The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-26
D'ACUNHA'S LUCK
A Monte Carlo Mystery.


When I left the vaterland at Naples. and
had seen the end of the Billingston-Can-
glare case. Travelled lesurely homewards
pausing at Rome. Pisa, spezzia. Genoa
and last Of all. at Monte Carlo. which, haS
never visited, and where proposed 70 suena
few days. Although the season vzas ~,
the wane, there were surely enough 10 in
terest me- and, indeed, to occupy me. If I
were weak enough to succumb TO the dan.
sc. Gus Vaccinations Of the place.
SO fellow passenger put it to me. in mas
sable French, as we sat side by side in COM
Portable basket chairs of the train-de-luxe
and were whirled along the Mediterranean
shore.
l had noticed him before leaving Genoa
had been drawn to do so by an incident that
appealed to my detective faculties. For /
had seen that he was being watched, 'shad
owed" by couple of shabby creatures. who
were either thieves or spies of some sort or
other.
My companion was a dark-skinned close
shaven, bullet-headed man of small stature.
Tortly, indeed overgrown, with thick, sensu-
Gus lips and heavy-Ldded sleepy black eyes:
very prosperous in appearance, with much
jewelry on his person, smart new baggage.
costly fur coat and a red morocco hand
beg, suspended to a strap over one shoulder
The last must have contained valuables. for
he chung to it very tenaciously.
did not quite make him out; his French
had an unfamiliar accent, which gave me
no clew, but he was smooth-spoken, anxi-
GUS to be friendly, and we chatted on pleas
antly enough, beguiling the time He was
not a Russian, although / gathered from
his talk that he had come from Odessa, via
BudaPesth and Vienna. On the other
hand, the men who were watching him had
rather the Tartar or Calmuck cast of coun-
tenance. That they were after him had
no manner of doubt, for before leaving
Genoa ] had seen one make a significant
gesture to the other-it was an almost i'm
perceptible wave of the hand towards my
companion, and that was ALL l saw no
more of them after leaving Genoa They
were hardly frst-class passengers; besides,
there is a supplement to be paid for seats
in this particularly favored train.
Does Monsieur play?" asked my neigh
Dor MOP" He will certainly be tempted
when he gets within the influence of the
prncipality. 1t is a disease-in the air.
caught it the first time, and with me it is
incurable.'
do you play with any luck?" 1 asked,
wondering if that was the secret of his
seeming prosperity.
Il cannot complain; have generally done
we'll 1 have a system of my own, which
has never yet failed me- only it needs bold
ness and sufficient capital. AS to that
He touched the handbag slung around his
neck with imprudent complacency.
Is that quite wiser. / repeated his en-
phasis, no longer surprised that he was
pursued by thieves Not only do you carry
about your person, but you confide the fact
TO me, perfect stranger, whom you have
not known more than half an hour"
was about to warn him of the near dan
ger he ran at that that moment, to put him
his guard against the thieves at his heels,
when he almost took my breath away by de-
claTing that he had known me for years.
I recognized you;, Major Macnaghten
fish, and of a kind that placed him at once.
There was no mistaking the 'chee Chez"
the accent Of the Eurasian or Indian half
now that he was twenty annas TO the ru-
pee" half native, half European. the white
half being Portuguese, as found on hear
ing his name-Silveira d'Acunha.
4 had the honor of seeing you, sir, he
raed Oh ny VERY f9 Snae Iv hetta
than mine, at Haiwanabad some years
back. l was then in the service Of the Ra-
jah of HaiWanapore, mere news writer
and clerk. You would not have noticed me;
OF course, remember you"
when did you leave Indian asked next.
II was a polite way of inquiring how the
povertystricken half-caste had blossomed
into a millionaire.
to me- | took to trade, Travelled far across
the Hndoo Koosh into Siberia, and pros
life"
There was something in the way he said
this; a false note in his voice, a cunning
look in his beady eyes, that checked my first
impulse TO tell him of the men who were on
his track. L had vague impression that
the fellow was not quite straight, and that
this wealth of his had been improperly ac-
quired. What if these pursuers were not
mere thieves. but the agents of justice, Off
C5 al al wi
indicating wrong or calling him to strict
account for some miSdeed?
Outwardly, at least, he had no misgiving
of any impending Nemesis. saw him tnat
evening at the Grand Hotel where we had
both taken up our quarters, dining eop n3eS
did black pearl solitaire, encircled with bril-
liants, spanked in his extensive shirt front;
his fat, dark fingers We're loaded with rings
He had, no doubt, dived deep into the
precious bag before handing 1t over to the
had seen him take on arriving at the hotel
He made me low bow as he passed my
table after dinner, and asked, with cringing
affability, whether l proposed to VISIT the
rooms that evening.
IF that is your intention, sir. I would ven
ture to suggest that you sn nc ne lHgM R
quarante tables. l feel confident shah
win"
l thanked him rather coldly;. Habit is
strong and an old Anglo-Indian cannot
bring himself very readily to associate with
be under obligations to halt-caSue.,
The gaming table had never possessed any
attractions for me, and | preferred tnaC
night to take my cigar and conee under the
canopy of heaven to entering the rooms.
I had come to see a place reputed to be one
of the most beautiful in the world rather
than tempt fortune at the tables. =.
Next morning, l sat summing myselI
upon the broad terrace in front OF the
casino facing the superb view, saw lndeed
that nature was at her lovellest Where man
was most vile. a 20
But | could not escape the influence OF
the place Play was the one engroSslnS
topic; the strange chances of the game, the
curious variations that shtpwrecked sys-
TENS the strange runs and extraorolnary
series defying all calculations; ana orlngiIls
about sometimes colossal winnings, more
often everlasting smash.
Everyone was full of the phenomenal
fortune that had come to one player the
night before-a man newly arrived but not
unknown at the tables, and soon guessed
from the description given that It was my
half-caste. d'Acunha. his system Ilau
clearly been most successful He had won
at least a couple Of hundred thousano
francs and this. presently. l had from ms
own lips for he came up, fawnlng anu
greasy as ever. upbraiding me Tor not nav
ing followed his advice, and implof1hs me
to do so next time. A.
There are two sides to the question, Mr.
d'Acunha' l answered carelessly. suppose
# had been the other way? am told re-
action is inevitable-at any rate, am d
very poor gambler. / hate to lose, ana IN
NOT OIL S1Ira I like 70 win