The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-01-13


not be high this time"
"You accepted?' demanded Alike in
quick displeasure.
"Why, yes, as the stakes are not to
amount to anything"
"Geraldr'
"What?" he said uneasily.
"You promised me that you would
not play again in my house!'
Il said for more than I could af-
ford"
"No; you said you would not play
That is what you promised, Gerald"
well, meant for high stakes. l.
well, you don't want to drive me out
altogether, even from the perfectly
harmless pleasure Of playing for nomi-
nal stakes"
Eyes, do"
"W-why?" asked the boy in hurt sur
prise.
Because 1t is dangerous sport, Ger
ald."
What! To play for a few cents
point|
"Yes, to play for anything. And as
far as that goes there will be no such
play as you imagine"
Eyes, there WILL beg your pardon
but Jack Ruthven said so."
Gerald, listen to me. A boa man
like yourself has no business playing
with people whose losses never inter-
fere with their appetites next day. A
business man has no right to play such
game anyway. l wonder what Mr..
Neergard would say If he knew
you
"Neergard! Why, he does know"
"You confessed to himY'
"Y-es; l had to. was obliged toto
ask somebody for an advance"
you went to him? Why didn't you
so to Captain Selwyn or to Mr. Ge-
rard?"
II did; not to Captain Selwyn. was
ashamed to. But went to Austin, and
he fired up and lit into me, and we had
muss-up. and I've stayed away
since"
"Oh. Gerald! And it simply proves
me right"
No, it doesn't l did go to Neer-
gard and made clean breast of it.
And he let me have what l wanted like
good fellow"
"And made you promise not to do it
again?"
"No, he didn't. He only laughed.
Besides, he said that he wished he
had been in the game"
what" exclaimed Alike.
Hes a first rate fellow" insisted
Gerald. reddening, land 1t was very
nice of you to let me bring him over
today And he knows everybody down
town too. He comes from a very old
Dutch family, but he had to work pref
ty hard and do without college. I'd
like it awfully if you'd let me-if you
wouldn't mind being civil to him once
or twice, you know. I'm going to pro-
pose him for the Stuyvesant and the
Proscenium. Why not?"
II see. And now you propose to
bring him to my houseT'
'Tf you'll let me. l asked Jack, and
he seemed to think 1t might be all
right If you cared to ask him to
play"
WOu u CItCu h4l4C, ICNOltCo-
will not turn my drawing rooms into
a clearing house for every money
laden social derelict In town! I've had
enough of that. I've endured the ac-
cumulated wreckage too long-weird
treasure craft full of steel and oil and
coal and wheat and heaven knows
what! won't do 1t, Gerald. I'm
sick of it all-sick, sick!'
The sudden, flushed outburst stun
ned the boy. Bewildered, he stared
round eyed at the excited young ma
tron. who was growing more incensed
and more careless Of what she ex-
posed every second.
Il will not make a public gambling
hell of my own house!' she repeated,
dark eyes very bright and checks
afire. II will not continue to stand
sponsor for a lot of queer people sim
ply because they don't care what they
lose in Mrs. Ruthven's house! You
babble to me of limits, Gerald. This
is the limit! Do you or does anybody
is being said about us-that play is
too high in our house, that we are
easy in our choice of intimates as
long as they can stand the pace? Do
you think | was educated for this
for the wife of n chevalier of indus,
try?"
"M-Mrs. Ruthven!" he gasped. But
she was absolutely reckless now. and
beneath 1t all perhaps lay a certainty
Of the boys honor. She knew he was
to be trusted-was the safest recepta
ele for wrath so long repressed. She
let prudence go with a parting and
vindictive slap and opened her heart
to the astounded boy. The tempest
lasted a few seconds. Then she ended
as abruptly as she began.
To him she had always been what
pretty young matron usually is to
we'll bred but harebrained youth just
untethered. Their acquaintance had
been for him a combination of charm
ing experiences diluted with gratitude
for her interest and a harmless soup
con OF sentimentality. In her partic-
ular case, however. there was a little
-