Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-06-21

tin begged him to stop, even tried to
drag him away, but he fercely shook
himself free and still played on. He
lost everything save one little bao of
gold. He rose from the table, and
turning to Martin, told him to NAV
the game for him. Martin refused
Gardiner pushed him into his seat
and, gripping him tightly, held him
there. Still Martin would not handle
the cards Then Gardiner, MS voice
faltering and great beads of perspira-
ton standing on his forehead, begged
his pard to try his luck You have
never touched card he said-'you
will be sure to win! Come, laddie ;
he pleaded, win me back a little of
| my gold!'
Between these two men, so widely
different in many respests, there had
sprung up deep friendship-aye a
great love. The Scotsman loved the
Engllshman for the light and sun
shine he brought into his dead life,
and the Englishman loved the Scots
man for his frank, fearless, careless
nature. Friendship won-Martin
yielded and began to play.
I'VE all crowded round the table.
There was troubled expression in
Martins eyes. 1t seemed as though
he was conscious of doing something
that was against his principles; Gar
| diner was flushed and excited; the
stranger was smilingly cool.
Martin played his first game, and,
haVing~W won, made a move to quit, but
Gardiner pressed him down with
No, lad, luck has changed-play on
Martin consented, and won again and
again, until half of Gardeners gold
was back into the possession of it's
original owner
If one had been watching the face
of the stranger he would have noticed
that its expression had altered-that
where there had been pleasant, frank
carelessness there was now a look of
craft and cunning.
Luck was again with the stranger
And then it appeared as though the
gambling fever had taken firm hold of
Martin. Shuttle, deal and show, shut
file, deal and show, until Gardeners
peril.
Play boldly, laddie-Iuck will
change presently said the Scot. But
| luck remained on the side of the
| stranger, and the last of Gardeners
gold went the way of the rest. To our
establishment Martin did not vacat5
his seat, but pulling out some Of his
own money, went on playing.
1T was late in the night now, and
| only two or three were left to watch
! the men.
Suddenly the stiffness was broken
| by the cry of 'Scoundrel and cheat!'
Martin sprang from his seat, but had
scarce done so when the stranger,
who had had his iron ready to hand,
fired the weapon point blank. The
| poor fellow staggered, threw up his
arms, and fell heavily to the ground
at Gardeners feet In the confusion
the stranger bolted from the room, fol-
| lowed by the futile discharge of one
or two shots. We heard the sound of
horse in hard gallop, and we knew
the assassin had ridden into the
night. There was rush to the as
sistance of Martin, who gasped out
that he had seen his opponent Slew
| ing an ace. Then the bright young
| fellow. but a minute before the pic
ture of health and strength, lay dead.
The panied expression, the lines
his coarse, rough life had made, were
smOothed away, and the face we saw
was that which fronted us when, with
his voice ringing out in cherry song,
he rode down the hill into the camp.
The next morning we buried him,
We had thrown on the 1 list shovelful
of EARTH when Gardiner looked at us
meaningly and quietly remarked.
| We will now find that stranger, lads
Having mounted our horses, we
soon struck the trail, and followed it
across the prairie and through the
wood to the river beyond, where it
ended Gardiner sent some of the
men across, and he and four others
rode on.
Some few miles outside a settle
ment we were nearing We came to
religious camp meeting. There two
or three hundred men, women and
children were gathered together, and
! horses and carts of every description
were scattered around; several fires
were dying down where cooking had
| been going on, few tents were stand
ing for the women to sleep in.
LAS we rode into the camp one OF
the men began preaching-a wild, ap-
pealing, eloquent kind of discourse,
words that were calculated to go
straight home to the Sustained men
and women who were listening so
eagerly. Just as the preacher
bending over the edge of the cart that
his words might reach every one
was beseeching them to better lives,
| Gardiner, who had been scanning
every face, strobe up to man who
was among the most devout and put
his pistol to his head. Hands up. he
cried. The preaching ceased. the wo-
men shrank back frightened, and the
men began to press round Gardiner