The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-12

for them" She remembered the very
emphasis of his tone. Well, he was
right, and yet not right. She had been
too good for them, but she would show
them now! With the sudden flash of re-
solve, the first unnatural hardening eff
feet of the whisky passed, and in
whirl the exhilaration came. She
laughed and responded convulsively to
the mans embrace.
Bismarck Anne gave final kick, and
fell in some ones open arms. The men,
shouting frantically, began to stir pre-
paratory to regaining their feet. Then
they sank back again with fresh
cheer Into the center of the ring Mol
w tripped unsteadily, and stood for a
moment looking about her with uncer-
tain foolishly smiling eyes. Her cheeks
were aglow of red. She glanced to-
ward the musicians, and, with the tip
of her fingers, raised her dress to her
knees, waiting for the music to begin.
The room was deadly STILL She could
see, looking at her eXcitedly, all the
men she had met and come to know
in the last year She saw them eimly,
as through a haze. Would the music
never begin? What were they waiting
for? A draught blew cold along the
floor. She felt it on her legs. Why was
it? Oh, yes, she was holding her skirts
up to dance, to show them that she
was no better than this woman, Bis
marck Anne.
And then the black cloud that had
been gathering so long. the underlined
guilty feeling at nothing, broke over
her. She wanted to go on-the music
had begun now-but she could not.
Twice she tried. Something held her,
something real, something stronger
than herself. She did not recognize
Int
laid upon her their commands. She
dropped her skirts. and covered her
eyes with her two hands, and burst
through the ring of men. and ran out
through the night to her own cabin,
where she threw herself on her bed
weeping bitterly. She was ashamed.
XXI.
LAFOND'S FIRST CARD.
Lafond, in the meantime, had left the
diSpensation of drinks almost entirely
to Frosty. He darted here and there
in the crowd, a light of Gnwonted ex
citement in his eye.
That thar Mikes shore walked up"
commented Old Mizzou. Never see
him so plumb animated. He shore looks
nutty. Dance halls is mostly too rich
for his blood, l reckon"
But Tony Houston and Jack Snowie
anu q QOAcIl OlllcIS ny llOW hIlGW USl-
ter than to attribute this excitement
to dance halls. Lafond possessed in his
pocket a copy of Knapp's dismissal
and he had told them of it.
He told them of it mysteriously, in
half-limits, pointing out tendencies and
solutions to what they already knew
leaving them to draw deductions, SOW
ing anxieties that there might spring
up a harvest of distrust.
Through the wool of gayety he rap
idly ran a dull thread of angry sus-
picion. Men made merry and forgot
all the past and all the future. Other
men talked low-voiced in corners. and
tried, from the distraction of drink and
gayety, to draw clear plan and reflec-
ton. And always Lafond took other
men aside and whispered eager little
half-Confidences and went on quickly
to the next.
His spirit was upheld by a great ex-
citement, such as it had never expert
enced before, not even in his early and
adventurous days. He seemed to him
self to be mounting higher and higher
on the summit of a great wave of luck
as swimmer is lifted by the sea- And
yet, behind it all, again for the first
time in his life, he felt portent in the
air. 1t was as though the wave were
rearing itself, only to curl over and
break upon the shore He laid this to
nervousness, and yet it affected him
with a certain superstitious awe.
So occupied was he, that he quite
missed the girls sudden exit. and was
drawn from his brown study only by
the sudden hush that succeeded it. In
the silence a drunken voice uplifted it
self loudly.
IN work 'sh done' it Moderated. 81
wan m pay"
Everybody turned, prepared to laugh
at this connie relief" Jack Snowie
was addressing Billy Knapp. Billy at
once became conscious of an audience,
and the usual desire to appear we'll
seized him. He smiled with the good
humored tolerance of drunken man.
II suppose you want me to take it
right out of my pants pocket Ell,
Jack?" he inquired paternally "Of
| cC'se you wants yo' pay! Come around
in tn mornin' an get it, He smiled
again at the group that surrounded
him. 1t appeared to be listening to this
colloquy with unusual interest.
It wan m pay" reiterated Snowie
sullenly, but then apparently lost the
| thread of his ideas and lurched away.
| Billy considered the incident closed. He
was mistaken. The group did not dis
solve; it came closer. The men had a
strangely unfriendly look about the
eyes. Billy did not understand it. He
| stepped toward one side of the circle
about him. 1t closed the tighter to keep
him in.
Whats the joke. boys?" he asked,
still smiling.
The room was breathlessly still.
Many of those within it did not I'M
derstand the trouble, but trouble was
in the air. Across a wavering line of
| heat could be dimly discerned the mu-
| sicians, poised to start the next dance,
but uncertain whether or not to begin
They did not begin. The silence was
startled even by Peters doggy yawn
| from the far corner of the saloon prop
ar.
"Ain't no joker That's what we
want to know" d poor joke!'
You'll find out soon enough" cried
| the men angrily, and then paused and
| looked at each other because of the
jostle of words that meant nothing,
Billy flushed slowly, and his jaw set
tied into place.
I'm jest as willin' to play horse as
anybody" he said, trying to find calm
utterance; land if this is a Joke, l
wishes some fellow-citizen to let me
| in. But, d. it," he cried in a burst
don't you get too funny! What the
h does you-all want me to do to
carry out this yere witticism, any
way?"
The coolest and most determined
looking man in the group made two
steps across the floor, and confronted
| Billy squarely. At this evidence of
| earnestness, Billy lost his excitement
| and became deadly cool.
"Oh, it's you. Tony Houston, is it!
Do you want your pay too?'