The morning times., 1897-02-14
One thousand Francs

The silence of death reigned in the gam
bling hali Of the Bank OF Monte Carlo. The
players and spectators. who were standing
around the roulette watching the fascinat-
ing game, were in frenzy Of excitement.
The stakes had reached a high Ecint Even
the keeper Of the bank, who usually per-
formed the disgusting duties in tie most
mechanical manner, had grown nervous; he
looked penetratlngly atone Of the players,
who stood there with an apparently indif-
/ feTenJ air. He must have staked very high.
| his indifference was artificial; this fact
did not escape the bankkeeper, shrewd OBJ
| server that he was.
''Faitps votre jeu, mesdames ct meg
sieurs!'' came monotouousIy across the
/ hankkeeper's thin, tightly pressed lips:
/ then, with a disdainfUl smile, he turned
/ to his neighbOr, an eInploye OF tie bank,
| and whispered TO him: suicide candidater'
| The latter shrugged his shoulders
The player, VIII y had been aroused from his
| wonted repose by the human gambling.
! beast, and whoseinteIlectuaI head and proud
| distinguished bearing betrayed the man
| OF education and culture, rested his fine,
| aristocratic hand lightly on the fateful
| table, and awaited tie decision with an
| apparent calm that, under the circum-
| stances, was we'll nigh oniinouS, aEG filed
| all with establishment and horror.
''Rien ne va plusl''
| The ball was set rolling. The general ex-
citement reachedits highest pitch Specta-
/ tors We're crow ding about the roulette
| only the peculiar sound OF the rolling ball
could be heard Its motion gradually be-
came fainter; it seemed to be at a stand
still. Red, no black-red once more-it
seemed as if a spirit from hell was play
I ing its tricky game LOST The last is
/ losti He turned around; the Questioning
! glance ofa strikingIy handsome woman met
his gaze
Lost. Hcnri?''
'.All is lost, Esther was the dull reply:
| then they left
| There are women OF such singular pre-
| dominating beauty that the first glance
at them intOxicates, their nearness charms,
/ their gaze infatuates-women whose beauty
cannot be justly described either by the
| pen of the poet nor reproduced by the brush
| of the painter or the chiSeI of the sculptor;
| women whom one must see in order to
understand how wOmanly beauty may be
| the noblest, the most inspiring, the most
| glorious, and withal the most terrible thing,
/ on earth
| There is a deep significance in the Gus
tom of the Orientals that cOmpeIs women to
! go about yelled. Not envy, nor egotism,
| nor petty jealousy have made this custom
| a law but the wisdom of man, W no recog-
nizes and appreciates the beauty OF woman,
who has found out by experience that
the delicate breath from a beautiful wo-
| mans lips may come over people like a
| hurricane over the cedars OF Lebanon.
Such was the beauty OF the woman who
was now walking away at the side Of the
unfortunate gambler.
|
on the following Fridayit was announced
! to the directors ofthe bank thatthe rightor
| admission was to be debarred 70 Henri de
| Laband.
| Henri de Laband, who had lost his whole
| fortune. had asked the directors fcTaId. and
had received it. a thousand francsl Ger
tainly, the bank would grant him that.
on the morrow Esther appeared alone at
the green table.
He has lost her, ,toor the employees whis-
pered.
She changed a check for 1 900 francs.
| Henri had toldher 10 beckon 70 MIN. in case
She should lose the 600 francs, and ne
would come 60 call fo- her
Dear Henri is so peculiar ne mur-
INJURED.
She staked 100 francs and won. She let
1.-the gain stand and won again How
happy Henri viii ber' And thus she won
five times n succession
She will break the bank = the spectators
| whispered TO one another. She heard moth
ing She thought Of Henri.
Again Esther won The hebankkeeper tossed
| over 20 GOO francs to her. She did not
notice this How strangely Henri had acted.
'ParbIeul Madame. Garry of your WIN
nings, you VIII lose every thing If you don'tr'
Shesaw andheard notkins-wh tcouIdbe
! the matter with Henri?
Once more the ban was set rolling. 10
was dust. the gas Jets had been lighted.
How pale the baRkleeper looked; how pale
was the strangely beautiful play er, who was
surrounded by admiring spectators, even
the most passionate gamblers forgot to
stake, so excited We're they.
The ball rolled; It was the question Of 8
fortune; the bankkeeper wiped the cold
perspiration from his brow. Suddenly he
Jumped up with q curse the bank was
broken.
Every one congratulated the daring wo-
I T.
up her l. Oney, she had won 24C eco francs.
"A fortune. Henri she murmured, ,"nOw
we VIII travel far away from this help
Concealing the money IL her pocket, she
seized her lace handkerchief and hurried TO
the door. She went out. Her handsome fig
ure could be recognized from afaT in the re-
flect.ou of the street lamps. She unfolded
her handkerchief and becl Ored. ! shot an
swered her; dear Henri had ain ed wen, for
the bullet found its way to his heart.
The devil of Monte Carlo had claimed one
more victim!
Henri de LabInd sests In unhauOwed
ground; no priest pronounced the benedic-
ton of mankind over his grave. The coarse
the earth ard talking about the tragic fate
of the dead man.
The FOOL III Were young and wealthy
ould not gamble. lisa SIN and a disgrace
tothrow precious coin into the Jaws of those
fellows up there and the speaker pointed
in the direction of the gambling den
There are enough OF that sort buried
here" said the other, with coarse laugh.
too bad about the fine eoffins- The prince
would do better to pat his suicides in alcO-
bol and charge admission"
( ! warned the first.
: I'm say what / think; we are standing
= on unhaliowed ground. Whom sheuld / be
. | afraid Of? OF those fellows down there?
And isn't my advice good:" sEeered the