The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-03-03

or all, there's no harm in it, and it's
mighty agreeable when both parties
are willing, though l take it Miss Dol
ly was not!'
"Shc wasn't. You're right there"
Upon my solemn honor, l wish
could thrash YOU
A scratch and a squirt of white flame.
Farquhar had struck Il lucifer. The
outlcap of light showed Lucian's un-
| guarded face and was gone.
MY God" said F%arquhar, "and it's
the truth"
Lurian got up, went into his w
room. and shut himself in. An instant
later there shonc again the lighted par
@allclogram of the open doorway With
| his figure black against it, as he came
stoically back to his place on the bed.
Farquhar said through the darkness,
| I'M be hanged if you shall get her"
"Ill be hanged if you SHALL" Lucian
answered.
Truth cleared the air, rs it generally
does. They had been in deadly jcal-
ousy the minute before, but now a
| spirit of Christian charity fell upon
them.
"She's safe to choose YOU" Iucian
argued. "She's as ambitious as she
can stand, and look at me. l don't
know which is more invalid, my health
or my prospects,"
"Wcll, | won't he taken for my mon
ey. You see here, didn't you say you
could model and carve? I've just
bought Il granite quarry in the Ar
dcnncs. and I'll put you in as manag-
ing partner, and in three months you'll
be talking differently
81 bet YOU a shilling you'll go bank
! rupt if you do"
"Rct,ing's contrary to Christian prin-
ciples."
They both laughed, and then Lucian
said, "Seems to me you rather enjoy
shamming v%irtuous, you consummate
old humbug:."
II do. Hadn't you found that out?"
Il can believe virtue comes easier
when it's a vice. said Lucian medi-
tatively. "but it strikes me very forci-
bly,, sonny, that patient continuance
in we'll doing has undermined your
principles. You'd feel pretty awkward
at going to the deuce"
"Would l? If | had that girl in my
power I'd be handy enough"
II deny it. but let that pass. Any
how, if you had me i'll your power you
wouldn't lift IL finger against me-"
IF you got between me and her.
you'd say, 'Confound you. my chill
dren.' and bite your thumb at us"
For my own sake and not yours,
then. l never did an unseltish thing
yet"
ooh, You are Il liar said Lucian.
why do YOU tell such lies? And.
look here; I've something serious to
S Y to you. | won't put up with being
told l live on your charity, not even
when you're sick"
81 shall say what l please"
"And | shall go when | please"
"Oh, confound you". said Farquhar,
and he laughed and acuuiescrI.
AS has been said, Dolly was at this
time inclining toward Farquhar, but
an episode of the next week set the
rivals even again. She and Bernard
accepted Mrs. Merton's invitation.
She bought a book on etiquette and
studied it. but was nervous, neverthe-
less. Bernard also studied the book.
because he wished to avoid blunders,
but he remained perfectly composed,
n point illustrating the radical differ
cnce bet Wcen their characters. Ber-
nard took in to dinner a pretty. clever,
we'll bred. well dressed girl of five and
twenty, who had heard his story. was
impressed by his looks and took al
interest in him, as she told Mrs. Mer
ton. She tried to draw him out and
put him at his ease, and their onver
sation grew rather humorous ere she
recognized her error.
Dolly'S partner was a big, dark
heavy featured man, with a low, soft
monotonous voice and tired eyes
Hugh Meryon was Hugh Meryon tt
Dolly, and he was nothing more; bu1
at Monaco he was known as Gnmblin.
Meryon, for among gamblers his pla!
was remarkable by reason of his ex
t%raordinary and fantastic luck. He was
the son OF a highly respectable dean
and had suffered a highly respectful,
education, but he was born to gamble
| as the sparks fly upward, II gamble
he did. sacrificing all to his passion
He loved the excitement, not the non
. ey won. Like Fox, who declared tina
his favorite occupation was playin!
and winning. his second fnvorite play
ihu a1I 1rSirT His l,nt,n,,<> :,
MonksWell was due to Mrs. Merton:
|, fnnnness for black sheep. mustard
/ with mutton, and other things which
she should not have liked.
Il hear De SaumareZ was to hav,
come tonight Meryon began withou
preface before the advent of the sour
I'm awfully sorry he couldn't.
wanted to see him again. DO 70,
know him.