The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1894-02-09
1 will cut Off INV RIGHT hand IL .co.., :.

superb military name, was possessed
with mad, hysterical, monstrous de-
sire with one look he assured himself
that he was really alone in that deserted
street, and bending his knee and push
ing his hand tremblingly into the
fallen shoe, he stole the twenty five
franc pieco.
Then, running with all his strength.
ho returned to the gambling house,
climbed the staircases with = few
strides, pushed open with his fist the
padded door Of the cursed room, and
reached it just rs the clock was strik.
ing twelve placed upon the green cloth
the gold piece and cried:
''I stake it all on seventeen! ="
Number seventeen was the winning
number.
With a turn of the hand Lucien
placed his double funds on cred"
Red was the winning color.
He tried all of his money again on
the sauie color.
Red came the second time.
He doubled his preceding stakee
twice, three times, always with the
same luck. He had before him now
cup Of gold and banknotes, and he
scattered them over the table franti.
cally.
All the combinations brought him
success. 1t was q chance never heard
Of before, Something supernatural.
One would have said that the little
ivory ball jumping into the pigeon
holes of the roulette table was fasci-
mated and magnetized by the gambler
and obeyed him. He had recovered
III score of plays the few miserable
notes Of Thousand francs, his last re:
source, which he had lost at the begin
ming of the evening.
At present covering with several
hundred francs at u time, and serv I'd
always by his fantastic luck. he was in
fair way to regain all, and more than
his family fortune which he had It'll 50
few years squahdered:
In his haste and desire to play he
hal not taken off his ovcrcoat; already
he had filled the great pockets with
rolls of notes and gold pieces aud not
knowing where to heap up his gains
he thrust paper and gold into the
pockets of his inside coat, his vest and
trousers pockets, his cigar case; his
han ,lkerchief. every r!:c. that ccu,.,;;
serve as q receptacle. And he played
always, and he gained always, like a
mailman, like drunken man and he
threw his handfuls of gold upon the
table at hazard, with gesture af eer-
tainty and disdain
Only there was something burning
in his breast like red-hot iron, and
he thought constantly of the little beg.
gar from whom he had stolen.
She is still in the same placei She
must he there! Immediately, yes,
when the clock strikes one; | swear to
myself that I will get away from this
place. l will take her, asleep, in my
arms. l will take her home with me
she shall sleep in my bed tonight;
will bring her up and / will settle a
lac Se amount on her; I will love her
as my daughter, and will tako care
of her always, always!
But the clock struck one, and QUAR-
ter past and half past, and quarter to
two, and Lucien was still seated ut that
internal table, taIl es~n... ,..sra
- :
At last, one minute before two, tns'
head Of the house got up abruptly and
said in n loud voices: "The bank is
broken, gentlemen; enough for to.
day"
With one bound Lucien was on his
feet anl, pushing aside reokles4ly the
Curious who surrounded and regarded
him with an envious admiration, he
went out quickly, rushing down the
stairs and running to the stono bench
tn re. From distance, by the sight
OF n gas jet, he could see the little
girl.
Thank Golr' he criel, "sho is still
there"
Tie approached her, and seized her
tiny hand.
''Oh, how cold she is. Poor little
thing!"
He took her in his arms, anil raised
her to carry her. The head of the
child fell back without awakening
her; 'rr;uo,w ana .,o,,>s ,o, o, =.
He pressed her against his breast to
warm her; md, seized with vague
Inquictudc, he tried, in order to draw
hcr from this heavy sleep, to kiss her
on the eyelids, as one does to awaken
gently loved one.
And then he perceived with horror
that the oyelids of the child were half
o9cn, ah'l that the eyebalia were
CLASSY, set and sightless.
His brain whirled with a horrible
suspicion; he put his mouth close to
that Of the little girl; not breath
came from it.
During the time Lucien had gained
4 fortune with the money stolen from
the little beSgar, the poor child with
out home had died, died from expos.
ure to the cold.
Feeling III his throat horrible
choking sensation, Lucicn tried to cry
out, and in the effort that he made he
woke up from this nightmare and
found himself on the club-room sofa
where he had fallen asleep little be.
fore midnight, and where the waiter
of the gambling room, in going ont
about 5 o'clock, had left him sleer.
ing. out of pity for the ruined man.
A misty December sunrise lighted
up the window panes.
,ncien went ont nawnoI hia watch