The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-02-21


race of honorable people, who bore a
superb military name, was possessed
with mad, hysterical, monstrous de-
sire with one look he assured himself
that he wasreally 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 piece.
Then, running with all his strength,
he 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 as the clock was strik
ing twelve placed upon the green cloth
the gold piece and cried;
al stake it all on seventeen
Number seventeen was the winning
number.
With a turn of the hand Lucien
placed his double funds on ''red."
Red was the winning color.
He tried all of his money again on
the same color.
Red came the second time.
He doubled his preceding stakes
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 a 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
in 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 time, and served
always by his fantastic luck, he was in
a fair way to regain ALL and more than
his family fortune which he had in so
few years squandered.
In his haste and desire to play he
had not taken off his overcoat; already
he had filled the great pockets with
rolls of notes and gold pieces and 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
handkerchief, every place that could
serve as receptacle. And he played
always, and he gained always, like a
madman, like drunken man and he
threw his handfuls of gold upon the
table at hazard, with a gesture of GER
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 place! She
must be there Immediately, yes,
when the clock strikes one, swear tC
myself that will get away from this
place. l will take her, asleep, in my
arms. 1 will take her home with me
she shall sleep in my bed tonight;
will bring her up and l will settle q
large amount on her; / will love heI
as my daughter, and will take care
of her always, always
But the clock struck one, and quar-
ter past and half past, and quarter tc
two, and Lucien was still seated at that
Internal table.
At last, one minute before two, the
head of the house got up abruptly and
said in loud voices: "The bank ii
broken, gentlemen; enough for to
day"
With one bound Lucien was on hi
feet and, pushing aside recklessly the
curious who surrounded and regarded
him with an envious admiration, h
went out quickly, rushing down tn
stairs and running TO the stone benci
there. From distance, by the light
of gas jet, he could see the httl
girl.
"Thank Godr' he cried, "she is still
. there"
He approached her, and seized he
tiny hand.
e "Oh, how cold she is. Poor littl
I thing"
! He took her in his arms, and raise,
, her to carry her. The head of tn
! child fell back without awakening
- her.
1 "How one sleeps at her age"
r He pressed her against his breast t.
4 warm her; and, seized with Il vagu
. inquietude, he tried, in order to dra'
h her from this heavy sleep, to kiss he
n on the eyelids, as one does to awake
q gently loved one.
And then he perceived with horro
I that the eyelids of the child were hall
). open, ahd that the eyeballs wer
e CLASSY, set and sightless.
q His brain whirled with a horribl
suspicion he put his mouth close {
e that of the little girl; not breat
e came from it.
o During the time Lucien had game
a fortune with the money stolen frol
e the little beggar, the poor child Will
,e out home had died, died from expo
ure TO the cold.
2 Feeling in his throat a horribl
choking sensation, Lucien tried to CT
10 out, and in the effort that he made
II woke up from this nightmare an
At found himself on the club-room sof
g where he had fallen asleep a little b
g fore midnight, and where the wait'
'e Of the gambling room, IN going ol