Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-04-15
MIR. FAVERlLL, SIR.

MIR. SIR.
It ,1as nearly 8 O'Clock on Il July
evening when the Compile de Parni
walked with an easy air into the
smoking room of the Pericles Club,
Pail. Malls Away in the north the
twilight was falling owe brown moor
and purple hills: farther south the
shadows we're deepening over all the
fields But in London no one thinks
of twilight. One only finds that it is
time to light the gas. The gas was
lighted in the club smoking room.
and n or two men, lounging about
the room, nodded u 'sGood-evening''
to the newcomer.
"Who's that?" asked a member, as
the Count passed by. So.
"A French Count, 1 believe" was
the answer. .sPhil O'Brien intro
duced him last night. Said he had
been civil to him somewhere abroad"
Such introductions. by a rule of the
Pcricles, held good ior a week in'the
case Of strangers visiting London, ana
made the visitor an honorary mem-
Der of the club for that space of
time.
The Count threw himself on II of
the lounges, and called for some
brandy and soda. The waiter who
brought the grateful compound was Il
Frenchman, Maxence by name. A
close observer might have noticed
that he gave the Count IL keen glance
as he stood, with the tray i'm his hand
waiting to be paid. But the next
moment the servants face wore its
usual impassive, polite expansion.
P Count hardly deigned to glance
~the waiter, as he tossed one or two
coins on the little table at his side.
After a time somebody proposed Il
rubber of whist. There were only
four in the room, the London season
being very nearly at an end, and as a
matter OF necessity, as we'll as polite
~ ,ss, the Count was asked to maze
one Of the party. He vas very ready
to do SO, and in a few minutes the
four were seated around the green
: covered table in a pleasant lutte room
upstairs. On cutting for partners,
the Count found himself paired with
a man named Grey-one of those
quiet, %easy-golng fellows who lounge
through the world, saying little, and
generally knowing more than they
say. The other two were younger
men-Alfred Faverill, a man of good
position, and commonly supposed to
be rolling in money, and a friend of
his nap,o1 Ni1lo,rrhhv
Whist went on for about an hour.
and then one or two of the players
felt a desire for something more ex-
citing. Somebody proposed b~accarat,
and as some more members had by
this time entered the room, the sug-
gestion was at once agreed to. Soon
the stakes became pretty high, and
Grey gave up his place at the table
and stood behind, watching the Others.
Supper was brought in about / O'Clock,
and, after it had been hastily dis
cussed, play began in earnest.
Certainly luck seemed to favor the
Frcnchman to a wonderful extent.
Grey, who occasionally laid a sover-
eign or two on the table, was
prised at IL He kept Il sharp look
out on the Counts movements, but
he could not, for all his vigilance, dc.
tect any irregularity in the French
iTYl's play. Among the unlucliy
&, mesters was Faverill, who had
been losing pretty heavily during the
/, whole time De Parni acted as banker.
sSeveh-tifty gone" exclaimed that
young gentleman with an oath, after
reckoning up the amount of his losses.
81 must make n more plunge.
Perhaps 1 may wipe out the odd ESQ.,"
Luck was against Faverill once
more. however. He lost ESQ, instead
Of winning that sum.
s'Eight hundred" he exclaimed, 81
must write you a check, Count"
He rang the bell for writing ma
terials, while the Comte de Parni
leaned back in his chair. He would
greatly have preferred cash to acheck,
but. Of course, he could not say SO.
"Maxence, bring me u pen and ink,
and call a hansom," he said, when
the servant appeared.
Maxence did as he was told, and
/ the cab ratified up to the door of the
club in the dim gray morning, while
FaveriA wrote his check. and the
French servant hustled about the
SO0m, putting the decanters on a tray
nd sweeping away the cards.
Slight hundred-there you are;
and i hope you will give my revenge
afD-morrow night" said Faverill, as
Ge handed the check to the Count.
"With pleasure" replied De Parni
with q bow, as he slowed the bit Of
paper away In his pocketbook. Then
the club members made the best of
their wav home, while Maxence
locked the street-door and turned Of
the gas.