The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-12-04


down trump, ia maison de Conde est
fnie.'
AT that same hour and moment the Due
d d'Enghein had been shot to death at Vim
cennes.
Major Sprott was an inveterate game
ster The highest stakes were powerless
to make him finch. There were, as have
iiistccdd, limited public gaming-tables at Aix-la-
Chapelle in those days; and the Major
looked in for two or three hours every af-
ternoon at the Kursaal AS rule, al
though careless player, he won largely;
one night be carried away 5000 Napo-
Icons; on another he broke the bank, which
was limited to 5000. But it was observed
that he never approached the roulette ta-
BILE, addicting himself always to the rouge
ct noir or trente ct quarente, game which,
as you should know, is played with cards,
and in no way depends upon the treacher-
GUS revolutions Of an ivory ball.
1t was in private that Major Sprott
made his largest gains. AT lansquenet,
at piquet, at ecarte, at whist, at vingt-et-
un, he was unconquerable. He always
won: and that, too, by teemingly the most
Indifferent sums. 1t was impossible to
bring against him the slightest accusation
of foul play; but at last the grand-dukes
and the ambassadors whose pockets he
emptied, began to look with some uneasi-
ness upon the terrible American. He
didn't play on system; he scarcely look
ed at his cards; and yet he always won.
There was at this time at AK dashing
adventurer of Irish extraction, whose real
name is believed to have been O'Kelly,
but who called himself the Baron de Kol-
Ii. He had been mixed up in the myste-
rious and disreputable intrigue by means
Of which the British Government endea-
yored, but unsuccessfully, to lberate Fer
dlnand OF Spain (the Virgins petticoat
embroiderer) from the clutches of Napo-
leon at Bayonne. The Baron de Kolli
had come to AK on the chance of some-
thing turning up in the way of adventure
or of swindling, and lived from hand to
mouth, like high-mettled gamester as he
was. He could not gain admission to the
patrician society in which to Major Sprott
was welcome guest, but the Kursaal.
and to the trente-et-quarante table the
the BARON de Kolli came afternoon after
A4tornaeaa, x a littlo-wiIen The ouus
were favourable, but occupying himself
much more with watching the game of the
Man with the Tortoiseshell Spectacles.
1t CHANGED one day that, as Major
Sprott was bending across the green baize
to stake a handful of Napoleons on the
rouge, one of the strings which, beside the
tortoiseshell, confined the spectacles to his
head, became loosened, and those append
ages slid off his nose and fell on the floor.
He stopped rapidly to pick them up; but
the Baron de Kolli had been beforehand
with him. He had placed the heel of one
OF his Hessian boots on the glasses and
crunched them into hundred fragments.
Major Sprott Che had won the stake, by
the way) looked extremely disconnected,
and turned towards the Irishman as if for
an apology; but the latter coolly whis-
pered.
Il did it on purpose. You may pick up
the pieces, and put them in your pocket,
if you like; l think I've spoilt your little
game, my darlint.'
Major Sprott angrily shrugged his
shoulders, muttered something about IAN
awkward boor,' and, pocketing his win
nings, turned to leave the room, when the
Baron de Kolli laid his hand on his wrist.
You'll just go on playing, my jewel, he
whispered, Just for one little half-hour.-
l want to see how you'll get on without
those cat'G-back bernacles of yours. If
you don't, l declare that I'll pick quar-
rel with you, and blow your brains out be-
fore sunrise tomorrow
The Baron de Kolli looked as though
he could be as good as his word, and Ma
jor Sprott went on playing without his
tortoise-shell spectacles. He staked low,
till the Baron whispered to him that, un-
less he put ON the Napoleons little faster,
he should be compelled to carry out his
promise. At the end of half an hour, Ma
jor Sprott had lost 800 Napoleons.
7'And now,' he said familiarity, taking
the Majors arm, well just stroll to the
roulette room, and see what the re doing
there"
'Tush! l don't want to be ruined, quoth
Major Sprott. i play to win, and not to
lose, Baron. Here, come this way; and
we'll settle this little matter outside
They walked into the garden of the
Kursaal; and when they had reached
secluded nook, the American said:
L suppose you're not overburdened with
worldly wealth, BaronY
Il am as poor, he replied, as Job or a
gentleman, could we'll be-
l thought so. Well, you have broken
my spectacles, and spoilt, as you say, my
little game; and, besides, you have killed
the goose that laid the golden eggs. l
could easily leave you baffled and uncer-
tain; but | like peace and quietness, and
would rather not have spy watching my
movements Here are five roueaux, each
containing a hundred Napoleons, for you
to hold your tongue for forty-eight hours,
by which time shall be across the French
frontier. viii that do?"
The Baron bowed, and protested his
eternal gratitude. Tn, Major gave him
the money, which he lost within fort
night, at roulette. 8
AS for Major Sprott, he discharged his
bill at the hotel, and, leaving handsome
gratuity for the servants, left AK the next
morning in a post chaise for Belgium.
IT, e. Il. n r.