The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-06-17

| clutcneu Tue money LlSntiy Ill HIS pitiin J
it felt warm and comfortable, and sent a
delicious tingling through his arm. How
many glorious hot meals did that bill rep
resent? He clutched it tighter and hesi-
tated. He thought he smelled a broiled
steak, with fat little mushrooms and melted
butter in the steaming dish. He stopped
and looked back towards the door of the
booth. He saw that the stranger had
closed it. He could pass it, slip out the
door, and buy something to eat. He
turned and started, but the coward in him
There are other names for this) tripped
his resolution; so he went straight to the
bar and made the desired purchase. This
was so unusual that the man who served
him looked sharply at him.
"Aint goin to drink all o that, are
you ?" he asked.
81 have friends in the box" replied
Carringer, "and we want to drink quietly
and without interruption. We are in
Number e.
"0h beg pardon. That's all right," I"
said the man.
Carringer's step was very much stronger
and steadier as he returned with the liquor.
He opened the door of the booth. The
stranger sat ON the side Of The little table
staring at the opposite wall just as he had
stared across the street. He wore a wide
brimmed, slouch hat, drawn well down.
1t was only after Carringer had set the
bottle, pitcher, and glasses on the table,
and seated himself opposite the stranger
and within his range of vision, that the
pale man noticed him.
"Oh you have brought it? How kind
of you Now please lock the door,
Carringer had slipped the change into
his pocket, and was in the act of bringing
it out, when the stranger said:
"Keep the change. You will need it,
for am going to get it back in a way
that may interest you. Let us first drink,
and then will explain.
The pale man mixed two drinks of alb
sinthe and water, and the two drank.
Carringer, unsophisticated, had never
tasted the liquor before, and he found it
harsh and offensive but no sooner had it
reached his stomach than it began to warm
him and send the most delicious thrill
through his frame. He had heard of the
absinthe drinkers Of Paris, and he Won
dered no longer at the deadly fascination
which the liquor throws about its victim
not realizing that his extreme weakness
and the emptiness of his stomach made
him peculiarly susceptible to its effects.
at will do us good" said the stranger /;
presently we shall have more. Mean
while, do you know how to throw dice ?"
Carringer weakly confessed that he did
not
II thought not. Well, please go to
the bar and bring dice box. | would
ring for it, but l don't want the walters to
be coming in.
Carringer fetched the box, again locked
the door, and the game began. 1t was
not one of the simple old games, but had
complications, in which judgment, as well
as chance, played part. After a game
or two without stakes, the stranger said:
"You now seem to understand it. Very
weIl-I will show you that you do not.
We will now throw for dollar game,
and in that way | shall win the money
that you received in change Otherwise
| should be robbing you, and imagine
you cannot afford to lose. l mean no Of
fence. [ am plain-spoken man, but |
believe in honesty before politeness. |
merely want little diversion, and you are
so kind-natured that | am sure you will
not object"
"0n the contrary" replied Carringer,
81 shall enjoy it,
every 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 least 1t was something in his stomach,
and it warmed and delighted him.
The stake was dollar side Carrin-
ger won. The pale stranger smiled grimly
and opened another game. Again Carrin-
ger won Then the stranger pushed back
his hat and fixed that still gaze upon his
opponent, smiling yet. With this full
view of the pale strangers face, Carringer
was more appalled, than ever He had
begun to to-aequire certain self-possession
and ease, and his marvelling at the singu-
lar character of the adventure had begun
to weaken, when this new incident threw
him back into confusion. 1t was the ex-
traordinary expression of the strangers
face that alarmed him. Never upon the
face of living being had he seen apallor so
death-like and chilling. The face was more
than pale-it was white. Carringer's OBJ
serving faculty had been sharpened by the
absinthe, and, after having detected the
stranger in an absent-mindcd effort two 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. Besides
the pallor, there were deep and sharp lines
upon the face, which the electric light
brought out very distinctly. With the
exception of the steady glance Of the eyes