Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-06-03
AT MONTE CARLO.
Exciting Scenes In the Gay Hall OF
Great Gambling Palace.

able winter resorts. But while Nice and
Cannes, st. Raphael and Mentone have
been complaining Monte Carlo has been
always crowded, and this, despite the
wintry weather, which powdered the
fruit-laden orange and lemon trees with
snow; despite the general deterioration
of visitors
For Monte Carlo yearly grows more
and more distinctly canaille. It's chief
attraction the pernicious Casino, is an
irresistible line around which the riff.
raft of this whole world continually
gathers. Every one, it is to be feared,
loses caste at Monte Carlo. Even highly
respectable people land although roughs
are mainly in the ascendant, there are
some decent folk at Monaco get a touch
of the tar brush, for pitch will always
stick il you get too near.
A few strong-minded persons have the
courage 20 resist the temptations to
play; they are satisfied to enjoy the
sunshine, the magnificent scenery -
Monte Carlo, a city of palaces, en-
bosomed in perennial flowers, backed
by purple hills and fringed by an azure
sea, is one of the most beautiful spots
on earth - the splendid orchestra
which is one of the finest in Europe, and
provided gratuitously by the admins
tration of the gaming tables, a very
prosperous and free-handed body,
thanks to its enormous and ill-gotten
gains
But to avoid 1.-THE Rooms" that com
mon euphemism for the gay halls of the
tickle goddess Chance, demands an
heroic self-denial mostly practiced by
those who have nothing left to lose. AS
a general rule all visitors to Monte
Carlo take the gambling fever, more or
less badly; it is n disease endemic and
epidemic like measles, whooping cough
or mumps. Look round these detestable
tables and note how the company in
cludes dozen different types. 1t is a
cosmopolitan gathering, various in age
sex, country, rank and outward appear
ance. Let me describe one or two:
That fat, white-faced, strengthening
man is an opera singer, in nationality a
Roumanian. He is oddly dressed-in a
light, tight suit of dittoes, the coat Of
which has a black velvet collar; his
shirt is of Italian make, cut so low at
brawny chest; he wears dozen rings,
n floating watch chain twice round his
neck, and a gorgeous gold bracelet set
with big diamond encircles his pudgy
wrist Jewels are popular with the fire.
quenters of the gaming tables; thew
represent what Mr.. Wemmick called
portable property" and can be passed
on to the convenient pop shop" when
funds run low.
He Is an English ring" man, a prince
OF sportsmen, whose business is Nice
races, and Monte Carlo his relaxation
A short, squarely-built little chap, with
what n witty Frenchman described as
an exaggeration abdominale. See how
in his open shirt front gllsten three
studs, yellow diamonds, each as big as
a Tangerine orange.
He Is ''all there, " in his own language
although dependent upon Emery" his
confidential clerk, in all his operations.
for his education has been neglected,
and although good at mental arithmetic
he cannot write his name. But he
knows the touch and value of money,
and makes Emery" promptly pass on
the "oof" which he is winning (of course
at first) in large sums.
Next him stands a bright-faced En-
glish girl, bride, with her husband at
her elbow. He is captain in the Brit
ish cavalry, gentleman every inch,
STRAIGHTFORWARD, honest-eyed, but both
he and his young wife are fascinated by
the arch demon and under the spell of
play hardly recognizable by their dear
est friends.
What right have women here2 That
old thing (she must be seventy odd
toothless, blear-eyed, with trembling
fingers that can hardly pick up or put
down her gold that pretty young
widow, in all the openness of weeds be-
tolxening her recent loss, has she come
here to stifle her sorrow or in bold bra
vado, as If glorying in relief from an
irksome yoke? These girls, innocent,
laughing girls, who call parting with
five franc pieces "Such awful fun" are
they not out of place in this terrestrial
hell? Innocence soon wears off indeed.
While / stand observing the crowd
two boys approach me, Americans, and
with charming, ingenious address, beg
me to explain to them the rules of the
games, trente ct quarante and roulette.
do so as matter of courtesy, vet re-
gretfully, and within an hour or two l
find them in the fore front, fighting for
seats, planking down their money en-
plein, cheval, six deniers and the rest
1t is but step from the beginning TO
the halfway stage of high and reckless
play, the same or less to that of the in
evitable catastrophe that assuredly over
takes all who persist in the unequal
game. Yesterday a great throng had
gathered round path where gros leu
is in progress. A young French mar
quis, the lucky husband heard, of an
American heiress, was winning coup
after coup, maximums, So, 400. that is
TO say. every time There was run on
all colors, red had won eleven times.
then black for eight, and this fortunate
/. youth carried off some S45, 900 as the
prize of one hours play. it was bad
day for the tables.
Near at hand was German; he might
have been Bismarck's brother, and was
the born image of that illustrious prince
whose impressive self-possession he ex-
actly repeated as he put down rolls
and rolls OF notes and saw them grow
into an enormous pile. Opposite, fol
lowing his luck, was a well-lnown En-
glish duchess, n great winner, both on
the race course and in the matrimonial
stakes, and also winning largely here.
To-day / see my winners in an entirely
different character. They are losers,
heavy losers. The marquis will not take
a chair even, he has nothing left to
stake. Bismarck is reduced to rislSing
an occasional five-franc piece at roulette
as for the duchess, follow her to the
little window where foreign money is
exchanged and hear her ask them to
cash her a cheque; of course the request
Is refused, and then in furious indigna.
ton She declares that she is the Ouch
ess of X" They tell her blandly, ''Ah,