Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-11-05

on which instead oi spades and dia'
monds familiar TO most European
card players, suns and vases, sabers
and horses were depicted 10 various
and brilliant colors, An officer OF
tho royal guard and dry snuily old
marquis held the bank, which had
been very successful, Large piles OF
ounces and of four and eight'dollar
pieces were on the green cloth before
them, as well as rolls Of paper nearly
tribe the value OF the specie, Twenty
or thirty players were congrega'ed
around the table, while q few untor-
tunatcn, whose pockets had already
been emptied, were solacing
themselves with thcir5 cigars,
and occasionally indulglng in
an oath, Or an impatient stamp OF the
foot when they saw card come up
which they would certainly have back
ed-had they had money so to do
After standing few minutes at the
table, and stalking n doubloon, which
he instantly lost, Rafael Solano took
up paper and threw himself into an
4
armchair, while Vallcja remained
watching with keenest attention the
various Quotations Of the cards. For
some time he did not join the game
rather to the as,onishment Of the
players, who were accustomed to see
him stake his money as soon as ne
entered the room, with al unhesltat-
ing boldness and confidence. Half an
hour passed in this manner, and the
presence of Vallcja was beginning TO
be forgotten, when he suddenly drew
a heavy rouleau OF gold form his pock-
ct and placed it upon card. The game
went on, Valleia lost, and with his
usual indifference saw his stake thrown
into the bank. Another followed and
a third, and foruth In four couPs
he had lost thee thousand dollars.
Still not sign of excitement or dis
composure appeared upon the hand
some countenance of the Mexican
only an officer who was standing by
him observed, that a pack of the thin
Spanish cards, which he had been
holding in his hands, tell to the floor
torn completely in half by one violent
wrench.
The four high states, so boldly play
ed and so rapidly lost riveted the OBJ
servation of the gamblers upon Val
leja's proceedings. Everybody crowd
ed around the table, and even the
slight buzz of conversation that had
before been heard, totally ceased.-
His attention attracted by this sud-
den stiffness, Rafael rose from his
chair and joined his friend. A glance
at the increased wealth of the bank,
and the eagerness with which all
seemed to be awaiting Valleja's move
ments, made him conjecture what
had occurred.
"You have lost" said he to the
Count, and heavily, l fear. Come,
that will do tor today. Let us CO.
"Pshaw! y cried the Mexican, "a
mere triae which you shall see me win
back" And then turning to the
banker, who was just commencing a
deal.
"Copo," said he, "the king against
the ace."
For the uninitiated in the mysteries
of monte it may be necessary to state,
that by uttering these words ValleJa
bou.d himself, if all ace came up be-
fore king, to pay an equal amount
20 that in the bank, as we'll as the
winnings of those who have backed
the ace. If, on the other hand,
the king won, the whole capi-
tai of the bank was his, as well as
the stakes of those who bet against
him.
"Copo all rey."
There was general mnrmur of
astonishment. The bank was the
largest that had been seen in that
room since certain memorable night,
when King Ferdinand himself, being
out upon one Of the nocturnal frclics
in which he so much delighted, had
come up in disguise with an officer OF
his household, and lost a sum that had
greatly advantaged the bankers and
sorely diminished the contents of his
Catholic Majesty's privy PURSE
There were at least thirty thousand
dollars on the table in gold and paper,
and besides that, scarcely had the
Mexican uttered the name of the card
he favored, when, on the strength OF
his previous ill-luck, some Of the play