Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1885-10-16
THE WOMAN In RED.
A Thrilling Italian Story of the
Last Century.
Ely GEORGE w. II. REYNOLDS.
CHAPTER XXXVIU.
FRANCESCA DESERTS HER HUSBAND.

Ltl us lot II tllnc lollOW inc SltpH ol
Count Claudio, the unhappy husband
OF Francesca, or rather Naomi, the
daughter of Rudiga.
Driven almost frantic by grief and
anger at hearing his wife as he thought.
side unIustly with the Jewess AGAINST
him, his first impulse was TO put rs
great distance rs possible betW cen
himself and the scene of what he con-
sidered his disgrace and unmertcd
contumcly. He walked quickly on.
chaling and Tuning. and vowing that,
since Francesca chose to desert him
for this woman, who claimed to be her
mother, she might do so; he would re-
nounce her. as she had offered 60 desert
him. She was false. tickle. and tired
of him; and hc. on his side, could play
as independent part
Presently, rs he walked on, he
passed the door OF the gambling-house
where, more than three years previous
ly, he had lost the remnant of his for
tune on the night he had decided To
Join with Count Donati and take to the
mountains. He passed the door, hes
itated, then walked on n little, and
again stoppcd finally his evil genius
prevailed, and, turning back. he stood
on the threshold. For a little while he
vet paused. and his thoughts flew
bacl, home to his wife. Should he re-
turn and endcaYor To reason with herp
Pride loudly said mo; away with the
thought He would return later.
when. perhaps, alarm at his unwonted
absence might cause her to be in
more reasonable state of mind more
g., L. -. Jim -,
clned to obey the preposterous com
mand of the Woman in Red. whom he
tried to think an impostor
And SO Count Claudio strobe boldly
up into the saloon where his ruin had
been before consummated.
He noted not that dark figure. en-
veloped in a heavy cloak, had been
closely following him, nor that this
same person entered Immediately be-
hind him. and took a seat by his side
''Will you play, SignorP'
Claudio saw thatshe public table was
quite full, and, clad of some means of
dverting his mind from the painful
subject which engro sed If, at once ac-
cepted the offer. and moved to a small
table in n ret red corner.
The stranger at once proposed n
high stake, and Claudio, though some
what surprised. offered no objection.
1t was at once vIdent to him that his
opponent was a complete novice at the
the game; and the Count won the stake
with great ease. Apparently annoyed
at this, his antagonist proposed yet
larger stake; and again The young no.
bic won. Furious, Il seemed, at this,
the stranger challenged him TO play
for five times the amount. And he. be-
inc the winner, did not refuse. Again
he won; and his anita. onist, swearing
furiously, called for wine, and pro
posed 10 change the game.
Claudio was now considerable
winner; and as the night wore on, he
began 10 feel deeply anxious rs TO Fran
cesca, for though at first, piqucd and
angry, he tried to persuade himself he
was indifferent, such was far from
the fact. He had left her with that
terrible Jewess. who claimed to be her
mother; and now that he was calmer,
he reproached himself for his folly.
For he might well dread her influence
when she had Francesca to herself. in
the face of the fact that, even in his
presence, her power had been sufficient
to cause his wife TO acknowledge the
validity of her rash VOW.
Had he been a loser, he would at
once have risen and left the table; but
being a large winner, he could not
honorably do so.
Again they PLAYED, and again he
won and now he found that he was
ten thousand ducats richer than when
he entered the saloon.
His antagonist, now apparently flu
rious AT his heavy loss, proposed that
they should play five games for ten
thousand ducats a game. The stake
seemed enormous even to one so rcck-
less as Count Claudio had proved him
self. Nevertheless he consented ar
guing that he would be sure to win at
least two games out of the five, which
would leave HIM in the same position
as when he commenced. IL seemed
almost a certainty that he must win
majority of the games. for he had from
the first discovered that the stranger
played far inferior game to himself.
Accordingly the game for these high
stakes commenced. A crowd, attracted
by the great sum being played for,
gathered round them; and even Clau-
do. iii at case and anxious to be away
as he was, felt his pulse quicken as he
looked on the great heap of money
which the stranger had freely staked
on the issue of the match.
They played; and. strange to say.
fortune. which had hitherto favored
him. took decided turn. and despite
his antagonists inferior play, he won
the first game of the five with the
greatest ease.
This somewhat surprised Claudio;
but he had no fear for the result, as he
felt sure he would at least win two of
the remaining four.
Again they played, and again for
tune was false to him; for his oppo-
nent won with even greater ease than
before.
Claudio now began to look serious
Should his opponent again win, it
would involve certain loss Of ten
thousand ducats. His hand was more
nervous. and his gaze more eager, as
the next bout was being decided.
Again he lost; the stranger thus win
ming back the ten thousand he had
lost, and twenty thousand to boot.
IL now became serious. If he did
not win one of the two remaining
games, he would be the loser of forty
| thousand ducats-a sum which, at the
/ present juncture, would very nearly
beggar him.
Again he essayed his fortune, and
again he lost. His antagonist played
/ now with the luck and skill of the fiend