the southern provinces of AL
geria and had, Arablike, in front of
each the standard Of the tricolor. Be-
fore one were two other standards
also-the flags Of England and Spain.
Cigarette, looking on from afar, saw
the alien colors wave in the torchlight
Pickering on them. ''That is hers,''
thought the little one, with the mourn
full and noble emotions of the previous
moments swiftly changing into the vio-
lent, reasonless, tumultuous hatred at
once Of a rival and of an order.
She had it in her, could she have had
the power, to mercilessly and brutally
destroy this woman's beauty, which
was so far above her reach, as she had
once destroyed the ivory wreath; yet,
as that Of the snow white cafving had
done, so did this fair and regal beauty
touch her, even in the midst Of her fu-
~, with certain reverent awe, with a
dim sense Of something her own life
had missed. She longed to do as some
girl Of whom she had once been told
by an old invalide had done in the
17S9-a girl of the people, fisher girl,
who had loved one above her rank, a
MI ID
Of his own order, a beautiful, soft skin
ned, lilylike, scornful aristocrat, with
the silver ring of merciless laughter
and the languid luster Of sweet con-
temptuous eyes.
She held her peace, and the Terror
| came, and the streets Of the city by
the sea ran blood. Then she had her
vengeance. She stood and saw the Ak
fall down on the proud snow white
neck that never had bent till it bent
there, and she drew the severed head
Into her own bronzed hands and smote
the lips his lips had kissed a cruel
blow that blurred their beauty out and
twined a 6shhook in the long and
glistening hair and drew it, laughing
as she went, through dust and mire
and gore and over the rough stones Of
the town and through the shouting
crowds of the multitudes and tossed it
out on to the sea.
That horrible story came to the
memory Of Cigarette now as it had
been told her by the old soldier who
in his boyhood had seen the entry of
the Marseillaise to Paris. She knew
what the woman Of the people had felt
When she had bruised and Knocked and
thrown out to the devouring waters
that fair and fallen head.
Il could do it could do it," she
thought, with the savage instinct Of
her many sided nature dominant, leav-
ing uppermost only it's ferocity, the
same ferocity as had moved the south
ern woman to wreak her hatred on the
senseless head of her rival. Now she
acted on her impulse-her impulse of
open scorn of rank, of reckless vindica-
ton Of her right to do just whatsoever
pleasured her, and she went boldly for
ward and dashed aside with no gentle
hand the folds that hung before the
entrance of the tent.
The action startled the occupants of
the tent and made them both look up.
They were Venetia Corona and Le
vantine woman, who was her favorite
and most devoted attendant and had
been about her from her birth. Vene-
tia hesitated a moment in astonish-
ed wonder; then, with the grace and
the courtesy Of her race, rose and ap-
preached the entrance Of her tent, in
which that figure, half a soldier, half
child, was standing with the itful
Redeemed light behind. She recognized
whose it was.
els it you, little one?' she said kind
~. "Come within. Do not be afraid
She spoke with the gentle considera-
ton Of great lady to one whom she
admired for her heroism, compassionate
ed for her position and thought nat
urally in need of such encouragement.
The one word Embossed the spell which
had kept Cigarette speeches.. The
one word was an insult beyond endur-
ance, that dashed all the worst spirit in
her into fame.
"Fearv' she cried, with a camp oath.
"Fear! You think l fear you, the dar-
ling of the army, who saved the squad
ron at Zaraila, who has seen thou
sand days Of bloodshed, who has killed
as many men with her own hand as
any lancer among them all? Fear you,
you dollhouse flower, you paradise bird,
you silver pheasant, who never did
aught but spread your dainty colors in
the sun and never earned so much as
the right to eat a piece Of black bread,
if you had your deserts! Fear you'll!
Why, do, you not know that I could
kill you where you stand as easily as
I could wiring the neck Of any one Of
those gold winged orioles that flew
| above your head today and who have
more right to live than you, for they
| do at least labor in their own fashion
for their food and their drink and their
dwelling? Do you thinkII would check
for a moment at dealing you death,
| Q1,1 mi