Evening star., 1918-04-21
I'll.

Twisted Arn''-wild at all times, but
wilder tonight than ever-were at
their noisiest and most exciting pitch.
And why not? 1t was not often that
Margot could spend a whole night with
her rapscallion crew, and she had been
here since early evening and was to
remain here until the dawn broke gray
over the housetops and the murmurs
of the workaday world awoke anew In
the streets of the populous city. 1t
was not often that each man and each
abandoned woman present knew to a
certainty that he or she would go home
through the miStS of the gray morning
with fistful of gold that had been
won without labor or the taking of any
personal risk, and tonight the half of
100000 francs was to be divided among
them.
No wonder they had made a carnival
of it and trfcked themselves out in gala
attire; no wonder they had brought
paste tiara and crowned Margot! Mar
got was in flaming red tonight and
looked devils daughter indeed. with
her f1relike sequins and her red ankles
twinkling as she threw herself into the
thick Of the dance and kicked and
whirled and flung her bare arms about
to the lflt of the music and the fluting
Of her own happy laughter.
Per Baccho! The devils in her to-
nfghtH grinned old Marise,i the inn
keeper, from her place behind the bar.
where the lid of the sewer trap opened.
'She has not been like it since the
Cracksman broke with her, Toinette.
But that was before your tine. ma file.
Mother Of the heavens! but there was
man for you. There was a king that
was worthy of such queen. Name of
disaster! that she could not hold him.
that the curse of virtue sapped such a
splendid tree, and that she could take
up with another after him."
'Why not?" cried Toinette, as she
tossed down the last half of her abb
sinthe and twitched her flower crowned
head. "A kingdom must have king,
ma mere; and Dieu! but he is hand
some. this Monsieur CASTOR Merode!
And if he carries out his part of the
work tonight he will be worthy of the
homage of ALL
IF he carried it out-if"" exclaimed
Marise. with a Iurch of the shoulders
and a f1irt of her pudgy hand. Soul
of me! that's where the difference lies.
Had it been the Cracksman there would
have been no if 1t were done as sure
ly as he attempted it. Name Of mis-
fortune! 1 had gone into nunnery
had lost such a man. But She
The voice of Margot shrilled out and
cut into her words.
''Absinthe, Marise, absinthe for them
all and set tie score down to me-" she
cried. Drink up. my bonny boys;
drink up. my loyal maids. DRINK
drink till your skins will hold no more.
No one pays tonight but me-
They broke into a cheer, and bearing
down in a body upon Marise, threw her
into fever of haste to serve them.
ITO Margot!'' they shouted, catching
up the glasses and lifting them high
'vive la Refine des Apache! Vive la
compagnie! To Margot! to Margot"
She swept them a merry bow, threw
them a laughing salute and drank the
toast with them.
'Messieurs. my love-lnesdames ct
mademoiselles. my admiration" she
cried, with ripple of joy-mad laugh
ter. ITO the success of the Apaches.
the quick arrival of Serpice and Gas
ton Then. herN upward glance catch
ing sight of the musicians slipping
their absinthe in the little gallery
against the wall behind them and
shook with laughter as they started in
alarm and spilled the green poison
when they lodged aside. Another
Marise pay you to sit there like mourn
ers? Strike up, you mummies, or you
pay yourselves for that drink tonight.
Soul of desires.-as the musicians
grabbed up their Instruments. and a
leaping. lifting, quick-beating air went
rollicking out over the hubbub-"a
Quadrille, you angels of inspiration.
Partners. gentlemen. Partners. ladies'.
A auadrille, A quadrille.
They set up many-throated cheer,
fiocked out with her upon TIE floor and
in one instant feet were flying, skirts
were whirling, laughter and Jest
mingling with waving arms and kick
ing toes. and the whole place was in
one mad riot of delirious joy.
And In the midst of this there rolled
up suddenly a voice crying. as from
the bowels Of the earth: ''Hola. Hola.
La! La! Lott" the cry of the Apache
mother of delights! 1t is one of us:
and 1t comes from the sewer passage!
shrtlled out Marise, as the dancers
halted and Margos ran with s1en! ent STEPS Thex
come to you. Margot-Serpice and Gas
ton. The work is DONE
"And before even Clodoche or Won
Hetzler have arrived" she replied ex-
citedly. "Give them light. give them
welcome. Be quick.'
Marise ducked down. 1oosened the
fastenings of the trapdoor. flung 1t
back. and. leaning over the gap with
the darkness: ''Ho1a! Hola! La. la.
loi, Come on. comrades. come on
The caller obeyed instantly. hand
reached up and gripped the edge OF the
flooring. and out of the darkness into
the light emerged the figure of man
in leather cap and the blue blouse Of
a mechanic He was pale, fox,faced'
fox-eyed fellow. with lank. ta1r hair. a
brush of ragged yellow beard, and the
look and air of the sneak and spy IN
delibly branded upon him.
1t was. Cieek.
"Clodoche!" exclaimed Marise. falling
back in surprise.
"Clodoche!" echoed Margot. "Clo-
doche-and from the sewers?'
"Yes-why not?" he answered. his
tongue thick blurred with the accent of
Alsace, his shifting eyes flashing to-
ward the huge window behind the bar.
where, in the moonlight, the narrow
passage leading down to the door of
THE Twisted Arm" gaped evilly be
tween double rows of scowing, thief
sheltering houses. Name of the field!
Is this the welcome you give the bring
er of fortune. Margot?"
"But from the sewer?" she repeated.
"It is incomprehensible, cher ami You
were to pilot Won Hetzler over from the
Cafe Dupin to the square beyond
there"-pointing to the window-"to
leave him waiting moment while you
came on to see if it were safe for him
to start; and now you come from the
sewer, from the opposite direction en-
tirely!'
Mother of misfortNnes! You had done
the same yourself-you, Lantier: you,
Clopin; you. Cadavousse-any of you
he made answer. Il stole leaf
from your own book, earlier in the
evening. Garrotted a fellow with jew
els on him, in the Rue Noir, near the
market place. and nearly got into the
stone bottle for doing it. He was
of you fellows. and there was a ser
geant de vile after me like whirl-
wind. 1 was not fool enough to turn
the chase in this direction, so I dou-
bled and twisted until it was safe to
dive into the tavern of FQuchard and