Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-06-21
PAUL JONES'S ALIAS.
BY DAVID CHRISTIE MURRAY.
Author Of "Joseph's Coat" "Aunt Rdch.
el, "Cptic Fortune" Etc

mo, mr. dear" ne answered. L
have had to travel about a great deal, and
| could not take you with me away from
your lessons | shall not have TO travel so
much now. and we are going to be togeth-
er always"
She gave him a vivid kiss at that, and
he dropped back into his fancies, until the
goyerness warned him that it was time
to start. Lila was excited beyond meas
ure at the carriage-drive, and the prospect
of the brief railway journey beyond 1t.
1T is the season at Monte Carlo, papa"
she said. MADAME says so. She says that
everybody is there. Everybody who is
anybody. But everybody is somebody,
isn't he, papas"
How pretty, fresh, innocent and mirth
full the childish prattle seemed The little
mouth was like a surprise-box, nom
which something new and pleasing per-
petually issued; touches of naivete, at
which he would have yawned dismally il
they had been recounted by anybody else's
child, made him bubble with sudden mer-
riment, and sayings, nowise wonderful or
profound, made him start to think how
wise and observant Lila was gong. He
had always kept a tender place for her;
but he wondered more and more, how it
was IDdI ne DdS never huoWu now IIuth
he loved herl Before they reached the
hotel he was overlooking with Maternal
tenderness, and felt himself even uttered
and disturbed by it. When he command
ed bedroom for her at the hotel he said
TO the head waiter, This is my little
daughterp' with a proud fondness which
quite pleased that stately parsonage, who
had little daughters of his own. The Cap
a oh,
to sleep, saw fire lighted on the hearth,
CROPPED with his hands about the bed to
assure himself that the linen was well
aired, and generally pottered about with
an old bachelor kind OF care for her until
he completely enlisted the sympathies Of
tie femme de chnmbre. lie commanded
sweet biscuits and Malaga-and-w water, and
fed the child with those dainties as she
sat upon his knee. He babe her Good
bye" for the night very tenderIy, and then
went to the rooms the Major and he occu-
pied in common, in the hope of finding his
companion there. Not finding him, he
stroIled back, ten minutes later, to his
Lila, as she lay in bed, and sat chatting
with her for some ten minutes before he
could tear himself away again.
The touch of youth and innocence shed
u SUI y vi -1ii'A Va J'tAhiI anu Innocence
upon his own spirit, and he went down
stairs gayly to renew his inquiries for the
Major That gentleman, he was informed,
had finished dinner half an hour ago, had
left the hotel, and had been seen TO cross
towards the Casino. Medhurst, having
lighted an excellent cigar, was 10th to
part with 1t, and so wandered up and
down In the atrium, weaving his way
thyptttyi, nd al, he prAtv1 ii 10 rrnr,ra1
by the MUSHROOM ut the close OF the first
half of the nightly concert. There was no
Daisy to be seen there, nor yet in The read
ing-room. He could hardly have gone
back to play again after his solemn prom
ise to the contrary; and yet Medhurst was
g little uneasy. lie was not quite uneasy
enough to surrender his unfinished cigar,
but his doubts spoiled its flavor, and he
walked discontentcIty to the head Of the
outer steps and stood there surveying the
corners and gucfs, aud vaiuy striving to
make out the Majors stalwart swagger
amongst them.
Had hc but gone straight into the play
room he might have avcrtcd the CHtastro-
phe of the night For nj the moment at
which Medhurst had entered the utrium
the Major was guilty of n folly and a
habit TO take little more wine than was
actually good for him Mt dinner, and to-
day the cheerful hrigand had exceeded
even his ordinary potations. He felt that
the splendid fortunes OF the afternoon af
forded the best of excuses for another bot
tie Another bottle needed such slim ex-
cnses mt the worst that the temper pre-
vailed with him, and up the other bottle
rnmp-rnVaa with
longish price facing its name on the list.
The Major was willing to pay the longish
price, but If, over aud above the sum set
down upon tho hotel wine carte. lie had
known that that sec md bottle would cost
him, in round figures, twenty thousand
sterling, he would have heaved il through
the plate glass window and have paid the
damage with light heart rather than
hnye HnCorkcd it. The vision before the
Major gaze revealed anything but loss
or the danger of loss; and when he bad
finished his bottle he made the waiter help
him on with his furrcd overcoat and pre-
sent him with his hat and cane and gloves,
and SO sailed forth magnificent He had
but mere handful of money in his pocket,
wretched three or four thousand francs
or SO, and he meant to go over and try n
little variation OF his system on n small
scale by way of an experiment. He left
his outer adoruments in the cloak-room,
and after Il minute or two of waiting
found place mt one of the tables. Then
he began to punt quietly with such good
fortune that it seemed absurd In view of
1t to play a timid game. He launched out
therefore, and almost before he knew it,
found himself changing his last note into
napoleons. by this time he was eager for
the battle, and drawing out his card-case
and iewelled pencil he wrote and signed
"A line or two of command to the hotel
manager and whispered the chef de pdrtt,
who spoke an excellent foreign English.
A trustworthy person from the Casino
crossed to the hotel and a moment or two
later the manager aud the trustworthy
person returned together, the former bear
ing in his hands the cash-box entrusted TO
him, and politely surrendering IL to the
owners care.
The poor Maiorl 1t was almost the last
moment of splendor for many and many
a day; but he had never looked or felt so
truly, SO imperially noble, as he did when
he unlocked that box, and the gallery
CAPPED and gasped to see it crammed al
most to the top with bank paper and
thickly sown above with louis dor. The
Major took a heap OF the notes, without
counting, ana rolled out the gold upon the
green cloth. Then with his scented cam
brio he brushed away the fragments of
WAX which had fallen from the broken
seals, ditfusiug the perfume OF ylaug-
ylaug to all nostrls Next, he handed the
box, rolocked, to the care of the chef aud
began to play In earnest. He was as sober
as a Judge to look at, but wthiu-doors he
was MS irresponsible rs a child. He began
we'll enough, dropped the variation he had
tested, aud relied entirely upon his sys-
tenn. He gave that fair chance. too, be-
ginning ut the beginning, and mounting
III due progression TO the maximum which
guards the bank. but. losing that, he went
for the gloves, and lost at a pace which
WAS no less than frightful. At length he
deserted his plan recklessly and went for
the simple chances, the columns, and the
dozens. He set down maNimums on each
and all-four and -tweuty thousand francs
and awaited the turn of the wheel. He
had a seat in front of the red diamond,
and backed his side of the table, rouge,
impair, mauque, first dozen, and last col
umn. He was hit hard already, and his
heart knocked busily against his ribs rs he
watched the wheel Even If he won at
this stupendous play il would take him
haif-a-dozen cottpS to bring himself back
to the point from which he started; and he
had u sort of dreadful premonition that
the result of this Que chance was charged