The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-02-19
.Had you anything you cared for In

"well-yes."
"yVhat was tia womanY'
mo; a hofse''
He stopped his head a little as he said
It and traced more figures slowly in the
sand.
"Ah!"
She drew a short, quick breath. She
understood that. She would only have
laughed at him had 1t been a woman.
Cigarette was more ~yeracious than
complimentary in her estimate Of her
own sex.
your cigars are good" she said i'm
patiently as she sprang up, her 1.-THE,
elastic figure in the bright vivandiere
uniform standing out in full relief
against the pearly gray of the ruined
pillars, the vivid green of the rank veg
citation and the intense light Of the
noon. "Your cigars are good. but it is
more thar your company is! If you
had been as dull as this last night. /
would not have danced a single turn
with you in the eancan!"
And, with a bound TO which indigna-
ton lent wings like a swallows. the
Friend of the Flag. insulted and amazed
at the apathy with which her advances
to friendship had been received, dashed
off at her topmost speed, singing all
the louder out of bravado. ITO have
nothing more to say to me after dane
Ing with me all night" thought Ciga-
raffa NTH for0n fuYafh of ctrab cnn-
tumely. the first neglect the pet Of the
spahis had ever experienced.
She was incensed. too, that she had
been degraded into that momentary
wish that she knew how to read and
looked less like a boy, just because a
chasseur with white hands and silent
ways had made her a grave bow. She
was more incensed still because she
could not get at his history and felt,
despite herself, a reluctance to bride
him for it with those cajoleries whose
potency she had boosted to Tata Le-
roux. Let him take eare!l" muttered
the soldier coquette pa~ssionately in her
little white teeth. so small and so
pearly. though they had gripped a bril-
die tight before them when each hand
was filled with a pistol. "If he offend
me. there are 500 swords that will
thrust civility into him, 500 shots that
will teach him the cost of daring to
provoke Cigarette!'
She loitered in a thousand places, for
Cigarette knew everybody. Finally she
paused before the open French window
of a snow white villa. half buried in
tamarisk and orange and pomegranate,
and. balancing herself lightly on the sill
for a second, stood looking in at the
chamber.
"Ho, NJ. lie Marquis! The
have drunk all my wine up. Fill my
keg with yours for once-the very best
burgundy. mind. Pm half afraid your
cellar will hurt my reputation"
The chamber was very handsome.
hung and furnished in the best Paris
fashion and all glittering with amber
and ormolu and v~elvets. In it half a
dozen men-ofiicers of the cavalry
were sitting Over their noon breakfast
and playing at lansquenet at the same
table. He whom she addressed, NJ. lie
MARQUIS of Chateauroy. laughed and
looked I'D.
"Ah. is it thee. my pretty brunette?
Take what thou wantest ONT of the ice
pals"
"The best growth" asked Cigarette,
with the dubious air of caution of n
connoisseur.
Gomez said the marquis. amused
with the precautions taken with his
cellar. one of the finest in Algiers.
Come in and have some breakfast. my
pretty one. Only pay the toll"
Where he sat between the window
and the table he caught her In his
arms and drew her pretty face down.
Cigarette. with the laugh of a saucy
child. whisked her cigar ont of her
mouth and blew a great cloud of smoke
in his eyes. She had no particuIor
fancy for him. though she had for his
wines. Shouts of mirtb from the other
men completed the MARQUIS discom-
future as she waved AWAY from him
and went over to the other side of rho
table. emptyinc some bottles uncer.
enormously into her wine kec-iced
ruby, perfumy claret that she could
not have bought anywhere for the bar
racks.