The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-05-30
By" oUI /:

A44V UCSt ri.
With which Cigarette, leaning down
from her easement, whose sill was
about a foot above his head, rendered
her peace offering in bottle of Cliouot
three of which, packed in her: KNAPP
sack, she had carried off from the
luncheon table of Russian prince who
was touring through Algiers and who
had half lost his grand ducal head afte,
the bewitching, dauntless, capricious
unattachable, unpurchasable and co.
quettish little fire eater Of the spahis
who treated him with infinitely more
1nsolence and Indifference than she
would show to some battered old veter.
an or some WORKOUT old dog who had
passed through the great Kabaila raids
and battles.
"You will go to your coloneps tn.
night" she said questioningly- as he
crank the champagne and thanked her,
Tor he saw the spirit in which the Gift
was rendered. He shrugged his shout.
ders. He did not care to discuss his
colonefs orders with this pretty little
Bacchante.
"Oh, a chiefs command, you know
"A fig for chiefv' retorted Ciga-
rette impatiently. "Why don't you
say the truth? You are thinking you
will disobey and risk the resty'
well, why not? grant his right
In barrack and field, butt
"But?" echoed Cigarette, leaning out
OF her oval hole, perched in the quaint,
gray, Moresco wall, particolored with
broken encaustics Of varied hue. 'eThat
little word has been the undoing of the
world ever since the world began.
But is blank cartridge and never
did anything but miss fire vet. So
you won't obey Chateauroy in this?''
He was silent again. He would not
answer falsely and he did not care to
say his thoughts to her.
NO." pursued Cigarette, translat-
ing his silence at her fancy, "you say
to yourself, I am an aristocrat-I will
not be ordered in this thing'-you say.
I am a, good soldier; will not be sent
for like a hawker'-you say; I was
noble once; I will show my blood at
last, if die!' All, you say that!'
He laughed a little as he looked IN
at her.
mot exactly that, but something as
foolish, perhaps. Are you witch, nv
pretty one?'
whoever doubted it, except you? l
can put two and two together and read
men,. though don't read the alphabet.
So you mean to disobey the Hawk to-
night? I like you for that. But listen
here-did you ever hear them talk of
MarquiseY
'No.''
"Parbleuv' swore the vivandiere in
her wrath. "You look on at a bamboula
as if it were only a bear cub dancing
and can only give one Yes and NO.
as if one We're drummer boy. Bah!
Are those your Paris ~cOurtesies p
"Forgive me, my pretty one! l
thought you called yourself our COM
rade and would have no fine manners.
There is no knowing how to please
you"
1.-THE marquis was what you are, a
hawk among carrion crows, gentle
man in the ranks. How handsome he
was! Nobody ever knew his real name,
but they thought he was Of Austrian
breed, and we called him Marquise be-
cause he was so womanish white in
his skin and so dainty in all his ways.
Just like you! Marquise could fight
fight like a hundred deyils-and-pouf-
how proud he was! Very much like
you altogether! Now, one day some
thing went wrong in the exercise
ground. Marquise was not to blame,
but they thought he was, and an adju-
tant struck him-ficl, fack, like that
across the face with a riding switch.
MarQuise had his bayonet fixed, and
before he knew what was up, crash the
blade went through the breastbone
and out at the spine, and the adjutant
fell as dead as a cat, with the blood
spouting out like a fountain I come
Of a great race that never took insult
without giving back DEATH was all
that Marquise said when they seized
him and brought him to judgment, and
he would never say Of what race that
was. They shot him-ah, ali, discipline
must be kept-and saw him, with five
great wounds in his chest and his beau
tiful golden hair all soiled with the
sand and the powder, lying there by
the open grave that they threw him
into as if he were offal, and we never
knew more Of him than that"
Cigarettes radiant laugh had died,
and her careless voice had sunk over
the latter words. Then, grave still,
she leaned her brown, bright face near.
er down from her oval hole in the wall.
"Now," she whispered very low, "if
you mutiny once they will shoot you
just like Marquise, and you will die
just as silent, like him."
WELL" he answered her slowly, why
not? Death is no great terror. I.risk
it every day for the sake Of common
soldiers rations. Why should not
chance 1t for the sake and in the de-
Tense Of my honor?' ss .s ...l
"Bah! Men sell their honor for their