The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-05-24

Paintings dild DedutlIul proportions. Blu
! it is toward the seven gaming tables tina
the eye of the visitor instinctively turns
Each is somewhat larger than an Englisl
billiard table, and round each all cage
group Of players and watchers is gathered
There are chairs for those who have come
to play steadily, and who consequently
form the front row of the players but be
hind these you may always see a double
range Of spectators who often in their turn
become players. The first thing thai
strikes you is the extreme quiet that pre-
walls here. The rattle Of the ball on thu
roulette wheel, the monotonous tones OF
the croupiers as they announce the results
and the ceaseless rattle of gold and silver
as the proceeds of each turn of the whee
are being piled into the ''banks,n are the
only sounds heard. For everybody speaks
in whispers. You note, too, that extreme
decorum, as well as silence, prevails among
the whole assembly. Occasionally, indeed
at one of the roulette tables there is &
Slight alteration as to the ownership of a
particular coin. Nobody at Monte Carlo
makes any particular retensions to honesty
and if you put your money down heedlessly
and do not take great care of it whilst it
lies on the table, it is quite certain to be
annexed by one OF other of the professional
players. Usually the victim of this fraud
says nothing, but goes away, feeling Sc
cretly that he had been rightfully served.
But occasionally there will be a sharp alter
cation. 1t is hushed up, however, as
quickly as possible. Indeed the croupiers
often pay both claimants of particular
stake rather than allow the solemn silence
of these saloons to be disturbed. There is
another significant proof of the estimation
i'll which all men and women are held at
Monte Carlo. If any one among the group
round particular table drops coin upon
the tioor-as frequently happens-he OF she
is not allowed to stoop to pick it up. Nor
is any obliging neighbor permitted to do So
The chief croupier rings bell, a liveried
servant appears with a candle, and by him
alone can the coin be recovered. 1t is an
odd sensation for the ordinary American
to find himself one of a company every
member of which seems to be regarded as
being prima facie rogue.
There is one other striking feature of
the rooms that you notice on your first en-
trance. That is that the blinds are all
drawn Be the day bright or dull, the cur
tains hang closely in front of every Win
dow. Outside there is that glorious view
of which [ have spoken. You may step
across the room, and slightly drawing aside
one of the curtains, feast your eye upon its
matchless beauty. Bnt it is carefully shut
out from those who sit at the tables. There
seems to be in all minds secret conscious
ness that the work going on there does not
harmonic with the blessed light of day.
We stand for while watching the play at
one of the rouge ct noir tables, or rather
the players. | have no wish to weary my
readers with description of the techni-
calities of this game of the red and black
Let them imagine, if they know nothing
of those technicalities, how those who bet
on the red win on one occasion and those
who bet on the black another. One OF
other always loses, and one or other always
wins but which is to be the lucky color at
any particular cut of the cards is what no
man can tell Seated beside the grave,
croupiers this afternoon are
two American boys. They are said to
be rich. They are undoubtedly provided
with an abundant supply Of thousand franc
notes. But what weak, miserable faces
they have. If you had watched them as /
have done for several days in succession,
you would know that there is a marked
change for the worse in their appearance
since they came here week ago. They
have not been lucky hitherto. How much
they have lost, they probably do not quite
know themselves. One of them is still
losing. How he gnaws his finger nails
whilst the fate of each stake hangs in the
balance, and how he bites his lip to hide
his emotion when his ill-fortune is again
with impressive voice by the
croupier. The other is winning, and a
greedy smile lights up his fatuous counte-
nance as he rakes in his winnings. 1t is of
this sort of stuff that the suicides" are
made, for whose benefit the administra-
ton has provided a graveyard on one of
the loveliest spots in Monaco.
TRAP FOR THE TTNWARV