Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1859-02-02

tor all duty, than these riches of an hour
which fortune gives you that she may have
the pleasure of despoiling you of them. L
speak only of the player who wins; what wo'd
have to say of the player who loses?
TN this intoxicated idleness, fevered and
dlsquleted by constant winnings, | had daily
greater difficulty to keep within limited win
nings. Had l played higher, said I to my
self, would have won large fortune. had
resolved never to stake more at frs. than ten
LOUIS dor; and during two or three days,
daily won some fifteen hundred or two thous
and francs. Then l determined never to
stake more at first than FIVE hundred francs;
for two days that naontante was completely
successful. Although during three months /
[ had lived like millionaire, and like
generous millionaire, still had in my safe |
(for had safe) some nine or ten thousand |
francs IN gold or in notes, which l had won,
| again determined that 1 would never stake !
more than thousand francs at first. From |
the first thousand-franc note [ staked, |
doubled; still won" but |
soon the strangest coups. two and one. nine
and forty Q played only at rente-ct-ur) ap- |
peared against me on the tapis cert went
home to get more money. | returned sec
ond time. "a third
time, and as I had invited several friends to
dine with me that day; and as the dinner was
ordered, l left in my safe only some louis dor
persuaded that should conquer fortune with
courage and large forces There was not
| even combat | lost every time A gam
bler'S idea suggested itself to my mind. [
visited, that day, every gambling-house in
Paris At six o'clock L had scarcely enough
money left to pay for the dinner 1 had or
dered. Rich with nine or ten thousand francs
and great many castles in the air in the
fhaa + LII
an illusion. We gaily buried at table my
fortune and my gambling-luck; and the next
morningI awoke, my heart and mind free,
almost glad to resume my past life of labor
! and of study, aud to end that careworn and
agitated life of professional gambler"
Il did not, however, open my books again
without feeling my mind wander. The gam
bier re-appeared; reproached my sci bitter
! ly for having failed to play well-for having
run after my lost money. [ no longer laid
the blame on fortune; imputed it all to my
self | even thought it would continue to
protect me. L found means, for the first time
in my life, TO borrow thousand ecus, ami
Notwithstanding all my VOWS, Notwithstanding
my evenings experience, l lost these thous-
! and ecus IN one single'day. Behold whittier
friendly dinner and the sale Of skeleton
may lead one Happily these rude adven-,
lures restored me TO my senses, and | felt
alarmed at the dangers [ had run. During
!, these three months of dissipation, | have at
least witnessed all the madness of gamblers;
| have met in these gambling houses, arti
sans, fathers, young men, graybeards, sol
diers, literary men, some physicians, and
more than public functionary. Every
house had its regular frequenters; we were
all equal in the eyes of the 'sbank. F" and per-
haps the ruined gambler, with disordered
f clothes, and thin and panied face, was the
most respected. Under the regime of 1840,
NJ Theirs. president of the cabinet, and who
was under obligations to me, offered me sew
, eral places in the gift of the government
r spoke of the place of maitrc des requetes.-
D You, maitre des reguetes p said NJ. Theirs,
1 the thing is impossible. The severe tradi-
tions of the State council would DOT allow an
| ex-mapager of the opera to be appointed mai
o tre deS reguctes, and 81. Theirs instanced to
= me, among others, the name of State coun-
n cilor, whose learning and virtue commanded
s the greatest reserve and the greatest respect.
: 1 contented myself with smiling, and l left
d NJ Theirs to his illusions. This fiery vir.u-
IS Gus State councillor, whose name | shall sup.
s press. had been, like me. one of the most
% assiduous frequenters of the gambling house
v l have just mentioned; L even had difficulty
a With him one day placed twenty francs OF
d the ronge-I won; was paid l wished tc
s. take up my twenty francs; they had disap
at peared. The deal ended, a player spoke t
=, me, here are the twenty francs you wer'
" looking for; | took them up by mistake p
a This absent minded player was NJ. Thiers'
d virtuous State councillor
is Loss urges gamblers to the most singula
to the saddest, and to the greatest extremi
= ties l often met with a literary man, will
powdered hair, advanced in years, and who
I. in his lucky bets, would rejoice over his win
Sc rings in Latin. He was poor wretch whom
G. the least loss would make pcnniless. On
D. day he touched me on the shoulder, and h
il led me out into the hall. See here. he said
as take this Perseus and Jevenal, and give m
IN forty cents. L refused to pay less than dol
ee lar for these two Latin poets. His joy wa
a excessive; but In a hslf hour he returned t
r me, putting his hand in his pocket. 'Se
" 6ere,' said he, take that pair of black sill
N stockings, and give me what you please
i. had consented to diminish his library. but
ts could not agree to wear his old clothes. Ou
ne day L had forty lonis dor on the black
Il trente-et.,n | left i. there to double. A
RS old frequenter of the house came up to me
A DO you want to VIM said he; Il have a di
ad ease; promise me ten francs, that may pu
n chase a bandage' | won, and he soon 10
Il his bandage at roulette. I have been oblige
SIX in the course Of my life to study and to col
o. sole great many sorrows | have new
n seen any anguish more poignant than that
l the player who loses, or that of the one wi
I has lost Some unfortunate players be-
.r- their fate without uttering a word of con
ne plant. saw an Englishman, sitting nc
w me, (our elbows touched) lose at trente-et-a
o. a hundred thousand francs, withou. openir
u his mouth and withou gesture of impatieD
les or anger Reduced to his last five hundr