Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-04-14
THE BLACK
BALL
BY Stuart 3. Stone.

Twelve men sat at dinner in an up
per room-12 chattering, excitable
men, and a woman. Two other men
stood guard at the door, and no one
passed in or out without the exchange
of cabalistic signals and the mutter-
ing of mysterious passwords
On the walls Of the room the crown
weighted lords of Europe reposed,
head downward, with black crepe
draping and hemming the pictures
about. Kindly expressions Of Death
to Monarchs!" and "The Dagger for
Despots!" twined above and below
the spectacle of the kings of the earth
upturned.
The IL men ate prodigiously, while
the lady, who was most ravishingly
charming, fitted about from one to the
other muttering smiling incendiarisms
and passing the things they ate.
At the head of the table was a
bushy whiskered, red-faced individual.
Brothers" he began, I'VE have a
single purpose; it only remains to
ascertain which of us will be the in
pie down trodden and oppressed"
There was a pounding of clenched
fists on the table, chorus of assent
ing voices in a half-dozen barbarous
dialects, and a pompadoured Swede
shouted: Down with the usurper!"
The speaker res um ed: 1--WE shall
now see who is to be the instrument
of righteous vengeance. Mile. Aimee
will spread the ballot, and conduct the
drawing. The black ball means well,
we know that, / think"
A low murmur went round the long
table as the pretty Aimee procured IL
white balls and black one. These
she placed in a wooden box, having a
lid opening at the top. fitting the lid
so that the contents Of the box were
screened from the observation Of the
drawers, she approached the first man,
a red-bearded SlaY. The Russian
thrust his hand into the box and drew
forth a white ball, whereat he seemed
much relieved.
Lucky Alexieff," said the Slav's
nearest neighbor. "The black ball is
certain death, for how can a man STAY
a king and escape? Yet the work
must be done"
The speaker dived into the box as
he talked and captured white ball,
also.
The third man was Gerard, the
Partisan, his smile never changing as
he, too, drew a ball white as, snow.
"Himmel!" muttered Hamburger
by his side Il think the black ball
is to be mine" But the German drew
white also.
The fourth and the fifth of the con-
spirators - Finlanders, who knew
something of Siberia--obtained white
balls with never a sign Of ruff1ed
nerve, but the sixth man, Bohemian,
shivered the least bit, requiring two
attempts before he entered the fateful
box to bring forth another white ball.
Half gone, and black yet remains"
whispered the president; and there
was an uneasy shutting among the
other five But the president drew
forth ball of the white dazzle. The
next three men drew rapidly-white,
white. white-amid little whistles Of
amazement.
Dainty little Aimee stood now be-
fore Brother Stathoff, the clean-cut,
kindly-seeming young Bavarian. If
the Il had noticed carefully they
might have seen that the lady's red
lips quivered the slightest and that
her bosom heaved. But they looked
only at the mild blue eyes Of Stathoff
of Bavaria, who reached for the fatal
box Almost had he obtained the ball
when the dainty Aimee stumbled, near
ly falling.
Mercy" she stammered, laughing,
but it was necessary for Stathoff to
draw again.
And this time as he reached for the
ball-hidden to him., but in plain
view of MISUNDERSTANDING lid snapped
to, as by accident, and for the third
time the box must be made ready for
young Hans Stathoff. This time, with
the brown eyes of Aimee following his
every motion, the gentle Bavarian
made successful entry-drawing a
cleaning white ball.
ct is well,'' murmured the gray
bearded Valmirsky, as he brought
forth the black ball of death, and
the Pretty Aimee and young Hans
Stathoff and all the other plOtters drew
deep breaths of relief.
But only the pretty Aimee knew
how love, entering even the close
guarded halls Of conspiracy, had dealt
life to a young Bavarian giant and
death to the worn graybeard of Little
Russia.