The Washington critic., 1890-02-09


streamed from the open windows OF
the gambling the voices OF the
croupiers, the stir and hum of the play
ers and jngling of money were dis.
tinctly heard In the streets without. l
have already told you ! am no gam
bier, not from scruple, but choice.
Nevertheless. used often to stroll up
TO the Cursaal for an hour of an even
ing, when the play was at the highest,
TO look on and chat with chance ac-
quaintances. Mechanically, ] now as
cended the stairs. On the landing
place / found myself face to face with
q man with whom | was slightly inti-
mate, and who, few evenings before
had borrowed forty francs of me. /
had not seen him since, and he now re-
turned me the piece of gold. Try
your luck with IT, said he; there is a
run against the bank to night, every
body wins, and VI. Blanc looks blue
And he pointed to one of the propri-
etors of the tables, who, however, wore
q tolerably tranquil air, knowing well
that what was carried away one night
would come back with compound in
terest the next. The play was heavy at
two Frenchmen-the latter of whom,
judging from their appearance, and
from the complicated array of calcula-
tions on the table before them, were
professional gamblers - extracted, at
nearly every coup, notes or rouleaus of
gold from the grated boxes in front of
the bankers. drank a glass of water,
for my lips were dry and hot, and,
placing myself as near the table as the
crowd of players and spectators per-
mitted, watched the game. My hand
was in my pocket the forty franc piece
still between its fingers. But, in spite
of the advice of him who had paid it
me, felt no disposition to risk the
coin; not that feared to lose it, for as
my only one il was useless; but because,
as ! tell you, never had the slightest
love of gambling or expectation to
win.
"a pause occurred in the game The
cards had run out, and the bankers
were subjecting them to those compli.
Gated and ostentatious shulflings in
tended to convince the players of the
fairness of their dealings. During this
operation the previous silence was ex-
changed for eager gossip. The game,
it appeared, had come out that night in
peculiar manner, very favorable to
those who had had the address and
nerve to avail themselves of it. There
had been alternate long runs upon red
and black q.
"Mille MONS dc Dieup exclaimed q
hoarse, cracked voice just below me.
What series of black Twenty-Five
and only three red And to be unable
to take advantage of itl'
II looked down and recognized the
gray moustache, wrinkled features and
snuffy. black coat, with a ribbon OF the
Legion of Honor, of an old French
colonel whom you may have seen limp
ing in and out of the Cursaal, and who
ranks among the antiquities of HON.
burg. He served under Napoleon, was
shelved at the peace, and has lived
since then on moderate annuity. of
which one-ffth procures him the barest
necessities of existence, whilst the other
four parts are annually absorbed in the
vortex of rouge. et-noir. When gam
bling houses were legal at Paris, le
colonel rape, the threadbare colonel, as
he was called, was one of the most
punctual attendants at Frascati's and
the Palais Royal. When they were
abolished, he commc need wandering
existence among the German baths,
and finally settled. down at Homburg,
giving it the preference, us the only
place where he could follow his darling
pursuit alike in winter and summer.
From the opening to the close Of the
play he is seen seated at the table, a
number of cards ruled in red and black
columns, on the green cloth before
him, in which he pricks with pins the
progress of the game. That evening
he had been unfortunate and had
emptied his pocket, but nevertheless
continued puncturing cards with laud-
able perseverance, of course discover
ing, like every penniless gambler, had
he money to stake he should infallibly
make fortune; predicting what color
would come out, and indulging, when
he proved true prophet, in a little
subdued blasphemy because he was un-
able 10 profit by his acuteness.
Extraordinary run, to be sure!'
repeated the veteran dicer. Twenty
two black and only three red! There'll
be series of red, now; feel there
will, and when l don't play myself,
I'm always right. I bet this deal be-
gins with seven red. Who bets 4
hundred francs to fifty it does not?'
Nobody accepted this sporting
offer, or placed upon the color which
the oolonel's prophetic soul foresaw
was to come out. The cards were now
shutiled and cut for dealing. The hell
relapsed into silence.
"Faites le jeu, MesSeieurS' was re
peated in the harsh, business like tones
of the presiding demon.
"'Red wins croaked the colonel
Seven times at the least.
NEARLY all the players backed the
black. BY an idle impulse i threw
down my forty francs, my entire for
tune, upon the red. The old soldier
looked round to see the judicious indi
vidual who followed his advice, smiling
grimly and nodding approvingly. The
next moment red won. let the money
lie and walked into the next room
Eighty francs were of no more use Il
me than forty, and l felt very sure tina
another turn of the card would carry
off both stake and winnings. | took VI
a newspaper, but soon threw it dowr
again, for my head was not cleal
enough to read, and l felt exhausted
with The emotions of the day. | wa
about TO leave the house when / hearC
a loud buzz in the card room, and the
next instant somebody clutched my
arm. II was the French colonel, in {