The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-06-01
In the Great Gaming Rooms.

In the Great Gaming Rooms.
Let us pass into the great gaming
rooms. These are three in number In
the first apartment YOU find two roulette
| tables; in the second three more table:
of the same kind. while in the farthest
room of the suite are two rough ct noil
tables, at which the highest play takes
place. Nothing could be more hand
some in style and decoration than these
spacious apartments. with their Moor
ish ceilings. their fine paintings and
beautiful proportions. But it is towards
the seven gaming tables that the eye Of
the visitor instinctively turns. Each is
somewhat larger than the English bill
| lard table, and around each an eager
group of players and watchers is gath
cred. There are chairs for those who
have come to play steadily and who con.
sequently form the front row of the
players; but behind these you may al
ways see double range of spectators
who often in their turn become players.
The first thing that strikes You is the
extreme quiet that prevails here. The
rattle of the ball on the roulette
wheel, the monotonous tones of the
crOupiers as they announce the results
and the ceaseless rattle of gold and sill
yer as the proceeds of each turn of the
wheel are being piled into the
''banks," are the only sounds heard.
For everybody speaks> in whis-
pers. You note. too, that extreme
decorum. as well as silence. prevails
among the whole assembly. Occasion
ally. indeed, at one of the roulette
tables there is a slight alteration as to
the ownership of particular coin.
Nobody at Monte Carlo makes any par
ticular pretensiOns to honesty, and If
you put your money down heedlessly,
and do not take great care of it while it
lies on the table, it is quite certain to be
annexed by one or the other of the pro-
fessional players. Usually the victim of
this fraud says nothing, but goes away
feeling secretly that he had been rightly
served. But occasionally there will be
sharp alteration. 1t is hushed up,
however, as quickly as possible. In
deed, the croupiers often pay both
claimants of particular stake rather
than allow the solemn silence of these
saloons to be disturbed. There is an
other significant proof of the estimation
in which all men and women are held
at Monte Carlo. If any one among the
group round particular table drops a
coin upon the floor-as frequently hap
pens-he or she is not allowed to stOop
to pick it up. Nor is any obliging
neighbor permitted to do so. The chief
croupier rings bell, 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 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
entrance. That the blinds are all drawn.
Be the day bright or dull the curtains
hang closely in front of every window.
You may step across the room, and 81
lently drawing aside one of the cur
tains, feast your eye upon its matchless
beauty. But it is carefully shut out
from those who sit at the tables. There
seem to be in all minds a secret con-
seriousness that the work going on there
does not harmonic with the blessed
light of day. We stand for a while
watching the play at one of the rouge
ct noir tables, or rather the players. /
have no wish to weary my readers with
a description of the technicalities Of
this game of the red and black. Let
them imagine, if they know nothing of
these technicalities, how those who bet
on the red win on one occasion and
those who bet on the black on an
other. One or 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,
evil-looking croupiers this afternoon are
two American boys. They are said to
be rich. They are undoubtedly pro-
vided with an abundant supply of thou
sand franc notes. But what weak, mis-
cradle faces they have. If you had
them as / have done for several
days in succession you would know that
there is marked change for the worse
in their appearance since they came
here week ago. They have not been
lucky hitherto. How much they hate
lost they probably do not quite know
One of them is still losing.
How he gnaws his finger nails whilst
the fate of each stake hangs in the bal
ance, and how he bites his lip to hide his
when his ill-fortune is again
announced with impressive voice by the
croupier. The other is winning, and
greedy smile lights up his fatuous coun-
as he rakes in his winnings. 1t
IS of this sort of stuff that the IS suicides"
are made, for whose benefit the Admin
has provided graveyard on
one of the lOveliest spot in Monaco
Monaco Cor. Philadelphia Press.