The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-02
CURED HIM OF GAMBLING.

continued the colonel. "It was noon be-
fore could drive the sound OF the click.
ing ball and tho cries OF the dealer out oi
my ears. You can readily guess that l
| did not return To Albany with my ac-
auaintances Oh, no. / was as game AS
a Cubap. / thought TO myself, as sat
| and smoked and dreamed OF future IN
1 roads on the bank roll behind that swell
gaming house. l drove out To Moon =,
!. got bite To eat, came back, took re-
| freshing sleep and sailed Iorth In the
! evening, 90 repeat my wooing OF the god
! dess Of the dancing ball and whirling
| wheel.
II had separated my winnings from
! the money belonging Co my nrm. The
| winnings | was prepared TO wager rov-
ally, sure of royal returns The funds
! I'm my bust ness wallet were up To that
time sacred trust. Well, l plunged from
the start. There was crowd of racing
men au the table and more or less excite
ment. The dealer treated nc like an old
customer and occasionally logged my el-
bow saving:
. Don't miss tho limit. sir Plenty of
time You'll get 'ein fast enough. All,
there double . and nobody on. The
house takes all in sight l know my
hair didn't turn gray that night. My
heart beat considerably faster as i real
zed after few hours play that my win
nings of the night before had gone 10 join
that $500 contributed by tho gentleman
from Cuba. Pshaw / had a hundred or
two of my own money, and would play
that carefully and recoup, Careful enough
was my play, but | didn't r5coup.
+" Never weaken when the rolling goes
against you, A" advised the dealer. That's
the time | double my bets; can't go one
way all the time.
"One more whiri. Not chip of mine
on tfe table. felt sure that IL was the
NUN Der due TO win. lt did A racing
man raked in paltry couple of hundred,
cashed the chips in, and bowed himself
out / sat there, stupefied. Suddenly
an inspiration struck me. L left the
table, paced the room, drew out the
wallet, and borrowed "a $500 bill Of my
firm. That melted. laughed, borrowed
another $500, and with unerring accuracy
| ret on the wrong numbers each time
With a bottle of wine, l grew more reck
less ana played the balance of my en-
ployer's money with as much sang froid
as the devilish CUBAN displayed when the
dealer passed over TO him stack after
stack of the chips which eluded my grasp.
There had to be an end. When morning
came kindly negro porter was standing
by my chair ] was seated in private
room, at table on which lay "a hal
burned cigar, and in one hand / grasped
wallet empty, save in one compart-
ment which contained few checks and
drafts made payable To- the firm which l
had robbed. The porter called my atten-
tion TO bottle OF wine reposing In
cooler. and To an unaddressed, sealed en-
velope on the table. / took big draught
of the wine and mechanically opened the
envelope. out fell crisp new 800 bill
That was all. | looked up at the negro
He met my inquiring glance with:
." Excuse me- sir, but Mr.. Eddie, who
rolled the wheel for you said you might
need little money To go TO the races
with, and that he hoped you'd have better
luck next time. Win you have breakfast
sirg' l felt in my pockets and found a
solitary dollar. i tossed that TO the negro
and crumpling the gamblers donation
up in a wad, i stuffed IL in corner of
my personal pocketbook and went out
after my two nights battle with roulette,
disgraced, ruined, n thief.
| There was sigh when the Colonel
paused. Drifter nastercd To exclaim:
"Oh, but he squared that all right
| He puts il little strong gentlemen.
| He paid it all back you know.
The colonel rlslnEed: Gentlemen,
! surely you must wonder that attor such
an experience / ever entered n gaming
| house or even touched card. But human
nature is weak. That was my first dose
of anti gambling treatment. j reported
| to my finn. handed In m account Of sales
and collections, and then asked the head
| OF the house for private Interview. He
was old enough TO bc my father. | made
n clean breast, conceal,ng nothing have
told you. He took me np 60 the tfth floor
| of our warehouse, which overlooked the
river. There he sat and pCndered. Finally
he said:
johnson, i have concluded To accept
your personal notes for the amount of
your shortage. You can meet those notes
by economy, close economy, in two years.
You may bo tempted again and n ay fall.
| am not going TO push you down hill.
| Your shortage is known only &C. me. The
window is open and the river Is deep. II
yo1 fsl that you haven't the courage 10
resist the temptation To gamble with
money not your own there's an csc ape.
i'll leave you alone. II i'm half an hour
you have conquered yourself come TO my
private Office and sign the notos. II not,
that window is opcn and the river is
deep Your family shall learn nothing
from mo.
THAT old man was the real stuff. by
love, IL makes the shiyers run UP and
down my back said one of the group.
II couldn't touch a card myself tonight
after hearing that
We'll. " the colonel went on, 81 didn't
jump tho window, as YOU can easily
| guess. paid tho notes. | never uouchCC 4
game of chance until those notes wer,
taken up Theu | got n clean bill from
my friend. tho head of the house, burned
the notes 10 his presence and resigned. >
"Give us tho next desc, Colonel, in
stoi Drifter.
"All right' was the response. 81
wasn't roulette this time, put the goCt
old sporismanlike game of bucking TN,
tiger. Yes, | had been caught by it
claws many time and ] had skinned
the brute IN many "a inro shop in minin.
camps and IN big cities and l didn't pla'
other folks money unless they wantot
me To, sb. Driftcr" said the colonel Il"
think the father of the present Mayo
Harrison OF Chicago was at the helm O
that city when | took my second dose q
anti gambling medicine lt was In on
of the many games then run under polic
leillanCc, fer the city was wide open
as hear 10 is now. | had bcen up Nurtl
working like niger III the heat OF sum
mcr and the fierce winters for four years
On "A friendly tip | sold out my claim ful
a block OF real estate and So. 600 N
cash.s Tho roal estate, | should have tol,
you, was soon tied up I'm litigation, anI
when | reached Chicago | had the S22 OO
In belt around my waist, for | hit
plenty OF money loose for all necessary
expenses, Driftery'
Ilrfftcr ugaded in acouioScopco aud tb,