Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-28

out link by link to the last atom of its
agony. There was no receptacle at hand In
which the dice could be placed. Teganiso-
ris stopped, and without ceremony wrenched
from Mary Connynges foot the moccasin
which covered 1.-THE little shoe-beaded,
beautiful, and now again fateful. Sir Ar
thur smiled as though in actual joy.
MY friend" said he: Il have won! This
might be the very slipper for which we
played at the Green Lion long ago."
Law turned upon him a face pale and
solemn. Sir" said he, Il pray God that
the issue may not be when we last
played. l pray God that the dice may elect
me and not yourself"
You were ever lucky in the games of
chance" replied Pembroke.
TOO lucky" said Law But the winner
here is the loser If it be myself"
Teganisoris roughly took from Mary Con-
nynge's hand the little bits of bone. He
cast them into the hollow of the moccasin
and shook them dramatically together,
he lowered them and took out from the re-
ceptacle two of the dice. He placed his
hand on Laws shoulder, signifying that his
was to be the first cast. Then he handed
ba ok the moccasn to the woman.
Mary Connynge took the shoe in her hand
and stepped forward to the line which had
been drawn upon the ground The red spots
still burned upon her cheeks; her eyes, am
Der, feline. still famed hard and dry She
still glanced rapidly from one to the other
her eye as lightly quick and as brilliant as
that of the crouched cat about to spring.
Which? Which would 1t be? Could she
control this game? Could she elect which
man should live and which should die-this
woman, scorned, abased, mastered? Neither
of these sought to read the riddle Of her set
face and blazing eyes. Each as he might
offered his soul to his Creator.
The hand Of Mary Connygne was raised
above her head. Her face was turned once
more to John Law, her master, her COM
mander, her repudator. Slowly she turned
the moccasin over in her hand. The white
bone fell first, the red for moment hang
ing in the soft folds of the buckskin. She
shook 1t out. 1t fell with its face nearly
parallel to the ground and alighted not moro
than foot from the line, rebounding scarce
more than inch or So Low EXPLANATIONS
arose from all around the thickened circle.
LAS / said, my friend" cried Sir Arthur,
II have won! The throw Is passing close
for you"
Teganisoris again caught Mary Con-
nynge by the shoulder. and dragged her a
step or farther along the line. the two
dice being left on the ground they had
fallen. Once more her hand arose, once
more 1t turned, once more the dice were
cast.
The goddess Of fortune still stood faithful
to this bold young man who had SO often
confidently assumed her friendship His
life,s later to be SO intimately concerned
with this same new savage country, was
to be preserved for an ultimate opportunity.
The white and the red bone fell together
that counted Sir Arthur had been saved,
for the white bone lay actually upon the
| line. The red fell almost as close but alight-
ed on it's end. AS though impelled by some
spirit Of evil, it dropped upon some little
| pebble or hard bit of earth, bounded into
the air, fell and rolled quite away from
| the mark
Even on that crowd of cruel savages
there came a silence. OF the whites, one
| scarce dared look at the other. Slowly the
| faces of Pembroke and Law turned one to-
ward the other.
Would God I could shake you by the
1 hand" said Pembroke. Good by"
las for you, dogs and worse than dogs. =
| he cried. turning toward the red faces about
| him, mark you! where / stand the feet oil
| the wLite man shall stand forever and crush
your faces into the dirti'
Whether or not the Iroquois understood
| his defiance could not be determined. With
| a wild shout they pressed upon him. Borne
| struggling and stumbling by the impulse
Of a dozen hands. Pembroke half walked
and half was carried over the distance be-
| tween the village and the brink of the
chasm Of Niagara.
Until then 1t had not been apparent wha,
| was to be the nature Of his fate, but when
he looked upon the sliding floor of waters
| below him. and heard beyond the thunder