The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-02-18
GAM BLING.
Scenes At The Roulette Table In New
Orleans.

One of our rich and rmpetuous young
men had been playing at the roulette
table and losing heavily. His excite
ment grew more intense in proportion
as he lost. At last he became frantic
on perceiving that he no longer had
cent in his purse. He felt and fumbled
in vain with trembling hands all over
his wearing apparel. until in the pro-
found recess of huge pocket in his
overcoat he unexpectedly discovered
bank note that seemed to have carefully
and prudently hidden itself to escape
from the general wreck. Eagerly I'M
rolling it. he joyfully exclaimed' "By
heavens! 1t is for $1,000! I'll stake
it in lump. Fortune fayors the bold.
Then, leaning over the voracious board
of black and red, as no raised his arm
10 fling his last note on it, lie caught
the eye of Sterlain. who occupied his
usual seat as dealer and was keenly
watching the movement. mmediate:
" the youth Strengthened himself up.
still holding the bank note. and thus
apostrophized Sterlain: "Ah! All! l see
that you greedily expect this $1,000
note to swell your pile. Well! you
shall not have it! and. to escape all
temptations. here it goes. Whereupon
he twisted the note asif it had been waste
paper, and holding it up to the flame of
the chandelier,he wrathfully hlsed these
words through his clenched teeth:
Burn. my poor note. and evaporate
into thin ar rather than be swallowed
up. like your lost sisters, by bloated
monster whose NAV yawns for YOU"
After this he broke loose and rushed
away amid the loud laughter Of his
friends, who shouted: Bravo! Bravo!"
We had in Louisiana at that time
many individuals full of original char
acter. Among others was member Of
one of our best famil; es, whose name
was St Amant, with the additional
sobr;quet of Bots Piquant Prickly
Wood, given him on account Of his ex-
treme LONELINESS. He was. however, a
good fellow and pleasant companion to
those whom he liked, and really at the
bottom he had kind heart. but by
freak of nature he had been coated all
over with the quilts of the fretful por-
cupine. and was more prone to seek
than avoid quarrel. Fighting seemed
to improve his. digestion and humor.
and he evidently. whether wounded or
not, felt better in consequence of that
stimulating exercise of which he was
fond. He was not thus inclined from
mslice prepense. but from uncontroll-
able temperament Perhaps we would
have been more accommodating, less
sensitive and aggressive. if he had not
had some cause to be fidgoty and irrit-
able. He had very light purse at his
disposal. Perhaps, also, as he was of
gentle birth, poverty pricked his
pride and ruff1ed his feathers. But be
1t as it may. Bots Piquant St. Amant
was but too ready to crow, flap his
wings and strut defiantly on his we'll
spurred legs. Nothing. above all. de-
delighted him more than to get into
difficulty on behalf OF friend.
One evening the Bots Piquant was
seated at the roulette table-not to
stake any thing but to look on, for he
had not silver piece to play on the
board. He had at his elbow, seated
also at the table, one of the most in
fuential citizens of historical ancestry
and hereditary wealth. Let De Nor
nay be his fictitious name. This gen.
tleman had been playing heavily and
by n lucky turn of the wheel Of fortune
had won large sum. This fretted
Sterlain, who pushed with irritation a
big pile of dollars toward Mornay,
saying: PAY yourself. Mornay in
his turn showed 1t to his neighbor, Bots
P.quant take it all for yourself. my
friend" he said. Il don't accept what
is so boorishly handed to me-" and he
rose 10 depart. Bots Piquant coolly
began to count the money, making
piles after piles of $40 each. and at the
completion of each pile repeated in a
stern tone: "oir, it is not to me that
you would have thus handed over this
money! This counting of dollars and
repetition of the same words lasted
several minutes. The spectators ex-
pected, with much anxiety, an explo-
sion of wrath; but the bulldog did not
even snarl.
Not long after this incident another
one more severely tested Sterlain's
nervous irritability. 1t was on a Mardi
Gras evening. Davis saloons were
crowded, and Sterlain was In jubilant
spirits. he even cracked jokes, for the
roulette was winning largely. The
stakes had been high and confined
solely to few playe in whose ven-
lures, on account of their magnitude
the numerous bystanders felt keenly
interested. So absorbing was it that
the small fry of gamesters abstained
from risking their petty dollars and
gold pieces, and gazed with sort Of
awe at the heavy pile of bank notes
that accumulated in front of the Group
Ter as rich harvest under the reaper's
sickle. The excitement was at its
height when. just as midnight struck
on the bell of the neighboring cathe-
dral. there stood side by side with those
magnates of the roulette table. without
anybody having noticed how he came.
a gentleman apparently rs years of
age. It was such an apparition as
could not but compel instant attention.
He was of middle height, fragile and
spare body. elegantly proport;oned in
form, His features were almost femi-
nine and of classic beauty, and yet at
the very first glance there could be de-
tected in them an undefnable express
sion which gave warning that under
this mask of softness there lurked
something to be guarded against-hard