The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-20
HLhDrER ~.

hear, man? phe prince is on his way to
| PARISH s ..F ..
CHAPTER ". .-, >t
"Ah?" said young Mallory absently.
suppose he had heard the words, but upon
my faith I don't believe they had con-
veyed to his mind anything at all. He
rose from the board divan where he had
been sitting, and moved over to the lit
tie Turkish table Uttered with pipes and
cigarette boxes and tins of tobacco, and
he chose a battered old briar which he
filled and lighted with great deliberation.
Look you, gentlemen said he, facing
us at last iipe in hand, before this-thts
enterprise Of ours goes any further, wish
to correct the footing upon which we
agreed to do my part fora money con-
sideration. I didn't realize as well as I
do now, what the thing implied. I was
even-intoxicated. T wish you clearly to
understand that there is to be no ques-
tion Of money between us. God knows the
| trick we play is low enough without soil
| ing it further. I play my hand in it be-
| cause it seems to me there Is nothing
else to be done. The trick must be played,
but let there be no money about it,
I caught Won Altdorfs eyes searching
for mine: They were very bright, and
| he nodded his head and smiled. I
I thought of his words of the night ber
fore, under the awning Of the Cafe d Allen
con, when I had said that I wished I'd
shaken hands with Mallory. you'll wish
that more heartily still before the last
cards played. Yonder's man."
But our immediate and pressing danger
made everything else seem of little mo-
ment ..
"Aye, aye, lad!" cried old Mackenzie,
impatiently. GAS We like! But God in
heaven, have ye not heard? The prince is
} comm to Paris and can't be stopped"
Nall I,,@ 1I4,,1 ,1,y{ {xAk@
chair and his teeth shut with g. click All
his face seemed to sharpen, whiten, grow
in an instant fierce and ready. .-"
'"The prince-coming- PARISH" he said
In a slow whisper. The first white fierce
ness of his face passed, the animal at bay
and ready to fight, and he seemed to be
thinking deeply. learnt to know that
pose later on, body sprawled out over the
, chair, knees apart, hands clasping and
relaxing, chin on breast, and those deep
eyes of his wide and staring out into va
cancy under level brows. i.5.-.-'
But presently his lips tw1tched and
: curved from their hard line into a SMILE
and he sprang to his feet, laughing as If
something amused him beyond words. BY
> my faith there was little hunor that the
rest Of us could see in the situation.
''Why, now!'' he cried, laughing still
''why that's more like It! Now it's to be
a game, by heaven! not just deceiving g
helpless girl" He looked about the circle
y Of our glum faces and burst into a. roal
Of laughter. stretching his arms up ovel
his head as if he saw the struggle before
him and gloried in it.
q Like old times, by Jove!" he cried
r AYE, it's to be game! A game wort1
e playing. Come, come, gentlemen, have
you all lost your last dear relative OF
earth? Buck up, buck up!" He clappet
: Won A1tdorf upon the shoulder gaily
| nno1' ho ttyyo,1 In y,
mourning party too? Faith, it's a funeral
| Come, have we two sat at our ease be
. fore the fire all our lives that we SHOULD
turn pale and groan over a danger? Leav
that to our friend the Birthday Knight ant
v the light O. society here What have WI
3 fought and schemed and plotted for al
e our lives, Colonel, If we're to lie down a
8 the first hint Of difficulty? Think Of it
: A game to play! We've played before, el
o Colonel? Man, man, doesn't it make you
O blood tingle?s Where's your spirit?
= He stuck the old briar pipe in one corne
y of his mouth and puffed great clouds from
= it. His face beamed through the smoke
His eyes were wide and joyous. I'd neve
J, seen them quite the same.
n And, as I live, there was Won Atledor
10 on his feet too, tugging at his grille
d moustache, as was his way when excited
g His eyes twinkled and he put out hi
3, hands upon young Mallory's shoulders an
l. shook him bently.
,r AYE" said he. ''Aye, I've fought an
I schemed bit in my time, and I've dro
d of blood left to jump on occasion. Aye
% we've played before, we two. I wis
le we'd played together, for by my faith
God you're man after my own heart LIE
ID Karl come If he likes! Saints above! HI
lg wife sha'n't see him till she's able, if
g; have to carry him back to Novodania ur
ly der my arm!'
ct Old Mackenzie scowled and twisted j
e. his chair.
ks That's all very well, ye two blood -thirs
as ty conspeerators," said he. But what
to be done? When ye're through wit
at your heroics maybe ye'll condescend
c. look at the danger we're in
st AS for me held a sullky silence.
e, hadn't relished being called q light of 8,
nd ciety.
IS, Mallory dropped into chair and shoe
er his head at the Scotsman with q humo
.ly Gus sigh
lly You've no blood in your body, man
be said he, though I'm not denying tn
you've sense in your head. And now
his business! Will the prince come alone
nd shall we have a half dozen to deal with
in, "Oh, he'll come alone" said Won Altdol
les Never you fear-though for all that,
wouldn't surprise me II half dozen skou
SITS follow to spy out what he's doing
ed '.And they'll be-?'' queried Mallory.
Nv sThey'll be enemies, Russian jackals, t
lie czar's playthings, damn thern!'' snarI
he Won Altdorf, 'onlE waiting their chance
seat their George where Prince Karl s.