The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-03-19

a lutl Ii III ~
whohid not-knew that she would fire
at a nan as carelessly Us at a cat, more
carekssly. In truth. for she favored
cats.
Til dealer ran with all the speed of
terrd. aud overlook Cecil, who was 60
ing 4owly onward to the barracks.
"Ae you s%erious?' he asked In U T
prise at the large amount as the little
deald painted out apologies. entreaties
and p~rotestations of his only having
beenlin Jest and of his fervently desir-
Ing to buy the carvings at his W
pilce, as he knew Of a great collector
In Paris to whom he needed to send
item.
"Serious! Indeed am I serious" plead
et the curiosity trader, turning his
head In agonized fear to see IL the
WANDERERS pistol was behind him..
.'The things will be worth a great deal
Ia me where 1 shall send them again.
end, though they are but bagatelies,
what Is Paris itself but n bagatelle?
Take the money, / pray you, take the
money"
Cecil looked at him a moment. He
saw the man was in earnest ana
thought but little of his repentance and
trepidation, for the citizens were MI
afraid of sighting or annoying a sol
der.
$50 be it. Thank you," he said as he
stretched out his hand and took the
coins, not without q keen pang OF the
old pride that would not wholly be
stilled, yet gladly for the sake of the
chasseur dying yonder. growing deliri-
Gus and retching the blood off his lungs
In want of one touch of the Ice that
was spoiled by the ton weight to keep
cool the wines and the fish of Chateau
roy.
"Tou did 1t? That Is well. Now, see
here. One word of me now or ever
after, and there is a little present that
will come to you hot and quick from
Cigarette" said the little Friend of the
Flag. The unhappy dealer s~huddered
and shut his eyes as she held a bullet
close to his sight, then dropped 1t with
an ominous thud in her pistol barrel.
met a syllable. never a syllable he
stammered, "and If | had known you
were in love with him
A box on the ears sent him across his
own counter.
aIn love? Parbleu! l detest the fell
low. said Cigarette, with fiery o
and as hot an oath.
"Truly? Then why give your napo-
leons"-
Cigarette tossed back her pretty
head, that was curly and spirited and
shapely as any thoroughbred spaniers;
a superb glance flashed from her eyes,
a superb disdain sat on her lips.
"You are a trader; you know nothing
Of our code under the tricolor. We
fellow soldiers are too proud not to
aid even an enemy when he Is In the
right, and France always arms for
justice"
With which magnificent peroration
she swept all the c~arvings-they were
r%ightfully hers-off the table.
.'They will light my cooking fire" she
said contemptuously as she vaulted
lightly oyer the counter into the street
and pirouetted along the slope OF the
crowded Babazoum. Finally. she
whitfield herself into a dark. deserted
archway n little out of the town and
dropped on q stone block as a swallow
tired of flight drops en- to a bough.
IT'S that the way l revenge myself?
All, bah! l deserve to be Killed! When
he called me unsexed-unsexed-un-
~sexed'-and with each repetition OF the
Infamous word, SO bitter because
vaguely admitted to be true, she flung
one Of the ivory wreaths or 10 the
pavement and stamped IN It with her
spurred heel until the carvings we're
ground into powdered fragments
stamped as though it were a living fee,
and her steel bound foot were treadlag
out all its life with burning hate aud
pitiless venom
In the act her passion exhausted
itself, as the evil Of such warm, I'M
petuous, tender natures will; she was
very still. and looked at the ruin she
had lone with regret and a touch OF
contrition.
ut was very pretty-and cost him
weeks of labor, perhaps" she thought.
And, lost in a musing pity, Ciga-
rette forgot her vow of vengeance.