The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 38, 21 September 1905, Page 23

The Storyteller

(Concluded from last week.)

♦ A TASTE OF SOCIETY

Dala stood behind his chair— -he toad not been playing at all, havfog assumed the attitude of mentor to his friend before the gam© toiegan. Miaccy looked up and saw him eaahiangvng glancas with the mail opposite. Dale's look faiajd meaint, 'Da not be too hand on him ; be is my friend,? he is green. 1 At least Maicey so interpreted it. WMla he felt a passing impAilse of gratitude to Dale in that bo was loyal, he was disgusted at the idea which thrust itself upon his mind— that he ha»d fallen, into a nest of gamfbjlers. At the same time he became conscious of oaths, loud voices, and snarling imprecations at tibe other tables. The punch bowl had been replenished ;• it stood within easy reaching distance of all ttoo players, who had recourse to it frequently. The atmosphere reeked of tobacco and hot whiiskey. The dealer began to rake in the chips, preparatory, to ajnother game ; but Macey rose. ' I will pljay no more,' he said. 'It is late and I mustl ba going.' r It is not much after one,' said Dale. '•' The game is only beginning to get exciting. I was just about t o take a hand.' ' Take mine, then ! ' said Macey, throwing a tendo liar gpld piece on the tatofre— the amoiint of his losses. ' I have no more- money, and must bid you all good-evening.' ' No-, no ! ' cried the others ; while one of them added, 'Dale will make you a Joan. Don't go.' 1 Certja^ftily, you can nave all you want,' observed Dale— ratihei? coldly, Macey thought— as he stepped forward, to the chair his friend had vacated. ■•' TWanks)! ' said Macey. ' I have no desire to play,' ' Eiven if Dale lends you twenty ? ' ' Under no consideration,' rejoinevl Macey, lifting his eyes in time to intercept an exchange of gjlances betweetti two of the players. ' I would stand t?o lose in any case,' he continued rather] sharply, ' as I aan no match for •sucib old hands.' ' Some people cannot bear adversity,' said one of the men with a sneer ; ' especially when it reaches up into I*io tens.' He plaiood strong emphasis on iiia last word. A smild went round the taJWe — in which, however, Dale did not join. Nott'hiaig could h*a!ve exceeded the insolent manner of the orthers. ■"To lose one tan is far more than T can afford in any way, iltaasti ofi all at, gambling,' saitt Maoey nonchalantly ; tihoupjh he had calculated the effect of his words before uttering) ttticm. 1 What <dto you mea/n, sir ? ' asked the sneering one. 1 I moan what 1 Ray— always,' replied Macey. Playing for money is gamjbl'ing, which, I have heard, generally goes hjattiid 1 in hanid witih oheattin'g. I have never Ibks faro played for money, atnd, so help me God, I never will again ! ' '■ Ttocrci is no occasion for heroics, Macey,' said Dale. ' Simply drop it, and we'll go.' ' Just as you please,' answered Macey. ' I am going 'presently, but I do not wish to take you from your friends.' 1 Wait'!— l s'hiall b'c ready in a moment,' said Dale. The; other men rose, and, with Dale, drew a little to o*vo side. As Macey stepped forward to the window ho tooa-rd' the chink of money. They were probably settling their accounts. At b'O'tiV of the other tables the noise had 'grown fess ; ibfct Ihe faces of the men— all little more than boys— were flushed aad sodden. From the window he could look down into the supper tent. Strains of music camo from the baliroo'm— a languorous, \olupt>u<ons rhythm that sickened brain ami heart, as he stood in the cool night air, resting his fevered cheek against the window-frame. Through the fannies of smoke filling the room in which he was, the crouching forms of the h al Wn to xi oated players 10-okcfi like animals black and bestiial. The broad) flaps of Ihe supper tent beneath the Window were open to their full width, fastened back by heavy cord's, to give entrance and egress to the crowd passing in and omt for ices and champagne Inside they were singing rollicking ' rag-time ' songs' — young men and girls ; and Macey cornld s<ee them dancing around the small circular tables whereon lay the debris of the feastl ■whilch had looked so tempting and dainty two hours before.

As he gazed a couple came skipping down the aisle between the tables, to the accompaniment of whistling and a violent clapping of hands. The girl' was dressed in silk of creamy white ; her dark hair, falling almost on her shoulders in careless disorder, needed but a crown of igraipe leaves to complete the resemblance ' to the Bacfchante whom she emulated in the wild dance. Her companion, a lafge, red-faced, redHhaired man,,wfth difficulty kept time and step to her mad performance. There w\a/s neither grace nor agility in his remarkable movements ; ( btot the girl, holding up her lowg Sfltirts with one hand, deftly balanced a brimming glass of champagjne on the p^lm of the ottier, as she came swiftly along, the ftltodingi glare af the electric lamps aboivio her head. They reached the open, door of the tent, and then, with a sudden wild shrink, which so/unded| to Macey like the demoniac laughter of an abandoned teou'l, she threw the contents of the crystal goblet into her companion's face. Macey parsed to see no more. Turning from the window, Jie walked quietly to where Dale, just about to separate from t/he. others, was buttoning his coat. ' I am going,' he said curtly.. ' And so am I,' replied Dale, joining Mm immediately. They left the room together, arid, hurrying down the stairs, were soon on the sidewalk. 1 I su,pppee 1 sihooiid have said /good-niight to the hostess,' remarked Macey. «,fter they had taken a few straps into 'the cool, bracing night, how verging on the dawn. ' One never does,' rejoined Dale, who was accustomed ta the manners of ■' society.' It is bad form when there is a mob. Everyone is more or less muddled or cross at this time of night, anyhow. But I say, Macey,' he added, after a pause, ' why did you make that insinuation to-^night— for it was an insinuation"? It was in very bad taste.' ' Nou any more so than all the resit that went on there,' said Macey. 1 What do you mean, boy ? It was positively fresh of yotu io tell them you could not afford to lose ten dollars, at a little game of cards. Those fellows will only laugih at you. They're all swells, yiou know.' ' Swell-!h(e/a'd'S, I should call them, in each a/rid every sense of the word, Date,' said Macey bluntly. ' I see now where all your money Roes. The game is not worth t'ho candle, Dale. Stop while you can. I 'have had my first and last sip of " society champagne " tonight, and it has been well worth the ten dollars* I left on tho tajbde. It seems to me now that I shall never get tha taste out of my mouth.' ' You're a r^ucer ono, Macey ! ' said Dale. ' You'had enough attention from Charlotte in the. early part of tho evcnania; (o turn any other young fellow's head. To bo sure; she Rave you the cold shoulder later for her Englishman ; bn.it , rcajlly, no woman would have done anything else.' ' They arc welcome to each other,' said Macey hcaitily ; and Dale knew that he meant what he said. The two friends haxl come to the corner where their ways separated, and so parted with (a brief ' Goodnieht ! ' After -that time their lives seldom converged. Dawn was breaking, when Macey entered his own ro/nms. How sweet and clean and wholesome and deliirht ful they seemed after t/he scenes he had lately left behind Hastily divesting himself of Ms evening raiment, he donned a comfortable dressing-^ own, lit a cisrar, and, going over to his desk, opened one of the little drawers, from which he took the picture of a fair vofimg girl, tntnocent, lovely, yet t'ho'Uigjh-tful and full off character. Pressing the lips to the pure white forehead again aAid again, he placed it in front of him; and then, late— or early— as it was, he sat down and wroto a loms letter to*— Margi&ret.— ' Aye Maria.' '