Smyrna times., 1871-12-06
A California Incident,

oOihu!e was new arrival The o,n,r r,;.
oustounary uEy proprlety, had dub ed him tbns bc
G?u'e ne was SO slim. On the same nr;nc; ~
W@r +E%;NWdTuheSS tE; soon gave him notori.ty
modo .I,S us onls' IKE One-eyed Tom, Spindle h.,
Vaue one OF the happiest hits of ,Ld Hd'
1oung passionate, elated bevond 9o .lo uay
the ssendor OF his prospects. it was n ";ll
t eusl he should court the favor of tbo taI' piS'
Iaoeu gamblers, who were the ari>tocrsts * ~
amp was no wonder that thav should a." Az
IcVer ms weakness and determine 70 ',ai.,
nlm' Play? No, no Spindle did No, SIaa San
ao,nn ony came IN to watch the play; il was tira
3o.ng' sittlng there in the tent alone IT.,
sf'lI uuGole your stake on threes, triple it ON
in1, oa'u a pleasant faced fellow, who wa,
lii"Alng IN hundred slugs or moro
van 10 ;, was llclihed to listen. Tel you what
you 40 SAID the gambler, coDtinuinc .a'o
me halves for an hour, and see r"E boy rnI, go 90
Iut spindle did SO. At the end ot tho
nouT ne had won stake" of several tbo,, o'7
JtI JanI uollarS' Spindle was fascinated ~ ,r;il
u1uole TINS Tomorrow night" said bo ~
:!any; as ne lett the gamblers tent. He donhiaI
IT, Il. ms must be tripIed," said SnindIn eo
ne W sought the tent again, two nights afferw,rJ
- was trpled. Spindle means to broaf, ~ y.
" urokeh' SAID the bystan1 1ers, one nirbt
week after the originalventure '.IonI
hs.t;r Ius' ne Is betting - He is, indeed
L'"s L;,.' ned''iy' The rattlrsnake has charmed
nun, D2t alter bet till the Winnings Of ,6a
week have Iett him; bet after her IN - - Tue
angS are also gone-till the last sing i mn
anu ne mas but Simi J. sight" for Il VIZ
TO hln' Tor he wins! The tide is aood;"0 "9
again and Spindle is even. safe ..IeIi 'i''e ~
.TI'i'rS,} .tInrS, betting hundred "slugs as
o' oil'u' on the strength Of his confidence
y Cne 9Gy one the cards 90 round to the nIarar.
spindle does not look at his, but gathers tbam
.i' u"ueT MS hand on the table = see vonr
u'.nt. ana go you hundred better - I,
IN" I,,aL.. I-nR'e-noSe who Spoke-"E tgle-nosp
'ueNy' spindle looks at his cards He
E.,ru = = cld'S h1nl-tnur queens and king
rour aces oDy will beat him. Etgle nose ran
nave but three of these-for he Saw nno '@T oF
ih'm f:I on the bottom OF the pack as the pambIar
!llu Ihe cards on the table. The gambler
meant mat he should see it, II sea vnnr b.,
an ana raise you hundred better reSnonj"d I9i
spindle Eagle nose is uncertain ill., Inai.l
wiS'iuIly at the gold, furlively at his aptano
iII' IT, ana very carefully at the cards in his hand
,It uio ~ ~ ne wrak"n>, said Spindle TO him.
ISe", thought he was butfng!'" =" Snindla
no.S NOT see the smile on the face of the by
I;Gnuer i;T pack %i the gambler, or he would think
1LueTehty. Rising from the rough stool o.,
which he sits, Eagle-nosc stems back I'M IN ,6n In
leht ana opens strong wooden chest Two |
OagS ol dust are taken from it. and tba GAM bIor
'.aggers under the heavy load as he brinps i
! -oWaru w the table Spindle sees enthousan6s |
lohar mark on each them. "Bet Won tba,,
ere things, says Eagle-nose, as be lavS tbn {,
~o bags with the other gold. l. is now
oplnqie turn to hesitate. Can it be that no
nas tue other ace No he will not think Il
Dut what shall he do? He has not monev M
,9open 10y on hand to call him. He does not
',sn % % 40 inst would be cowardly. Hal"
h,v-. =
lalu an! the few thousand have left against
us pile, It It only be large enough y This -
himself. j, sci Then to Eagle nose "What's vonr
ne ;, There are five more bags in the
nest ., SAID the gambler quietly. What do
ou 90 Bet my claim against your n;IeI%
aid Spindle. intensely excited. The her wos
AIKEN Spindle threw his cards on the tahi9
'lth hall parayzed motion and a face wL;tar
nan thG tent above him--four queens and a
ing! Eigle-nose filed his off one bv one
hree aces, king and an ace Not word was
nllI d ny ny Tlther' Spindle could not have spoken.
no Eagle Rose had no reason for 50 doing
w minutes afterward the ruined miner stag- I
cred bLndly to the door of the tent. nassed
Ut INTO the moonlight, and the game went on :
) ever. "0n' ou
Halt an hour later Spindle sat in his font
one. Before him was the picture of a fair !
Veet lace, that had won his love but few !
ears back Nobody secs him weep, while he :
a,cnes nn ne the play of light in the eloquent eyes
ou couid step ln' and step heavily, too, with :
1t startling him. He is lost in rrnroacbfnl
fought leading down to despair. All that he {
ld hoped to do has vanished Last nirht, !
en- IN gold; to night, bankrupt. Whv should =
i've! lie can hear the ro lr of the Yubs. As !;
tumbles over the cliff only mile above him !
e steps out into the open air; the cataract
lmmers IN the distance, and the sound of its
iiers so0thes and fascinates him. Nobody -
ii miss him why should he hesitateP He g
owes toward it with eager bound and deter. Il Il
ned ,tIE purpose; Rap s.s Up the rocky hi-up, up,
above the tall. He looks at the wh;te .
ray, far, far, below him. An hundred phan- ~ ~
ms n beseech him to come to them. A pause !,
l2r an instant only whispered something 81
Was 1t prayer? a quick, terrible leap 8, 81
en- the same soft moonlight as before on y, ..
hover clad hills around, on the white tents a. a.
the sleeping camp, and on the winter face of ~
} cataract. ~ III