Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-01-29
THE GOLDEN LOUIS.

1HE UULDLN IUUlO.
When Lucien De Hem saw his last
bank note raked in by the croupier and
rose from the roulette table where he
had just lost the remains Of his little
fortune, he felt as if the earth was spin
ming and as if he could not hold him
self up
Completely upset, he threw himself
down upon the leather covered settee
which extended around the room. For
a few moments he looked vaguely
around the gambling room in which he
had wasted the best years of his life,
realized that he was hopelessly ruined,
remembered that commode held pis-
tol with which his father, General De
Hem, then only captain, had used so
we'll at the attack on Zaatcha then,
overcome by fatigue, he fell into deep
sleep.
When he awoke, he judged, after
glancing at the clock, that he had slept
scarcely half an hour, and he felt all
imperious desire to breathe the fresh
night air. The hand of the clock showed
that it was quarter to ~.
Rising and stretching out his arms,
Lucien suddenly remembered that it
was Christmas eve, and as if in irony
his memory carried him back to the
days Of his childhood, and he saw him
self putting his shoes by the fireplace
before going to bed.
Just at this moment old Dronski a
devotee Of the gambling table, came up
to Lucien mumbling something behind
his dirty gray beard.
''Lend me 5 francs, sir. have not
stirred from here for two days, and in
that two days the ~ has not come up.
Laugh or not, as you please, but ! would
give my hand if tonight at midnight
that number does not win.
Lucien De Ham shrugged his shout
ders: He did not have enough in his
pockets to make the contribution which
the inmates Of the place styled "the
Polander's 100 sous. y He went into the
cloakroom, put OH his wraps and de-
scended the staircase with feverish
agility. During the four hours that
Lucien had been in the place it had
showed steadily, and the streets were
white. The ruined gambler shivered
under his furs and walked quickly
along. His steps were soon arrested by
a pitiable spectacle.
On stone fence covered with snow,
which, according to the ancient custom,
stood before the opening of hotel a
little girl Or years old scarcely COW
cred by ragged, black dress, was sit
ting. She had fallen asleep in spite of
the bitter cold in all attitude of fatigue
and abandonment, and her poor little
head and delicate shoulders were bent
in an angle in the wall and rested
against the icy stone. One of the sabots
the child wore had slipped off her foot
and was lying in front Of her.
With mechanical gesture Lucien De
Hem put his hand into his pocket. Then
he remembered that moment before
be had not been able to find single
piece to give the errand boy at the club.
Urged by an instructive feeling of pity,
however, he went up to the child, and
was about to take her in his arms, per-
haps, and carry her to place of shelter
for the night, when, in the sabot lying
in the snow, he saw something glitter
ing. 1t was gold louis!
A benevolent person, a woman, doubt
less, passing by, had seen the shoe lying
before the sleeping child on this Christ
mas eve, and recalling the touching leg
end had given munifcently SO that
the abandoned child might still believe
in the gifts made by the infant Jesus,
and in spite Of her misfortune have
some confidence and hope in the good
ness of Providence.
A louis! That meant several days Of
rest and ease for the begger. Lucien
was about to waken her and tell her
about it when he heard close to his ear,
as in a dream, voice-the voice of the
Polander-murmuring these words:
II have not stirred from here for two
days, and for two days the III has not
come up would give my hand if to-
night at midnight that number does not
win"
This young man Of %, who had never
done dishonorable act, conceived a hor-
rible thought. By quick glance he as
sured himself that he was alone in the
deserted street. Then, bending his knees
and reaching cautiously forward, he
stole the gold louis from out Of the
fallen sabot. Running back as fast as he
could to the gambling house he re-en-
tered, bounded up the staircase, thrust
open the door Of the accursed place, en-
tered just az the clock was sounding the
arst stroke Of midnight, put the gold
louis on the green cloth and exclaimed,
All ON the II.
"Seventeen!" won. With single
stroke Lucien pushed the 36 louis on the
red. The red won. He left the 70 louis
ON the same color. The red won again.
He made the double stakes twice,
three times, always with the same sue
cess. He had now before him pile Of
gold and bills. He had won back the
paltry amount, his last resource, that he
had lost in the beginning Of the game.
Now, risking 200 or 800 louis at once,
favored by fantastic fate, he was about
to win back the patrimony. which he
had squandered in such few years. He
played desperately, like drunken man,