Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-06-29
THE DINGEE MILLION.
Strange Adventures OF Fortune
Left by a Gambler.
IRsersen LocRwood's Startling ContribU-
tion to Our Possible Cases" Series
A Aair-R Raising Episode In the
long Island CrcmatOvy.
tcorymGnT. 1891. ALL RIGHTS Reserved

OLD New Workers may remember
Dingec's famous club house in lower
Greene street. From 1900 to 1850 1t was
the most fashionable gambling house
in the metropolis, It's founder, Alphonse
Dingee. having been. the first to intro
duce r0ulettS and rouge ct nOir into the
new world It was in 1850 or little
later that i'll health obliged his son
Cyril to sell the business out He re-
tired to his country seat at Bricksburg,
quite palatial residence for those
days, where he died shortly after, leav-
q round million dollars and one child,
daughter, Daisy. Spite of the fact
that she was popularity known through
out the country as the gamblers
daughter" there were several respect
able young men in the place who would
have been only too happy to administer
an estate worth a round million with
DAISY thrown in for better or worse.
But Daisy Dingee knew what she
wanted. and it was nothing more nor
less than an alliance with the most
aristocratic family in the country, to-
wit. the Delurys, whose large white
mansion at the other end of the town
was as tumble down and shabby Look
ing as Daisy's was neat, fresh and well
kept Miss Dingee, therefore, pro-
cecded to throw herself at the head of
one Monmouth Delury, mentally and
physically a colorless sort of an indi-
vilual, who for want of sufficient intel
lect 10 make an honest living passed his
time going to seed with the thousand or
so acres of land belonging to him and
his maiden sisters, Hetty, Prudence and
Martha, three women who walked as
stiff as they talked. although they never
were known to discuss any subject
other than the Delury family.
When Daisy's proposition was made
known to them they tried to faint, but
were too stiff to fall over and were
Obliged to content themselves with
gasping out:
What, Daisy Dingce marry our
brother, the head of the Delury fam
iy1"
But it was the first idea that had ever
entered the brothers head, and he
chung TO it with parents affection for
his firstborn. In few months Mr..
and Mrs. Monmouth Delury set out for
Paris with that provcrbial speed with
which Americans betaEe themselves to
the French capital when occasion Of
fers They found it a much pleasanter
| place Iuuu DTlChSpuTRs
proved rapidly and Daisy fell quite in
love with him, made her will in his IA
vor. contracted the typhoid fever and
died.
Whereupon the really disconsolate
widower sent for his three sisters TO join
him. They had but one objection to
going-that was to part company with
the dear old homestead, but they over
s&
0 mouths letter, which happened to be a
Friday. and took the Saturday
steamer.
To confess the truth, the Delurys had
been so land poor that their spare, aristo
cratic figures were rather the result Of
= necessity than inclination. Six months
of Paris life under the benign protec
ton of Dingee's round million made diff
ferent women of them. 1t was wonderful
what a metamorphosis Partisan dress
y makers and restaurateurs effected IL
their figures. They became round anC
plump. They stopped talking abou
Brickshurg, signed themselves the
Misses Delury, of New York, enrolled
themselves as patrons of art, gave ele
giant dinners, and in very short tim'
set up pretentions to being the leader
of the American colony.
But remorseless fate was at thei
" heels. Figaro unearthed the secret O
old Dingeos million and the Delury
suddenly found themselves the sensu
ton of Paris, the butt of ridicule in tn
comic papers. Monmouth had been il
poor health for several months and thi
- killed him.
Dingee's million was now In the ey
- Al. a..
sisters, but fate willed 1t otherwise, fo
the following year Hetty, the eldes
IT. died OF Roman fever and six month
ng later Prudence fell a victim TO rat poiso
mt in a small hotel at Grassc, a city OF d.
hghtful odors in the south of Franco
whittier she had gone in search {
balmy air for her sister Martha, VIII
had suddenly developed symptoms {
consumption.
Loft thus alone in the world with o.
Dingee's million and an incurable al
ment Martha's only ambition was
reach Bricksburg and die in the o
9Th white Delury mansion. 1t seemed
ast her that its great, spacious rooms wou
ats enable her to breathe more easily al
pt. to fight death off for possibly anoth
ge- year.
,st. But IL was not to be. She got as 4
as Paris when old Dingee's million aga
changed hands, going this time by w
to Martha's only relatives, twin brot
ers, John and William Winkletip, pre-
uce dealers in Washington street, Nc
York.
The will! was q peculiar one Us was
be expected. II give, devise and /
- qucath all the property popular
known as the 'I'ingee Million to n
Y cousins John and William Winlslet
~ produce dealers, Of New York, as joi
tenants for their lives and the life
each Of them, with remainder over
the eldest son of the survivor, his he
Z. and assigns forever, provided that S;
remainder man shall be Of full age
the time of his fathers dsccase a