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


campaign with the French army had
reused the sleeping lion In him and
made him as fine d soldier as ever
ranged under any flag. He had suffer
ed, braved, resented fought, loved,
hated, endured and even enjoyed here
In Africa with q force and vividness
that he had never dreamed possible In
his calm, passionless world of other
days.
As he went now in the warmth of the
afterglow he turned up In to the Rue
Babazoum and paused before the en-
trance of a narrow, dark, tumble down,
picturesque shop.
A cunning, wien head peered out at
him from the gloom.
"Ah, ha! Good even, Corporal Vic
tori"
Cecil, at the words. crossed the sill
and entered.
"Have you sold any?" he asked.
There was a slight constraint and hes
itation in the words, as Of one who
can never fairly bend his spirit to the
yoke of barter.
The little, hideous, wrinkled, dwarf
like creature, n trader in curiosities,
grinned with a certain qualification In
disappointing this 1.-THE limbed, hand
some chasseur.
mot one. The toys don't take. Dag
gers, now, or anything made out of
spent balls and fiissas n can tell an
Arab story about so off like wildflre.
but your ivory bagatelles r no sort
of use.'
every well-no matter" said Cecil
simply as he paused a moment before
some delicate little stathettes and carv-
ings, miniature things carved out Of a
piece of ivory or a block of marble the
size of q horses hoof; slender cruel
fixes, wreaths Of foliage, branches of
wild fig. figures of Arabs and Moors,
dainty heads of dancing girls and tiny
chargers fretting like Bucephnlus.
They were perfectly conceived and ex-
ecuted. He had always had a D'Orsay-
like gift that way, though, in common
with all his gifts, he had utterly neg
leeted all culture of 1t until cast adrift
on the world.
He fingered a moment, with regret
in his eyes. He had scarcely a sou In
his pocket, and he had wanted some
money sorely that night for a COM
rade dying of a lung wound, a noble
fellow, a French artist, who In an evil
hour Of desperation had Joined the
army.
"You will not buy them yourself?" he
asked at length, the color flushing Id
his face. He would not have pressed
the question to save his own life from
starving, but Leon Ramon would have
no chance of a fruit or a lump Of Ice to
cool his parched lips and still his ago
nized retching unless be himself could
get money.
"Myselfr' screeched the dealer, with
q derisive laugh. ASK me to give you
my whole stock next, Mr.. Corporal!
These trumperies will lie on hand for
a year."
Cecil went out of the place without a
word. His thoughts were with Leon
Ramon, and the insolence scarce touch
ed him. GLOW shall I get him the iceT'
he wondered. "If l had only n of the
Jumps that used to float in out claret
cup!"
As he left the den q military fairy,
all gay with blue and crimson, like the
fuchsia bell she most resembled, With
a meerschaum in her scarlet lips and a
world of wrath in her bright black
eyes, dashed past him into the dark
ness within, and before the dealer
knew or dreamed OF her tossed up the
old mans little shriveled frame like a
shuttlecock, shook him till he shook
like custards, flung him upward and
caught him and set him down bruised,
breathless and terrified out of his wits.
"Ah, curr' cried Cigarette, with q
volley of slang utterly untranslatable.
''That is how you treat your betters, is
it? Miser, monster, crocodile, serpent!
He wanted the money, and you refused
it? Ah-h-h, 0 Of satan, you live on
other mems miseries! Run after him,
quick, and give him this and this and
this and this and say you were only