The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-06-16

A Gsms Thsa Meant Rafa for on~ stepped
by Dextk.
aSo,- said the old drummer ferceiy.
81 play no games Of chance any more.
not even the simplest kind, for money"
Wont you pitch pennies persisted
his companion.
THAT least Of ala" he SAID. visibly af-
fected.
why noty asked the other.
do you see this dollar he said, tax
ing q cart wheel from hts pocket well,
thereby hangs tale Listen. Ten years
ago was and had been for Eve years.
travelling for big diamond importing
house in New York, and as usual / car
ried with me large number of gems,
often having Is much az $50 600 worth.
One day four Of Us. all in the same line,
met in Denver, and that evening we were
matching dollars in my room. 1t was a
hobby OF mine. as IL was of one Of the
other men, Frank H, who was as in
veterate hatcher as ever the late John
7. Raymond was. Well, we drank and
matched, and kept at it until we began
to toss up at FIVE dollars toss, and the
other two socn backed out and watched
us. guess we were both pretty drunk,
for before / knew it we had made a pot
Of 800 and were tossing best two in
three for it. lost, and lost again, and
then having no more money, put up a
diamond against his pile. lost that,
too, and then put up two against his
money and what had been my diamond,
and that time won. think we were
both half crazy now, for Frank pulled
out one Of the pocketbooks from the in
side of his vest and laid it open on the
table and asked me angrily If dared to
match 1t. OF course dared, and dared
more.
81 put down beside it all mine, valued
at wholesale rates at $4,000, and he
emptied his other vest pocket to an equal
amount, Our two friends tried to stop
US, but we were wild and would listen
to nothing. Frank threw first, and
called tails 1t came heads 1t made
me shiver. Then l threw heads and he
called tails, and we were even. Idon't
know how I felt as he picked up the
dollar, and looked at those glittering
gems, for | don't know anything clearly,
though had vague idea that some
body would be ruined forever ON the next
throw. Frank tossed the dollar to the
ceiling and l called heads 1t struck
the floor and rolled over toward the reg
lister. All four of us made a rush for it,
and Frank fell headlong. The dollar
had dropped through the grating and
was lying on the closed shutters of the
register, just below.
Get match, almost shrieked.
81 stepped back and my foot struck
Frank. He did not move. bent down
and shook him. He was still. l tried
to cry out, but could not. The other
two men caught hold Of him then and
turned him over. His face was blue and
the blood was gushing from his mouth.
He had died in an instant. The three
were sober men in second and at once
alarmed the landlord and sent for ply
sician, but he might as well not have
come. He told us death had been in
Simultaneous. I put my diamonds back
into my pockets and took care of Franks,
and the balance of the stakes I divided,
taking what had put up and setting his
aside, and the next morning we started
home with poor Franks body"
Chow about the dollar in the register"
asked the listener. "Who won?"
"Oh," said the old drummer, with
start, 81 almost forgot that part of it.
l never thought of that dollar till just
before we left, and going back tished
it out and put it in my pocket and this
is it. It was heads"
mo wonder you don't gamble any
more, exclaimed the listener, with sigh
of relief. "Let's go and take drink as
forgotten"
"And ! don't drink any more, either"
said the old drummer quietly.-Detroit
Free Press.