Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-16
P X.
THE ADVERTISEMENT.

CHAPTER X.
THE ADVERTISEMENT.
In the whole of Dick Murridge's future
life, whether hat be long Or short, one day
will stand out in his memory as the most I'M
lucky. Every man who has been weak and
wicked thinGs that the day when he was
found out is the most unlucky day in his life.
OF course he should consider that the day
when he first left the path of virtue was
really that day; tut to arrive at that conclu-
sion implies a return to that thorny path
with what used to be called heart and soul,
viii h is, | believe, rare. The wicked man
not infrequently turns away from his wick
edneSs, so nan forces acting upon him in
the direction of Righteousness; but it is sell
dom indeed that he regards the lodges,
tricks, cheats and receptions of the past
with aught but complacency. There was
nothing, at first, to rouse special apprehen-
sions. His father was gloomy at breakfast;
he had lost his clerk as we'll as his sixty
POUNDS, and the clerk was by far the
more serious loss; a.so he could not I'M
derstand, in srito Of his own maxims,
how the girl could possibly have done it,
and what she meant by avowing the worst
piece of evidence against her, and then bid
ding him take up the case himself. But to
his son he said nothing to alarm him. Dick
accepted his fathers silence as a proof that
nothing more was going to be done. Norah
would lie forgiven, he fondly thought. AS
if Mr.. Murridge was the kind of man to sit
down satisfied with SO strange a thing as
this unexplained! Dick like many crafty
persons, was a great fool. In fact, the
whole history of crime shows a remarkable
development Of the imaginative faculty 90.
ing parallel with great craftiness, which
prevents its possassors from seeing things in
their right proportions 50 that they fire.,
quently get caught in their own nets. And
as if Norah was the kind of a girl to accept
forgiveness!
He spent the morning, for the third time,
with the count, who was showing him most
surprising things with the cards, things
which, he clearly perceived, might, in the
hands of one who could do them dexter
ously, lead to surprising results.
''There was a time, said the count, 'when
l could do these things, before | lost my
finger. Do you think l lived in a place like
this, the companion of such men as come
here every nightl Now | can show you how
we do them. Anybody may learn how they
are done. But there are few, indeed, who
can do them so as never to be suspected or
caught. | have watched you, friend Rich
ard, and | know that you can learn. | will
make you, if you please, and little by little,
a master of the great art.
The great art, of course, was the practical
application of scientific legerdemain to card
playing and gambling. In its simpler forms
it means turning the king, forcing a suit.
making the bridge, palming a card, giving
your adversary the worst hands and your
self the best. When a young man has
learned these things, and can do them with
a turn of the wrist and without a movement
of the eye, he has indeed advanced far. and
may be trusted to earn a very decent and
comfortable maintenance. But there are
higher flights, aad although there are manv
Greeks about the gaming tables, there never
was one who brought to the profession A.
keener intel e2t, a more copious resourc, n
greater wealth of trickery in its highest and
most occult branches thar the Signor Giu.
seppe Piranesi.
"And when have learned all this, what
am l 10 dos
Long before that time comes. YOU will be
glad OF the protection which I can give you.
Ask me when the trouble comes"
What do yol mean by the trouble? Yon
are always talking about the trouble" Dick
threw the cards upon the table. 81 tell Won
there is no trouble coming"
And tell you, young gentleman. there
is a very great trouble coming upon vol. and
that very soon, | have seen it comino dav
after day, and at last it has come, he.
lieve, Richard, that it has coma upon Won
this very day; I believe you will not 90
home to your fathers this evening"
Dick tried not to tremble, but he succeeded
III. He tried to laugh, and there came a dis
cackle. He picked up the cards. but his
hand shook Was the man a prophetl
u nave had a dream, my SON. said the
count, softly. II dreamed that aga and
youth, experience and inexperience, might
1elp each other"
What has that got to do with me and
md the troubleT'
"Wait-wait, and listen. My dream was
II an cd man and a young man. Thew
raVeled together, and were p~artners
hough no one knew it. They worked to
,etner. lie old man knew where to 90. and
ne young man how to work. He had baan
aught by the old man. They went where.
yer the money is-there is only a dozen
,laces in the world worth going to-where.
nat Is, there are rich young fellows who ara
ools enough 10 think they can win at the
anne table. Do you begin to understand
his dreamF'
But what has it got to do with the
"lhe trouble may be the means of making
Ills dream a reality. 1t is a beautiful
geam. There is in it the life of luxury, and
case, and of love" Dick heard of tbe
and luxury withou much emotion
he former moved him tu little, the latter
OF at all. And a life OF getting money in
money, my young frie d."
Dicks cold eyes lit up.
ut will only be necessary for YOU to fol.
Ow my instructions and to be my pupil