The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-12-10
And death I Have you no foa: o
daa,k ~

i1to life, not of our own free will, but
through the will of others. This exist.
encs with its suffering, its hopes and its
fears, Is our punishment; its disappoint-
ments our curse. This is the life Of the
Aesh, that which is corruphblei beyond
lies the life of the soul"
"But what may the soul not suffer in
the great hereafter1 What may it not
eudure7"
Nothing except il be happiness" res
pondod Leroy. "our misery is here,
our peace is beyond the grave"
And the grave r. inquired the girl,
with shudder; "the grav,r'
is what we mortals most dread, be-
eau it possesses horror, The hereafter
is an unknown land; but let us forget
this for the present. Whether lose or
win, this night 1 am determined to speak
We have too long yielded to deception.
Let the issue be what it will, lam resolv-
ed to solve it; il happiness is to be ours,
we will thank heaven for the boon, if not
we will say farewell" .....
at this instant the Marquis Foscarini
entered the room, and lie Roy accom-
panied him to the table, where they SEAT
ed themselves to play, others being as
sembled. At the gaming table there was
a Paris banker, captain of an English
vessel, and two planters from Havnnna,
all absorbed in the chances of the game.
lie Roy commenced by throwing down
ten louis, then ten more and so on until
no lost nearly all. As be pushed The
money aside he shivered, and his head
sank upon his breast. Foscarini laid L is
hand uponlbis arm:
"Wty. what is the matter, LIE Roy7' he
asked in surprise.
Nothing" responded the young offic-
er. as he once more placed ten louis up
on The boarl. This time he gained 100,
gradually the sum increased and doubl-
ed. The banker won 100 600 francs, the
captain 2o,000 and the planters l3O, 900.
1t was the Marquis Foscariui who had
lost all this money. Much excited the
gamesters drank together, and promised
to meet again in few hours.
At the solicitation of Olympia, lie Roy
postponed speaking to her father, whose
loss bad been very great. .r-...
The meeting Of the party again took
place rs arranged, and Foscarini lost all
he possessed in the werld-his palaces
in Florence aud Naples, his villas at the
foot OF Vesuvius and in the neighborhood
Of Rome--there remained not q vestige
of his large fortune. He was ruined -
Through. the closed shutters and crimson
curtains the day was piercing; and made
the dying candles look still more pale. -
Of these six gamblers, four resembled
statues The immense losses of their
host amazed them, accustomed as they
we're TO loss as result of gaming.
Two men Glone among them seemed to
retain their self-possession, and they were
lie Roy and Foscarini. The latter was
searching his pockets in the vain hope OF
fading something 10 stake, but not even
his watch remained. His countenance
was terrible to behold.
"Gentlemen, he at length said, ''all ]
once had is now yours, aud you can with
authority bid me quit this house, which
is no longer mine" Peg
marquis exclaimed LIE Roy.
"Nay, listen to me-" continued Eos
carini, addressing LIE Roy. "You once
loved my daughter, aud l refused you hel
band?' ..- -.....
"You did,"
"Do you love her still?'
"Yes, ferven.ly."
"Again, repeat, are You snre that yor
love her as you once prolessed2"
Il do" .s.-..
"What say you, then, to play for herr
At these terrible words all the games
tiers arose, but were incapable of speak
ing, so great was their astonishment II
gesture they implored lie Roy to refuse
did you hear m.7" continued Fosca
rini. "will YIN play f,r the possession
, of my dAughter1'
"will you not accept me as your son
y in-law, Monsieur le Marquis2 II SO,
| beg to restore to you all that chance hA
Q given. ami that you have lost throug
Q me-"
81 refuse most positively" rasponde
the Marquis
a "ThenI CIT yo proposition. " re
piled lie Roy, coldlyi "now listen t
A mine"
A All present expressed horror at sue
: an arrangement. Foscarini returned th.i
/ gaze with one of sovereign contempt an
I indifference. Then turning 10 lie Roy
a he said:
a BE II as you wish" ........-..
} Il play for your daughter, replied th
/. young officer, against all that / posses
IN the world, my name, my person an
my honor.
r 1T is we'll, responded the Marquis
as he speedily threw three cards on th
a table-they were three aces. LIE Ro
also threw cards-they were three tens
he drew fourth cardiff was ten. Il
, had won. .....
, All arose. desiring TO depart As the
] saluted the Marquis they saw that be wa
weeping. The loss of his child and hi
millions had reduced him TO q state o
wretcbedness beyond even the misery o
, mendicity.
lie Roy approached the Marquis. FO
: an instant he pansed.
''Mon ieur ls Marquis. he said, "thi
has been horrible dream--you have los
nothing aud gained nothing"
J "what do you meAnl" inquired Fosca
rini. You say have lost nothing. Asl
those who leave this house laden will