The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-07-10
"A Game of
CheS S S ~ ~
BY CHAUNCEY THOMAS

-
y brains; SO had she--but not as
much. A fine physique, head and face
were his. Hers were equal. She was
small, dark, petite, winsome: just IS
He, large, light, powerful, was in ali
senses man. In 30 years he had
won everything the world had to
yield except money and homo.
Forefathers many and great they
both had to spare.
1t was a warm evening, tempered
by the mountain breeze drifting up
the canyon. They sat, he and she, on
the lawn under the pines OF her sum-
mer home in the Rockies. There was
moonlight; there were also shadows.
This was their last evening. In
love? OF course. The word she
hoped, yet feared he would speak
froze on his lips or dissolved into
banter. He feared, was sure of, re-
fusal. Pride, too, kept him silent
the pride of an empty pocket. "No
wife must love, honor and support
me-" he had confided to his brier.
The game was on.
"The whites are mine," he said, as
the worries were placed.
''They seem fitting" Silence.
"Your move," demurely.
81 wish it were yours" he muttered,
as he showed forward kings pawn
two places.
"Ah But then, you see, can
meet you halfway" and the black
pawn faced the white.
"Yon've made speciality of that,
haven't you? Blocking, l mean?"
"Oh, yes. How clear and calm it
is. But that does you good Shows
what you are-pawn or knight. Sir
Knight jumps over-you see" and
sable knight was archly advanced.
"But if your knight can do that
safely, perhaps a bishop will be need
edo" he ventured, as he placed his
queens bishop to try for the Fools
Checkmate.
"How foolish!" she msrmured. in
differently "That's the gamut
you've been playing all summer"
"Thank you. / won't say that it is
usual to employ methods according
to ones end. Now, if you were more
tkpcTl anu tNptIlcIStu
"Would you have me SOP"
"No."
The cool fencing of this girl foiled
his most subtle or his most furious
attacks. Those clear eyes surveyed
him calmly, then turned to the game.
He gazed at the top of that bent head
of silk-how white the scalp was!-
blank, dumb, hopeless, yearning puz'
zled desperate. His emotions were
somewhat complex. Thus 1t had been
all summer. She knew just what ex-
preston was on his face, though her
eyes were on the men. Both were
above puns yet; like a matador, she
used the terms of the game both as
torment and n shield.
Silence and knitted brows for
awhile.
safely, did you say? He must risk
capture, you know" with a sly smile.
Evidently she had been pondering
his words. His hand trembled ever
so little as he touched the white
queen, then snatched it away as if
burned. ''U-g-h! I've lost my
queen" The empress of the board
was apparently involved.
"Not yet-but you may"
And for an instant the rich, brown
eyes rose to the steely gray, quailed
and dropped,
'I'm afraid that if"
"Afr-r-r-a-a-i-d!" The word was
smothered in nameless contempt.
Stung, he shot his queen alone into
the very midst of the blacks. Calm
", she took it from the board.
'You see-I have you in trap
You can't get OUT with enticing
coyness.)
Don't want to. If it were of iron
it would not hurt; but being Of
go"
"That'n do; It's your move"
He writhed inwardly. She was
laughing at him.
"Now l have lost my queen" he
said, half angrily.
Perhaps you may win better
one"
"Do-you-mean-thatP"
"Yes," family; then in pretty con-
fusion, "if you can win the game"
"What game?'
"This one, of course, you stupid.
What other one is there?"
swim the game with my queen
gone!" he demanded, earnestly still
with trace of anger. He was being
played with; he!-the great he!-was
being moused by this pink-and-whitc
kitten. Never! But still?
N@