6 [COPTRICHTED-l I CHAPTER V. | Finally he begun to speak of what the English call sport, and he told such stories of the money which he had lost over which of two cocks could kill the other, or which of two men could strike the other the most in a fight for a prize, that I was filled with astonish ment. He was ready to bet upon any thing in the most wonderful manner, and when I chanced to see a shooting star he was anxious to bet that ho would see more than me, twenty-five francs a star, and it was only when I explained that my purse was in the hands of the brigands that he would give over the idea. Well, we chatted away in this very amiable fashion until the day began to break, when suddenly we heard a great volley of musketry from somewhere in the front of us. It was very rocky and broken ground, and I thought, al though I could see nothing, that a gen eral engagement had broken out. The Bart laughed at my idea, however, and explained that the sound came from the English camp, where every man «TTDDENLY WE HEARD A GREAT VOLLEY OF MUSKETRY. emptied his piece each morning so as to make sure of having a dry priming. "In another mile we shall be up with the outposts," said he. I glanced around at this and I per ceived that we had trotted along at so good a pace during the time that we were keeping up our pleasant chat that "the dragoon with the lame horse was altogether out of sight. I looked on every side, but in the whole of that vast rocky valley there was no one save only the Bart and I —both of us armed, you understand, and both of us well mounted. I began to ask myself ■whether after all it was quite neces sary that I should ride that mile which (would bring me to the British out posts. Now I wish to bo very clear with you ion this point, my friends, for I would Hot have you think that I was acting (dishonorably or ungratefully to the man who had helped me away from the brigands. You must remember that of 4b.11 duties the strongest is that which a commanding officer owes to his men. You must also bear in mind that war is a game which is played under fixed rules, and when these rules are broken one must at once claim the forfeit. If, for example, I had given a parole, then i I should have been an infamous wretch had I dreamed of escaping. But no parole had been asked of me. Out of •overconfidence and the chance of the lame horse dropping behind, the Bart had permitted me to get upon equal terms with him. Had it been I who had taken him I should have used him as courteously as he had me, but at the eamo time I should have respected his enterprise so far as to have deprived him of his sword, and seen that I had at least one guard besides myself. I reined up my horse and explained this to him, asking him at the same whether he saw any breach of honor in my leav ing him. He thought about it, and several times repeated that which the English say when they mean "Mon Dieu." "You t WAS DETERMINED NOT TO HURT THIS YOUJTO MAN. would give me the slip, would you?" said he. "If you can give no reason against it." "The only reason that I can think of," said the Bart, "is that I should In stantly cut your head off if you should attempt it." "Two can play at that game, my dear Bart," said I. "Then well see who can play it best," he cried, pulling otit Iris sword. I had drawn mine also, but I was ■quite determined not to hurt this ad mirable young man who had been my benefactor. "Consider!" said I. "You say that I am your prisoner. I might with equal reason say that you are mine. We are alone here, and though I have no doubt that you are an excellent swordsman, you would hardly hope to hold your own against the best blade iu the six light cavalry brigades." nis answer was a cut at my head. I parried and shore off half of his white plume. He thrust at my breast. I turned his point and cut away the other half of his cockade. "Curse your monkey tricks!" he cried, as I wheeled my horse away from him. "Why should you strike at me," said I. "You see that I will not strike back." "That's all very well," said he. "But you've got to come along with me to the camp." "I shall never see the camp," said I. "I'll lay you nine to four you do," he cried, as he made at me, sword in hand. But those words of his put something new into my head. Could we not de cide the matter in some better way than by fighting? The Bart was placing me in such a position that I should have to hurt him, or he would certainly hurt me. I avoided his rush, though his sword point was within an inch of my neck. "I have a proposal," I cried. "We shall throw dice as to which is the pris oner of the other." He smiled at this. It appealed to his love of sport. "Where are your dice?" he cried. "I have none." "Nor I, but I have cards." "Cards let it be," said L "And the game?" "I leave it to you." "Ecarte, then—the best of three." I could not help smiling as I agreed, for I do not suppose that there were three men in France who were my mas ters at the game. I told the Bart as much as we dismounted. He smiled also as he listened. "I was counted the best player at Watier's," said he. "With even luck deserve to get off if you beat me." So we tethered our two horses and sat down, one on either side of the great flat rock. The Bart took a pack of cards out of his tunic and I had only to see him shuffle them to convince me that I had no novice to deal with. We cut and the deal fell to him. My faith, it was a stake worth playing for. He wished to add a hundred gold "I HAVE A TROPOSAL," I CRIED. pieces a game, but what was money when the fate of Col. Etienne Gerard hung upon the cards? I felt as though all those who had reason to be inter ested in the game, my mother, my hussars, the Sixth corps d'armee, Ney, Messena, even the emperor himself, were forming a ring around us iu that desolate valley. Heavens, what a blow to one and all of them should the cards go against me. But I was confident, for my ecarte play was as famous as my swordsmanship, and, save old Bouvet, of the hussars, who won sev enty-six out of one hundred and fifty games off me, I have always had the best of a series. CHAPTER VI. The first game I won right off, though I must confess that the cards were with me, and that my adversary could have done uo more. In the second I never played better and saved a trick by a finesse, but the Bart voled me once, marked the king, and ran out in the seojad band. My faith, we were so excited that he laid his helmet down beside him, and I my busby. "I'll lay my roan mare against your black horse," said he. "Done," said I. "Saddle, bridle and stirrups!" he cried. "Done!" I shouted. I had caught this spirit of sport from him. I would have laid my hussars against his dragoons, had they been ours to pledge. And then began the game of games. Oh, he played, this Englishman; he played in a way that was worthy of such a stake. But I—my friends, I was superb! Of the five which I had to make to win I gained three on the first hand. The Bart bit his mustache and drummed his hands, while I already felt myself at the head of my dear little ras cals. On the second I turned the king, but lost two tricks, and my score was four to his two. When I saw my next hand I could not but give a cry of de light. If I cannot gain my freedom on this, thought I, I deserve to remain for ever iu chains. Give mo the the cards, landlord, and I will lay them on the table for you. Here was my hand—knave and ace of clubs, queen and knave of diamonds and king of hearts. Clubs are trumps, mark you, and I had but one point be tween me and freedom. As you may think, I declined his proposal. lie knew that it was the crisis, and he un did his tunic. I threw my dolman on ground. He led the ten of spades. I took it with my ace of trumps. One point in my favor. The correct play CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1898. waa to clear the trumps, and I led the knave. Down came the queen upon it, and the game was equal. He led the eight of spades, and I could only dis card my ace of diamonds. Then oaiun the seven of spades, and the hair fairly stood straight up on my bead. We each threw down a king at the finale. Ho had won two points, and my beautiful hand had been mastered by his inferior one. I could have rolled on the ground as I thought of it. They used to play very good ecarte at Watier's in the year 'lO. I say it—l, Brigadier Gerard. The last game was now for all. This next hand must settle it one way or the other. He undid his sash and 1 put away my sword belt. He was cool, this Englishman, and I tried to be also, but the perspiration would trickle Into my eyes. The deal lay with him and I may confess to you, my friends, that my hand shook so that 1 could hardly pick my cards from the rock, iiut when I raised them what was the first tiling that my eyes rested upon? It was the king, the king, the glorious king of trumps. My mouth was open to de clare it when the words were frozen to my lips by the appearance of my com rade. He held his cards in his hand, but his jaw had fallen and his eyes were staring over my shoulder with MY BEAUTIFUL ITAJTD HAD BEEN MAS TERED. the most dreadful expression of con sternation and surprise. I whisked, round, and I myself was amazed at what I saw. Three men were standing quite close to us —fifteen meters at the farthest. The middle one was of a good height, and yet not too tall —about the height in fact that I am myself. He was clad in a dark uniform with a small cocked hat and some sort of white plume upon the side. But I had little thought for his dress. It wis his face, his gaunt cheeks, his beak of a nose, his masterful blue eyes, his thin firm slit of a mouth which made one feel that this was a wonderful man, a man of a million. His brows were tied into a knot, and he cast such a glance at my poor Bart from under them that one by one the cards came fluttering down from his nerveless fingers. Of the two other men, one, who had a face as brown and as hard as though it had been carved out of old oak, wore a bright red coat, while the other, a fine portly man with bushy side whiskers, was in a blue jacket with gold facings. Some little distance behind three orde.rlies were holding as many horses, while an escort of lancers were waiting in the rear. "Heh, Crawford, what the devil's this?" asked the thin man. "D' you hear, sir," cried the man with the red coat. "Lord Wellington wants to know what this means." My poor Bart broke ipt.o an account of all that had occurred, but that rock face never softened for an instant. "Pretty fine, 'pon my word, Gen. Crawford," he broke in."The dis cipline of this force must be main tained, sir! Report yourself at head quarters as a prisoner." It was dreadful to me to see the Bart mount his horse and ride off with hang ing head. I could not endure it. I threw myself before this English gen eral. I pleaded with him for my friend. I told him how I. Col. Gerard, would witness what a dashing young "REMOVE THE PRISONER TO THE REAR." officer he was. Ah, my eloquence might have melted the hardest heart; J brought tears to my own eyes, but none to his. My voice broke and I could say no more. "What weight do you put on your mules, sir, in the French service?" he asked. Yes, that was all this plilegmatio Englishman had to answer to these burning words of mine. That was his reply to what would have made a Frenchman weep upon my shoulder. "What weight on a mule?"' asked the man with the red coat. "Two hundred and ten pounds," said I. "Then you load them deucedly bad ly," said Lord Wellington. "Remove the prisoner to the rear." His lancers closed in upon me, and I —I was driven mad, as I thought that the game had been in my hands and I ought at that moment to be a free man. I held the cards up in front of the general. "See, my lord!" I cried, "I played for my freedom and I won, for, as you pecceive, I hold the king." For the first time a slight smile soft ened his gaunt face. "On the contrary," said he, as ho mounted his horse, "it WRa I who won, for, as you perceive, myking holds you." |THE END.] Clear Case. Justice—You are accused of resisting a police officer. Toots—Then I plead guilty to instill lty.—N. V. World. EUGENE FRANCIS LOUD. California Congressman w.th a Ro mantic Career. In a lieffliilnHve Way lie linn llcrome Fnmoun u* Ilie Chnlrmun of the Iloune Committee on Pont Office*. Eugene Francis Loud, named, it is in teresting to note, for Napoleon's step son, Eugene Beauharnais, member of congress from the Fifth California dis trict and chairman of the committee on post oflices and post roads, who has made himself conspicuous through his agitation of postal matters, especially for his opposition to the present law regarding newspaper postage, which he says is now subject to great abuses, is of Puritan descent. He was born in the picturesque old town of Abington, Mass., on March 12, 1847. His father, Reuben Loud, was known by his neigh bors as a man of independent and rad ical spirit. Young Loud, says the New York Tribune, inherited this spirit and gave evidence of it at the early age of 13 by following in the footsteps of so many youths of the Bay state and running away to sea. A sailing vessel carried him around the Horn. By the time he reached California he had seen enough of adventure, and was content to set tle down in the state which has since been his home, and which he has repre sented for four congresses in the lower house. But Mr. Loud's romantic experiences were not to end with his service before the mast. This ardent young Yankee enlisted fit the beginning of the war in the California cavalry, and served until the end of the struggle. He was with the army of the Potomac, with Sheri dan in the Shenandoah valley, and it fell to his lot to be frequently in the midst of the hottest fighting. After the close of the war Mr. Loud returned to California, and was hon ored by the state of his adoption with several political offices. He was for some time in the customs service, a EUGENE FRANCIS LOUD. (Chairman of the House Committee on Post Offices and Post-roads.; member of the California legislature in 1884, and cashier and collector of the city and county of San Francisco, nis experience in the house began with the Fifty-second congress, and he has been elected to every congress since. Mr. Loud occupies a unique position on the money question, lie is, first, last and for all time a gold man, but the convention which nominated him adopted resolutions in favor of free coinage, and pledged their candidate to It. On hearing this, Mr. Loud proposed to withdraw, but his friends refused to allow him to do so. and he was nomi nated and elected. He informed his con stituents that the honor they had be stowed upon him had in no wise changed his opinions; that he was, as ever, for the gold standard, and re fused to accept if there was any mis understanding on this point. They were,however, willing to have him serve them, and since he has been in the house Mr. Loud has remained loyal to his principles, voting with the advo cates of gold when the contest has been close, but casting his vote for silver when a vote either way made no differ ence. During his last campaign Mr. Loud made many gold speeches. His ideas concerning the national post office have been thoroughly ex ploited and are well known, and no one but a layman would deny that some of the reforms he proposes would, if they could be properly initiated and car ried out, be an improvement to the serv ice; but, like all reformers, his zeal sometimes carries him too far. On sev eral occasions Mr. Loud has enjoyed a tilt with Lemuel Ely Quigg, of New- York, and Mr. Quigg does not always come out winner. Only recently Mr. Loud said, in characterizing one of Mr. Quigg's statement as false and un founded : "I have oftentimes regretted that the gentleman from New York could not know as much as he assumes to know." Tile Value of Antiseptic*. The following facts were recently quoted by Prof. ICober, of the George town university, in illustration of the good that has been accomplished in hy giene through the introduction of germicides and aintiseptics. During the Crimean war many more than half the amputations that were performed re sulted in the death of the patient, the exact percentage of mortality being C.1.5. During the American civil war the mortality from amputation was still 48.7 percent. Then the new meth ods came to be more .and more em ployed, and iiii 1890 the statistics of am putation showed that the mortality was but 6.9 per cent. No City Councils There. Under the laws of China the man who loses his temper in a discussion is sent to jail for five days to cool down. In lnilil tn nt* of tin* Sen. A statistician asserts that every square mile of the sea is inhabited by 180,000,000 finny creatures LOVELIEST IN THE WORLD. Dut It Sefinn That lie Wan Referring to Another Woman. "I know what I nm talking about," re marked a member of congress, "when I say that a congressman his troubles of his own. It's a tine thing to be a statesman and show up in the national parade of greatness at the capital, but there's a good deal more to it than that. And one of the things that is hardest to bear is what they say about us. Why, a lady can't come up here and ask to see a member that there aren't half a dozen people to wink and shake the head and a lot more of the same to make him wish all the women were in hades. Of course, there is *oine ground among us for remarks, just as there is among preachers and doctors and hod carriers and everybody else human, and I know a woman or two who find their chief delight in trying to involve congress men and other officials in any kind of a flir tation that comes handy. 'I hey are pretty and persuasive, and before a man knows what he is about he is down in the senate restaurant paying for a lunch and listening to some kind of a tale of woe. "But they miss it now and then, and I mi glad to note an instance which occurred only a day or two ago. A member from a northern state had been invited to call at the lady's hotel the next day and she had asked him to let her know if he could come. He wrote saying among other things: 'To morrow, madam, I hope to see the loveliest woman in the wholtjfworld.' Naturally she was pleased and told all the people around the hotel about it. 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