Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-03-30

ming myself to be blessed py rorTune' !
tried again and won. But the next even
ING / lost all that had won, and in the
endeayor to reclaim it I parted with as
much more. l did not feel willing to
stop then, but was eager to get my own
money back. Then I said l would never
gamble again, but before I had succeed
ed I had become a victim to the habit
which dominates all the people of Atz'
Ian.
"This was before my father, the gov
ernor, died, and soon Chalpa had won
all the money and cattle which ! pos
sessed. Then began to be indebted to
him, and in my now frantic endeavors to
win enough to free myself-for debtors
ara slaves here-I became reckless, and
when my father died Chalpa laid claim
to all my property. But I had no sus-
picion of his methods and believed him
honest. Chalpa changed his plans, OF
rather broadened them, for think bus
| object at first was only to win my pos
sessions. BE cast his evil eye upon
Aimee, my betrothed, and although she
despised him he wished to wed her.
aIn this he was unsuccessful, but that
very month she was selected for the sac
rifice, and he is the one who cast the
lots. 1 dare not say-I scarce dare
think him so treacherous, so villainous
as to do such a deed! Nor do I think he
dare, for the decision is made in the
presence of three others-priests In high
standing. But she was chosen and you,
nv brother, saved her and restored her
to me. Then my fortune altered for a
time, and recovered some ofmy money,
but yesterday horrible thing happened.
I went again to his house and lost all
all; worse than that, alasl
"Seeing me feverish, blind, despairing,
he offered to wager all that he had won
from me-sverything- my Sis
ter, my Leila. You know that under our
laws she is mine to be given away, sold,
bartered or wagered-as the head of the
family possess her-and perhaps you
may not know that such debts as these
are legal. Flushed with the aitsi which
he provides, and dazzled at the chance
TO recover all my possessions. i accepted
the offer. The next moment regretted
and tried to recall my hasty words, bui
it was too late. had losti l staggered
| forth and roamed about for hours, crazed
with shame and terror. thought of
self destruction, but what would that
avail me? Then sought you, my broth
er, who know all things"
| Gilbert reflected for moment. To
him, apart in thought and feeling from
Kulcan and his people, the case seemed
almost trivial. he could not realize that
by the young priests indiscretion he
might lose the very light of his life. He
viewed the transaction in semiludi-
crous light, aud attempted to lay that
part of itaside and consider only Kul-
cans financial condition, but the priest
soon convinced him that his aterrible
wager was reality-a most serious and
momentous reality-and showed him the
difficulty of an attempt to defeat Chal-
pas desires, in view of the fact that the
entire priesthood and populace would
stand by him in exacting his just dues.
Kulcan reiterated his statement of the
legality of the wager, and said that
Chalpa had offered him his revenge in
affording him an opportunity to recour
by wagering thousand taos Of silver,
well knowing that he could by no posi-
bility obtain that sum. Herein, how
ever, Gilbert saw q vague chance to es.
cape as he reflected upon Iklapels ac-
count of the fabulous sums Of gold and
silver in the underground vaults of the
temple. In his character of god he
might, without doubt, convert some OF
this idle hoard in the endeavor to save
his darling, and he resolved to do SO.
But the difficulty was, even after the
money had been obtained, to play the
game to prevent Chalpa's winning again.
Although convinced that the evil eyed
villain had grossly cheated Kulcan, he
had no knowledge of the game and
knew of no means of detecting his
fraudulent practices.
Underlying all his meditations was
stern resolve to settle the affair, as well
as Chalpa's existence, as last resort,
by the argument of the pistol bullet,
but he determined to try all other chan
nels before ayailing himself Of that
source.
Curiously enough, upon his suggesting
Chalpa's swindling, Kulcan, whose ma
ture was utterly unsuspicious, himself
showed how he thought it could be done,
and with wild gleam in his eyes as
the truth seemed for the first time not
merely to dawn upon him, but to burst
upon his mind in noontime glory, in a
crushing, binding flash of conviction,
started up as though to seek the de-
stroyer of his happiness and face him
with his accusations. But Eric restrained
him, and after he had grown calmer he
told him that he would endeayor to help
him.
"But," he inquired, "does Iklapel or
Leila know of thisY'
"Not word," said Kulcan, "and how
shall I tell them2 What will they think
Of me?"
"They must be told" replied Gilbert,
and he then bound Kulcan to forswear
gambling forever by an oath which he
devised upon the spot-an oath that
chilled the superstitious priests heart as
he repeated it, for he feared Gilbert's
wondrous powers with childlike ter
ror. 1t was plain to the latter that he
meant to keep his promise.
Sending him to Tklapel with instruc-
tions to relate his story to the old priest,
Gilbert went to Leila with much reluc-
tance, for he knew that her love for her
only brother hung largely upon her re-
spect for his purity of character and
lofty thoughts. His sad story, he felt,
would shatter that respect, for he could
not realize, he did not even imagine,
that she shared the tolerant view that
all Atzlan held of the gambling habit
Viewing it in the light Of modern ideas,
he thought she would be stricken with
horror at the discovery Of his folly and
shame.