The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-08-14

languidly, you and are al equal liberty
to bet upon our Judgment; if | copper
your bets it is because ! think shall win,
and not because ! think YOU viii lose,
accept my wishes for Your good luck.
SenOrn
y few more turns We're dealt, and the
Spaniard's doubloons kept accumulating
in front of the American
"Senor," said the Don, Il must regard
your behavior as persecution, since YOU
seem to have cast II spell upon my luck.
''Ah, my dear Captain, Luck is as tickle
as Love-" said Budd, and the laugh that
was OH his face died away in little fit
ting shadow; there was Il quiver of the
thin lips, and the next second his eyes
We're full of dcmonism that always lurked
behind that one maddening memory.
The Don ground his teeth, and the gut
teral 'C-a-r-o-j-o' that growled through
them was omnous. Sale never raised
her eyes from the cards There was a
tive-card turn--three Of them cases-in
the box. The Don put down twenty on
the case king open. Budd coppered the
king. The king went on the outside, and
the Don'S doubloons obeyed Salle's fair
fingers and swelled Budds accumuations
Then, for the first time, the Castilian
and the American looked square in each
! others eyes
''YoW luck is desperate, Senor,' said
Budd, with the most eXasperating courtesy.
Make your bets, Senors." said Sale.
1T is a three-card turn" "-glancin@ at the
cases four, five and queen
The Don hummed a stavc of Nh Bonit0,
| clinl1ed his douboonS and slowly put them
| all-forty y-four-in two high yellow stacks
on the tive-spot, coppered. Budd counted
ont forty-fonr doubloonS and sized the
Don's pile, open.
The Cstilan showed his white teeth in Il
| grim smile again and said, ''Senor, be
good enough to remove that copper from
bet" Budd removed it. bowed low to the
| Don, and said, Us u cavalier might, ''Don
Joaquin, be SO gracious rs to place that
copper upon my bet The coultly
Spaniard bowed and gracefully complied
with the request.
Sales big solitaire Shot out n hundred
colored flame, as she put her tiny fore
finger on the card
| "A moment, Senorita." sad the Don,
rising his finger. lie turned to Budd-
My dear Senor," he said, as gently rs he
might have brcathed u new vow to his
lady-love, this is persecution. If that
| tive-Spot loses. one of us will die.
Budd said something to Sale IN Spanish,
and she moved the card slowly 1t showed
a diamond on each corner. If there was
one in the centre it was the tive-spot, aud
ii mouiN lose. But it might be Il four. If
it was, there was vet a chance that the
| Spaniard might win, OF that the five might
tie the 'hock' card But if there was a
red diamond in its centre, the American
or the Spaniard must spill out the life
that was in him; for Don ,joaquin'S word
was as his bond, his hand was rs Lightning
| like as his passions, and the handsome
American that sat at the other end Of the
table was not slower or more faltcring.
The Spaniard stood by the end Of the
| table ut the fair dealers left, with his right
hand III his bosom and the jcwclcd fingers
Of his left drumming ON the green table
end, next to Il Young Artillery Lieutenant
hand resting on his hip and the other
rich olive in the Castilian's check was
clouded darker than lis Wont. there was
the taintest gleam Of white teeth Set hard
| btl"ttii HIS tHlu lpH p'tlttV ' lil'i'' 'l''
there was an unearthly glitter IN the
wicked transparency of his great eye
The Anglo-SaXon's face, always pale, was
whittier than its wont; Il smile and Snccr
chased each other over it like Il sunbeam
in frolic with 4 shadow. There We're no
other players at the table The throng in
| the room, halt MeAIeans and nan Anerl-
cans, seemed 10 nave tacltlN choSeh IhrNt
Two, tarh the champion OF ms race, ana
stood mut"ly eNpeetant, waiting the issue
and the deti>ion
50 the lamps III the chandelier over
hcau burned not more holSrlPSSlN th'll 'he
hu>hed thfong watched the tapcr-flhger
that slowly pushed aside the top card,
Sale kept the card moving gust perceptl-
bly,, and every eye was bent upon h7
centre, strained I" catch ITS reNelatlon- y
quarter OF an mch more would ten the
story. Budd started to rise from ms seat,
and Sale suddenly tlrtrd away the top
card.
There was Il diamond m the centre OF
| the uncovered pastc-board. There was a
| binding flash, crash Blldd reeled apace
on two and sank back over 4 bench that
stood on the lloor behmd hlm the span
lard 1"Ided his arms, with ms smoking
| pistol in one hand; the smoke rose and
Budd lay gasplng upon ms SIDE, win %fea1
Jets OF dark blood squirting from ms mouth.
The motion had been quicker than the
comprehension Of those who saw i,
Budd Wrlthcd q little and turned tfltl"
over; as he uld ms hahu came up ana ms
the deSperado's farewell TO earth that he
could not utter 1t was Il seli-cocking
English dragoon, and the -pasm OF h%ht
that fingered in Budd's trigger finger ater
the life had gone out Of the buliet-hole M
his left bosom, made the hammer strike
twice as quick rs You could count lone,
1.-TWO" With two fatal bullets in his
bowels, it was the Spaniai;Fs turn e Ii"
down now. Budd was dying when Don
,Joaq,ln'S falling body struck the floor
The Don'S bullet, round ounce from 4
seven-inch rifle duelmg-pistol, had gone
right through him, tearinga big chasm out
of the left side of his heart and severed the
ventricle and struck the knee OF Federal
Il