The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-04-27

erary man won again. The fever Of
gambling was upon him and even
the taels seemed like fortunes
to him Never in all his life
had money come to him so cas-
lily Why had he ever toiled with
the brush and worked for others, when
he might have won so much money
that by this time he would have a
chestful, instead of only little blue
cloth bag half full?
His eyes grew hot as he watched the
flies come down to the table after the
sugar. They always seemed to come
after the lamp near him. He had won
five times in succession now. 1t made
no difference to him If that Quang-
Tung merchant never played. He would
win what money the gambler had.
The fever was on him strong now.
Then came loud rap at the door.
"Put out the light" whispered Chew
Chung.
The wick in the lamp was turned so
low that the flame showed only faint
blue instead of white, and as Len
Chuen zee half turned on his stool he
thought he felt hand glide along the
table near him. He reached out in the
darkness but felt nothing.
AT the door Chew Chung was talking
TO the man who had knocked and who
wanted to come in. "Will you play7'
he asked.
after n while. maybe" A~
Then Chew chung turned " Tie
light, and like man upon whom the
yen yen is strong Len Chuen zee be-
gan to play again. His tongue was
like that of a man who has breathed
through his mouth while he has slept,
and he could scarcely talk. But it
seemed as if n spell had been cast over
him, for although the flies came near
his lump not one touched it. He felt
great sinking in his heart and feeling
of despair came over him.
Twenty taels this time" he said, as
he doubled the stakes.
So strong was the fever on him that
he felt as if he must win, and so, think
ing himself wise, kept on increasing
the stakes. The face of the gambler
was like the face of temple god,
which never moves, and knows neither
| Joy nor sorrow. His hand steadily drew
in the money of the literary man and
his eyes were never once raised. The
flies buzzed, the silver chirped and the
bank notes whispered. 1t was always
the same-what came out of the blue
bag went into the drawer of the gam
bier. Len Chuen zee forgot about the
fat QEang-Tung merchant who was
| willNg to lose so much; he forgot
everything but himself, and he won
dered how soon the money would turn
toward him.
AS there is an end to all things, SO
the end came to this, and the last tael
of the literary man was on the ia ole.
A fly with a blue body came down on
the gamblers sugar; the bag of the lit
erary man was empty, and It's sides
fell in together. He stretched his
hands out on the table while the
gambler put the money away. Then
he saw hand creep across the table
towards him. He watched it. 1t came
towards the lump of sugar in front of
him-the lump which the flies wouldn't
touch. Like a man half asleep and
half awake he looked up.
He reached for the lump, picked it
up, End put it to his mouth as the hand
retreated. 1t was not sugar he tasted;
it was salt He threw it from him
with violent motion, and looked at
Chew Chung. The gambler was lean
ing against the table smoking a ci-
garette.
''Give me back my cash, you rob-
ber!' he shrieked. "You have robbed
me-"
But the gambler only smiled, and
blew the smoke of the cigarette so that
it made white wreath around the
lamp.
DO you think l keep my place for
nothing?" asked Chew Chung "Such
as you help me. Go out; you are
crazy" And he waved his hand to-
ward his three friends. They rushed
at the literary one, pushed him up the
stairs and out on the street, and then
gave him parting kick. He walked
up and down until daylight, and then
went into the temple to pray the god
of thunder to kin the robber
This is the story as it was told on the
streets And the men laughed at the
simple literary one who had allowed
himself to be caught so easily.
For three days Len Chuen zee wept
over his loss, and waited for the thun-
der god to destroy his enemy. On the
fourth night he dreamed, and it seemed
to him that the thunder god came down
from the temple and was trying to
grind the gambler to pieces, when a
policeman came along, and the god was
compelled to hide. When Len woke,
he thought that if a foreign devil of a
policeman could make a god hide, he
could crush the robber. So he went to
the station-house and told his story,
and then went to the room of friend,
from whose window he could see the
door of Chew Chung, and he watched.
The street was dark long before the
gambler had gone down the stairs with
some stranger men.
Suddenly three men who were not
Chinese rushed down the steps and be-
gan to rap on the door, They they
burst it in. With burning face the lit
erary one watched until he saw one of
the men dragging Chew Chung up the