reathless Lolita to her American, and seated herself
at the table, beginning a brisk shuffle of a dim, dog-eared pack. "You
sit there!" She nodded to the opposite side of the table. "Very well,
move the lamp then." Genesmere had moved it because it hid her face from
him. "He thinks I cheat! Now, Senor Don Ruz, it shall be for the guitar.
Do you hear?"

"Too many pesos, senorita."

"Oh, oh! the miser!"

"I'm not going broke on any senoritas--not even my own girl!"

"Have you no newer thing than poverty to tell me? Now if you look at me
like that I cannot shuffle properly."

"How am I to look, please?" He held his glance on her.

"Not foolish like a boy. There, take them, then!" She threw the cards at
him, blushing and perturbed by his eyes, while he scrambled to punish
her across the table.

"Generous one!" she said. "Ardent pretender! He won't let me shuffle
because he fears to lose."

"You shall have a silk handkerchief with flowers on it," said he,
shuffling.

"I have two already. I can see you arranging those cards, miser!"

It was the custom of their meetings, whether at the cabin or whether she
stole out to his camp, to play for the token he should bring for her
when he next came from town. She named one thing, he some other, and the
cards judged between them. And to see Genesmere in these hours, his
oldest friend could not have known him any more than he knew himself.
Never had a woman been for him like Lolita, conjuring the Saxon to
forget himself and bask openly in that Southern joy and laughter of the
moment.

"Say my name!" he ordered; and at the child effort she made over "Russ"
he smiled with delight. "Again!" he exclaimed, bending to catch her R
and the whole odd little word she made. "More!"

"No," pouted the girl, and beat at him, blushing again.

"Make your bet!" he said, laying out the Mexican cards before him.
"Quick! Which shall it be?"

"The caballo. Oh, my dear, I wanted to die this afternoon, and now I am
so happy!"

It brought the tears to her eyes, and almost to his, till he suddenly
declared she had stolen a card, and with that they came to soft blows
and laughing again. So did the two sit and wrangle, seizing the pack out
of turn, feigning rage at being cheated, until he juggled to make her
win three times out of five; and when chance had thus settled for the
guitar, they played for kisses, and so forgot the cards at last. And at
last Genesmere began to speak of the next tim