The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-02-08

TWO without stakes. the stranger SAID:
You now seem to understand 1t. Very
WE'LL will show you that you do not.
We will now throw for dollar game,
and by that way l shall win the money
that you received in change. Otherwise
/ should be robbing you. and l imagine
you cannot afford 10 lose. | mean no
ofense. | am plsin-spoken man. but l
believe in honesty before politeness. l
want little diversion, and you are so
klnd-natured that / am sure you will not
object"
"0n the contrary" replied Carringer,
Il shall enjoy it,"
Very well; but let US have another
drink before we start. / believe am
growing colder"
They drank again, and this time the
starving man took his liquor with relish
at east it was something in his stomach,
and II warmed and delighted him.
The stake was dollar a side. Car
ringer won. The pale stranger smiled
erimly. and opened another game. Again
Carringer won. Then the stranger
pushed back his bat and fixed that still
gaze upon his opponent, smiling yet
With this full! view of the strangers face,
Carringer was more appalled, than ever.
lie had begun TO acquire a certain SELF
possession and ease, and his msrveling
ut The singular character OF the adventure
had begun TO weaken, when this
new incident threw him back
into confusion. Il was the
extraordinary expression OF the strangers
face that alarmed him. Never upon the
face of living being had he seen pallor
so dsath-like aud chilling. The face was
more than pale-it was white Carringer's
observing faculty had been sharpened by
the absinthe, and after having detected
the stranger IL an absent-minded effort
tTO or three times to stroke beard which
had no existence, he reflected that some
OF the whiteness OF the face might be due
to the recent shaving OF full beard Be-
sides the palior there were deep and
sharp lines upon the face, which the
electric light brought out very distinctly.
With the exception OF TIE steady e snce
OF the eyes and an occasional bard smile,
that seemed out OF place upon such face,
the expression was that of stone inartisti-
cally cut The eyes were black, but OF
heavy expression; the lower lip was pur-
pie; the hands were fine, white. and thin,
and black veins bu ged out unon them.
The stranger pulled down his hat.
you are lucky" be said. Suppose we
try another drink. There is nothing like
eADSAnAllO ~ Sllal bNh Oilt hllHt Guu cCO
that you and are going to have a delight
ful game"
After the drink the game proceeded.
Carringer won from the very first, rarely
losing a game He became greatly ex-
cited. His eyes shone; color came to his
cheeks. The stranger, having exhausted
the roll OF bills which he first pro-
duced, drew forth another, much
larger and of higher denominations.
There were several thousand dollars in the
roll. At Carringer's right hand were his
winnings - something like 5000. The
stakes were raised, and the game went
rapidly on. Another drink was taken.
Then fortune turned the strangers way,
and he won easily. II went back TO Car
ringer, for he was now playing with all the
judg uent and skill he cou j command.
Once only did it occur TO him to wonder
what he should do with the money if he
should quit winner; but sense OF honor
decided him that 1T belonged TO the
stranger.
BY this time the absinthe had so sharp
ened Carringers faculties that the tenn
porary satisfaction which it had brought
TO his hunger having passed, his physical
suffering returned with increased az
gressiveness. Could he not order a sup
per with his earnings? No; that was out
of the question. He continued TO play
while the manifestations of hunger took
the form of sharp pains. which darted
through him YiciOusiy, causing him to
writhe and grind his teeth. The stranger
paid no attention, for lac was now wholly
absorbed in the game. lie seemed puZ-
zled and Disconnected. lie played with
great care, studying each throw infinitely.
No conversation passed between them
now. They drank occasionally, the dice
continued to rattle. the money kept piling
up at Carringer's hand.
The pale man began 10 behave strangely.
At times he would start aud throw back
his head, as though he were listening.
For a moment his eyes would sharpen and
fash, and then sink into heaviness again.
More than once Carringer, who had now
began 10 suspect that his antagonist was
some kind of unearthly monster, saw q
frightfully CHASTITY expression sweep over
his face aud his features would become
fixed for q very short time in O peculiar
grimacs. 1t was noticeable, however.
that ne was steadily sinking deeper and
deeper into condition of apathy. Occa-
si0nally he would rsss his eyes to Car
ringers face after the young man had
made an Rstonishingly lucky throw, ana
keep them fixed there with q steadiness
that made the young man quail.
The stranger produced another roll OF
bills when the second was gone, and this
had a value many times as great as the
others together. The stakes were raised
at 81 600 a game, and still Carringer wop.
At last the time came when the stranger
braced himself for final effort. With
speech somewhat thick, but very deliber-
ate and quiet, he said:
You have won S74, 600, which is ex-
actly the amount | have remaining. We
have been playing for several hours. lam
tired, and l suppose you are. Let us finish
the game. You have S74 600 and no more.
/ have an equal amount and not cent be-
sides. Each will now stake his ali and
throw a final game for IL.
Without hesitation. Carringer agreed.
The bills made q considerable Pile on the
table. Carringer threw. and the box held
but one combination that could possibly
beat him; this combination might be
thrown once in 10000 times. The starving
mans heart beat violently as the stranger
picksd no the box with exasperating de-
liberation. 1t was long time before he
threw. He made his combinations and
ended by defeating his opponent. He sat
looking at tho dice long time, and then
he slowly leaned back in his chair, settled
himself comfortably, raised his eyes 10
Carringer's and fixed that unearthly stare
upon him He said not a word; his face
contained not q trace of emotion or intelli-
gence. He simply looked. One cannot
keep ones ewes open very long without