The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-12-19

family in her green cap, beneath which
her long fair hair tumbled in liberal
confusion about her shoulders. She
sat on the edge of a table swinging one
shapely leg loose and strained upon it's
fellow while she nursed her Lutte as
if it had been a baby, and caroled as
if there were no other work in the
world to do than to sing. The men
and women who sat and sprawled
around the table kept quiet, listening
to her and staring at her; sleepy Colin
pricked his ears; Robin Turgis a
alert to hear, for he knew that it was
worth while to listen when Huguette
du Hamel chose to sing. Robin Turgis
knew all about her. Her gentle blood
was wild blood, and in spite of her.
birth and her name she had3drifted on
the stream of strange pleasure to be
the idol of the Fircone's shrine. Her
voice was sweet and The tune a a
tender, appealing grace, with a little
minor wall in it that brought tears in
to the singers eyes,, and she mouthed
the words as If she found them sweet
as honey. And this is what she sang:
Daughters of pleasure, one and all,
OF form and feature delicate,
OF bodies slim, and bosoms small,
With feet and fingers white and straight,
Your eyes are bright, your grace is great
To hold your lovers hearts in thrall:
Use your red lips before too late, 8
Love ere owe flies beyond recall" +
Her voice dropped and her fingers
tink1ed over the strings. Rene de
Montigny turned his dark welI-fea-
tured face in a sweeping leer that
seemed to taste the familiar graces
with gusto. "Devilish good advice,
Dollies," he shouted, and as he spoke
he Rugged the nearest girl close to
him, and fitting up her chin with his
free hand, kissed her noisily. The
girl %squealed a little at his roughness;
the other pairs laughed and clasped
after his example, only the singer, UNI
needing, lifted her voice again, and this
time there was a saYour Of gall in the
sweetness of the honey:
For soon the golden hair is grey,
And all the body's lovely line
In Wrlnkled slipped aStray;
The limbs SO round and ripe and fine
Shrivelled and withered ;quenched the hin
That made your eyes as bright as day:
So, ladies, hear these words of mine.
Love, ere Low flutter far away"
The drift Of the music seemed sad
der than before, and there was a lit
tie silence when the last words f1oated
away into the blackened rafters, a 81
lence broken by one Of the girls.
"Enne, that was a sad song, Abbess,"
sabeau sighed, and her face seemed to
have paled beneath it's false colors and
the lines about her mouth and eyes to
nave grown Older, in surrender to in
evitable thoughts. She whom the girl
called Abbess laughed, and her mirth
sounded harshly after the dreamy
sweetness OF her song.
Master Francois Villon made it for
me t'other day" she answered. "'You
will grow old, IDOL he said, and I
make you this song to teach you true
things"
Guy Tabarie, whose red hair punched
out like little flames from the fiery sun
of his countenance, clapped his hands
to the girls waist and thrust his face
neal to hers. kiss me and forget it,"
he h~iccoughed. The girl gave i'm
portunacy a little push which sent him
staggering back to his seat. II have
no kisses for any Jack of you all but
Francois" she said, while the others
roared at the mans discontinue. "Ah,
there is no one of you that can write
songs like him, or make one sad as he
can in the midst of gladness." F"
The girl whom purple-coated Rene
had kissed SO rudely shivered a little,
"A strange reason for liking a man."
she whispered, that he make you sad"
She glanced wistfully round at her
comprehensive the faces of the women
the influence of the song had lent an
gunwonted s%oftness, but had brought no
touch of tenderness to those of the
men. Jehan lie Loup banged his fist
heavily on the table in furious pro-
testation till the cans and fagons rat
tied.
rs this a court Of lover" he grunt-
ed, barring his yellow tusks in a swim
ishs rage. There are other rooms FOR
love making" and he jerked his thumb
towards the roof. WI are here for
drinking; we are here for dicing; to
the devil with smocks and sonnets."
he jumbled the worries Justify as he
groWled and the familiar Jingle ban
4lshed unfamiliar ~fancies. He slapped
the spotted cubes on the table and as
they rolled into equilibrium eager eyes
counted them, and fingers eager or re-
lnctant pinched or pushed at coins. The
spell Of the music was broken. The
melodtous Abbess, with eyea now gilt
tering and fearless, swung her supple
body from table to bench, thrust her
self a place among the players, shouted
to Robin Turgis to bring more wine.
and spreading ON silver on the dingy
board surrendered to speculation. NO
body needed the faint clink which told
that a hand troubled the latch of the
street deer; nobody Needed the faint
being softly opened; nobody needed the
man who put his head gently through.
the opening and looked thoughtfully
around him. The newcomer was a
grim-yisaged fellow, somewhere near
the edge of middle age He was
dressed in the sober habit Of a Simple
burgess, and he used the long fold that
L., -. - e., l. sa+~ IL L A5- --ELltW 1851 ELI