Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-02-27
CHAPTER VIII.
A NEW FRIEND.

perched upon the edge OF the tapiSA
where / sat. Her humor was gay, her
lauet, was keen: she smiled. and asked.
Has monsieur forgiven" with such 4
penitent little look I babe her be at
ease.
.Maeemosiele, sit down, I pray you,'
and she saw by my serious face i was
In no mood for chatting, so she seated
herself with n pretty afr OF attention.
I could see the fellow at the dice
watching, bur now he appeared quite
satisfied 1 intended TO stay and drink
with the girl. She was evidently a
great favorlte with the habitues or the
place. He looked at me less frequent
ly than at the door, and / guess he eN-
pected wards return.
Now / grew certain Ward g
merely gone down the stair to Sc IL ne
had dropped the papers In the hight.
Az soon as he found they were not
there I felt morally certain. he
would come and demand them
Of me. / had begun the game
and must play out n hama; 80
I reached across the table, filled the
glasses for myself and Florine, rails
ing mine high as If / would propose a
toast. / Capped her banteringly on the
check. for the benefit OF him who
watched, and said In a low tone, try
ing 10 maintain my man
ner.
'1l8ten 10 lis u iHllplC, oAN
seech you smile, do not look 80 serious.
You Thought me here, and now l trust
YOU 10 get me out alive. Is there any
other way than that l came?
She looked about her apprehensivelyr
SO / cauticn ned her again.
For heavens sake emile; / am close
ly watched, and you must laugh and,
be merry as If / drank with you and
made love-"
She comprehended, and we'll did she
play her part. The tones OF her voice
were light and playful; she lifted the
I glass to her lipS, tasting as q con-
noisseur, and said between her sips:
yes, Monsieur, there ~is-another way
leading out-on an alley In the rear
How do you reach it?'
1.-THE door behind the table-where
they play for highest s~takes-leads to
the passage DO but cast-your eyes
that way-and you Will see.'
Their let US
."Wpit. Monsieur, not yet If Mon
sieur wouhd go ana seat himself at
that table, as IL he desired to play, 1
will slip around and make ready the
door for him. Monsieur was kind TO
me. and Florlne IL grateful. Even we
women here respect Il gentleman
/ pitSed the woman from the bottom
| Of my heart. l took out my purse, paid
the reckoning, and together we van
dered ain7lessly toward that table
laughing md looking on at the var
ious games, The rellow Wauhed US
ms we went, but was pleased, n
seemed salts Sed the woman bat car
ried out the purposes Of her employ
ment.
1 took a seat at the table, laid q
wa ger or two and made myself intent
upon the game. Blorine stood behind
my chair for awhile, watched my play,
then disa ppeared. After q little che
returned and again took her place be-
hind me. Directly she laughed out mer-
rily, and IN IL tone loud enough to be
heard by the man Tvh listened as well
as watched, cried:
"Monsleur plays the stakes too low.
Fortune favors the brave" and reach
ing over she tack several gold pieces
from my store, laid them ont ana
leaned close beside me to watch the
throw. IN this position she "Tllsper-
ed:
II have the key TO the outer door.
The inner door will be unlocked. Mon
cieur will play twice more, and by that
tine / will be In he passage. Arise,
ana when you lay your hand upon the
door / will open 1t from the other side|
lost the throw.
"Doube the wager, ana better luck
next time she laughed as she moved
off, and joking lightly TO different men
she knew, made her way beyond my
range of vision. During the play 1 saw
ward come in hurriedly and question
the man ct the door. He shrugged his
shoulders and shook his head. ward
evidently asked who had passed out or
In.
The doorkeeper then reoollected, n
7 Imagined he was telling OF the w
gentlemen who had just gone down the
stair. ward stood an instant is IL
uncertain what to do. He was much
agltated and perfectly soDer. He
glanced toward the table where he had
left me. ! was one. He st6ode over
to his confederate, yet engaged In
play, and made no pretense OF conceal
ing the abruptness of his question. The
man. in reply, Indicated my position at
Tho other table. Ward appeared some
what. relieved. Again he spoke, n
this time the man ut the table gather
ed up the money In front or him ana
replaced It IN his purse. Then he cried
loud enough for me to hear:
"What?"
And sprang up Instantly. They both
looked at me and held "A hurried con-
sultation, then separated, and n 60
ing one way, one the other, came over
toward where / SAT-. BY this time my
second throw was made, ana L felt IL
Florlne played me false the game was
lost. Yet hoping for everything j rose
quietly, and thrustipg my winnings In
q wallet-for had been fortunate
stepped back and land my hand upon
the knob. 1t was locked. L had no
time to think, but saw the whole trick;
lured TO my destination, hemmed In be-
yond hope Of escape. Bitterly 1 re-
pented my folly. =.
have heard men say they faced
death without a tTemor, and SO for
- .oEAA Ia VA ven mnnv fimPE-
but Il was upon an honest held In law
FIJI fght for honor's sake or duty's. My
cheek paled in spite Of me, at sight of
the nell who now came on. Three
others with blades half drawn pressed
close behind Ward. How many more
there were I had no knowledge.
1t was a sore test to my courage
thus to meet The ugly chill Of death In
q Porisian gambling HELM a place or
such ill-repute. But there was no es-
cape, and even II / fell In fight, they
would brand me as a thief. Should
he papers be found on my body, then
honorable men would execrate my
memory as q traitor TO country and
to king, for had not Serigny told me
he could not WOW my connection with
him? The lust of life still surging
strong within me. I drew my sword.
Its point effectually guarded the mar
row space In front from post TO post
They parleyed a time, and l rested firm
against the door.
Come, fellow, thou art trapped; give
me up my purse" ;,
Spit the thief, run him through,
come from one OF those behind-for
the rear guard, beyond the reach OF
steel, was ever loud and brave. But
Ward, being in front, was more III
tious. He we'll knew the first man who
came against me would be badly hurt.
And, / rather fancied, he respected my
blade.
AS they took counsel together, dozens
of voices from the hall swelled the din,
yet above it all / caught a light step