The Winslow mail., 1922-10-27
(Continued.)

IL
ing enthusiasm, Il want to tell you
that life is not composed entirely Of
ingratitude. Last year when ! was
down here | saw an old fellow about
to get into trouble with q Mexican
roustabout on the levee. / wasn't in
any particular hurry, so ] stopped,
took up q piece of scantljng and
knocked the Mexican down. 1t was no
particular trouble on my part, but the
old man took it as a favor and urged
me to eat dinner With him. which [
did. being broke at the time. Now
what does he do? / met him out there,
and he gives me two tickets for the
French ball at the st. Louis tonight"
"All right; we'll take it in
81 should say we will Why, there's
likely to be half dozen duels ar
ranged for. We can see them burst
ing into bloom. But you'll have to
liven up, you know. You are just a
trife stern, it strikes me. There is
too much Of-of your mission showing
in your face. l don't know of any-
thing better calculated to correct it
than an hour at the roulette wheel.
Suppose we go over and give it a
whirl."
"Hope springs internal in the human
breast" Drace paraphrased the poet.
"Just as well curb yourself, old fel'
low I'm not going to feed your pas
sion"
A tap at the door and Colonel Josh
announced himself from the outside.
Invited to enter, he came in with a
sweeping bow, his beard and mustache
waxed, his hair darkened with dye.
giving to it tinge of blue. He bore,
and with ceremonious hesitancy, an
invitation from Miss Lucy. She was
at the delightful old home Of refa-
tive where choice guests would as
semble that evening to hear Prof. L.
Bannock Pettigrew read paper on
the origin and character of the an
cient ScythianS.
"Im very sorry, Colonel Draca
cheerfully lied, "but we have another
engagement"
The Colonel gleefully replied that
he was put into position of deep re-
gret. He knew that Captain Drace
would so much enjoy the professor:
his paper would not take up more than
three hours of the evening. He would
impart to Miss Lucy that Captain
l'sace found it impossible to come. The
Captain assured him that such was
the true situation and Frightening, the
Colonel gladdened himself out of the
room.
The ballroom which Drace entered
that night was as fantastic as a gyp-
sy's vision. 1t seemed that all civiliza-
ton had lifted the lids of it's worm.
eaten chests to array in whimsic re-
minder of its former self. There was
evident poverty making itself neat in
old linen. and war victims proud in
threadbare coats. In rags there is his
tory. but no ancestry attached to cloth
fresh from the MILL No unfriendly
eye was supposed TO look upon this
gathering, no antagonistic politics per-
mitted to view it. The walls were
dr;sed in the colors of France, and
enshrined in corner was a Confed-
crate banner, it's staff splintered, ity
folds darkened with sacred blood.
AS Shottle no longer held the hope.
of raising speculative table-stake. he
bent himself TO the less interesting life
of the dance. But not without mis-
hap! The floor was smooth with wax
from the ends of marriage altar can.
dles; and Libertys feet. more accus-
toned to the rough mating, ants
ragged carpets OF the gambling-roorn,
flew from under him. Catching right
and. left in his fall. he came down with
bit of lace in one hand and comb
In the other, while women shrieked
at the devastations he had wrought,
grouping about the severest sufferer
to screen her into retiring-room.
That's what comes to horse that
wanders from his stable-lot out on the
frozen pond" said Shottle as Drace
came up to laugh at him.
you've made rip in the skirt of
the ball sure enough" Drace replied,
taking him by the arm. And then
suddenly he halted, for he caught
sight of girl coming toward him. A
moment before, there had been ma.
merous young women in the room, but
now there was only one-the barbaric
rose maid, the girl who had touched
his heart with q torch.
With her walked a tall, handsome
and well-dressed young man. Her hand
rested upon his arm, and she seemed
to listen with pleasure to his evident
ly ardent wooing. She looked at
Drace, one glance, and then turned
her eyes back to her cavalier and
passed on. And flame of jealousy
was added to the turmoil that already
held possession of him.
who is she, Shottle" demanded
Drace.