A STRANGE BET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8183, 16 July 1906, Page 7

A STRANGE BET.

(Specially written for the Age by Ruht Relah.) PAKT I.—Continued. "What a cbanoe that would be for me," Bigfaed Bennie, bartering already —imagination—his handsome profile for a goodly aum of coin. The surgeon, amused at Bennie's earnestness, laughed mookiugly, completed his task, and ordered him to clear out, and lelt the baron to his reflections. These were l'ar from pleasant. Though Nix was too hardy to fret over bia temporary inconvenience, and did not worry greatly about the prospect of greater ugliness, predicted by the surgeon, he was deep'.y irritated that he had been worsted by an Englshman, cne whnm he believed to be a sharper—oh! it was too bad! and it was through his own fault that —"oh, bother the extra seidels of Baierseh confound his lordship, d the English " and so on. Nix was feeling very bad. A visit from his steward did not tend to raise bis spirits. Of late be had dipped too deep into his revenues, he had raced them and won the race by a distance, and the interview with his faithful servant wag in consequence deoidediy unpleasant. Then thfere came callers, many of them, officiously sympathetic. They rubbed s'jlt into his mental wounds by tales of Fastfoot's triumpbancy over him, Von Nix, as exhibited by every bind of extravagant bet laid on the future condition of Nix's wounded alfaotorium by his conqueror. Bad, very bad taste on his lordship's part, worthy of all the oenBure bestowed on him for his doings I Only Germans can understand what a breach of etiquutte Fastfoot bad committed and was committing in the Fatherland of drinking, brotherhood and fighting. Did he not know that the crossing of rapiers, with hostile intention, meant a cementing of amity, a nolens-volens increase of oourteous consideration especially on the part of the victor m the fight! Snrely he knew the unwritten precept of the duel, which presoribes the greatest delioaoy of conduct in suoh cases. Then why suoh offensive wagera? Wbj suchcontemptuous disregard of well-understood rules?

We can only conjecture that the baron's innuendoes against his lordship's mode of gambling had inflicted a deeper pain than a few drops of Nix's blood could assuage, and that the former took his own whimsioal way of showing how great a resent ment he felt against the latter.

And he, the baron, fretted ( sorely and meditated bitter revenge: Bow could he find means to retaliate for those infamous bets they bad told him of, Hnd whioh were made in open defiance of pnblio sentiment and in scoff of his own feelings? All tbrougo a weary iiigbt, Nix tossedjab.out in his bed in a fever of body and mind. The next morning, bright aDd dear, brought him an idea of revenge, faint and uncertain at first, but destined to grow into, a definite shape in the end; and so he found at last rest.

By the time that brought Sargeon Nie roand on his professioaal visit to bis patient, that [patient was on good terms with himself for what he believed to be a unique specimen of originality in the matter of revenge. And it was Bennie who, unoonscionsly, had been the instigator of the baron's novel idea; rtho was to be the fulcrum of his executive lever of retaliation.

Good and novel ideas lose, as a rale, their flavour, if undisseminated; oonseqnently Sargeon was speedily made a participator in Nix's scheme, a co-operator in it as well and to his patient's great delight be went as far as to call him a clever fellow, a speoies of praise that he had never before enjoyed.

The two oonspiritors were now only waiting for Bennie to commence their operations, and he was not long in making his appearance; a troubled and melanuholy Bennie who fervently longed to be rid of the surgeon; for he wished to make an urgent appeal to the baron for a loan of thalers.

Shrewd Nie, who knew him and his little ways, easily guessed the aoaroe of bis uncomfortable state of mind— some pressing and longstanding bill, and was not slow in acting on bis surmise. "Say, Bennie, wouldn't you like to he put in the way of earning e thousand thalers. Three thousand, marks, eh?"

Bennie's sad eyes opened wide at the mention of so large a sum. He had as much chance of becoming a shareholder in the Bonanza as of eurning 3,000 marks. No wonder that so exciting a suggestion brought a glitter of avidity to bis orbs of sigbt, an effeot not lost on Nie. "I see you like the idea. Quite right too. A thousand thalers are not to be sneezed at, eh? You oan earn that enormous fcum by selling by selling " A series of prolonged sternutations interrupted his proposal, no doubt caused by the ludicrous tspect of poor Bennie, whose face lengthened at the idea of selling anything. What had he to sell?

It was true that once a facetious fellow-studeni had offered him a thaler for his grandmother when he had su'jb a relative, but he had not taken the offer then.

"Hy selling me your nose," broke jn Nix, quite ont of patience at Nie's influential attaok. "By selling —you— - my—nose? stammered the astounded JUennie, lifting bis band meohanioally to that organ. f 'Ob, 1 see, only a silly joke; and I am in such trouble!" and be made for the door in real vexation. "No, no," hastened the others to assure him, '"we mean real business Sit down, man, and listen." "My proposal is quite serious, oried Nix, "1 want that nose of yours and mean to have it at any price!" 'What good would my nose be to you," exclaimed 1 Jen me in great trepidation; for be feared that Nix bad gone mad with pain and Baiersob, and the baron did look queer with his bandaged and swollen face. It's all very well for Nie to talk of cutting off noses and ——" (TOjfce continued)*