The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-25
MAGIC BIT OF SILVER.

mez."
/ well, my dear boy, what is IT."
where did you get your money!"
| He looked at me thoughtfully. and
knocked the ash from his cigar. Where
did get my money!" he repeated slow
ly. And what says Dame Rumor con-
corning it, Pedro?"
There are all sorts Of stories," re-
piled; some probable, some wildly I'M
possible; some good-humored, more ill
natured. You will pardon my frank
ness II tell you that l have heard
some people call your wealth 'ill-gotten
gains. whisper Of retired highwaymen,
and the like. There are others who
hint darkly at counterfeiting. Among
the lower classes there is widespread
belief that you have sold yourself to
the devil. And have even met intelli-
gent people who limited at supernatural
means"
Perhaps they were right" was his
laconic reply.
l stared at him.
Listen, and you may perhaps tell me
whether the means were supernatural
or no. l have never been able to de-
eide. The reason that the source of my
fortune has never been discovered was
because the only man who knew Of 1t
left the city the day after"
He paused.
| "The day after what?" I queried.
| He lit fresh cigar and then began:
"You knew me two years ago. when
was poor. You also knew, as did all
my friends. that had passion for
( gaming. You would all of you chorus,
when speaking Of me. Poor Bonilla!
! He has the worst Of vices-he is a des-
perate gambler You were all wrong.
did not play simply for love of 1t. I
played because I was poor.
Zone evening was feeling unusually
blue. never drank, as YOU know
that is, never to excess-and certainly
never to do what is called drowning
sorrow My resources was the gaming
table. Unfortunately had in my pos
session considerable sum of money,
which had been intrusted to me by
friend for the purpose Of paying some
debts; he had been suddenly called
away from the city. l entered the
gambling hell, and seated myself at the
roulette table. Fortune was against
me; the few duros that belonged to
me were soon gone. Something SEEM
ed to possess me that night; I was not
myself. did what never should have
dreamed myself capable of doing-1
staked my friends money. l staked it,
and lost it ALL"
l was about to speak.
do not condemn me-" he interrupt
ed; you could say nothing severer
than were my self-reproaches. Long
I sat there glazing at the other play
ers As l watched the ivory ball spin
round, my brain seemed to spin round,
too. My sense seemed to be leaving
me. I felt as IL life were no longer
dear to me. Penniless and dishonored,
what was there left to live for?
"As these thoughts passed through
my working brain, the night wore on.
The players dropped off, one by one.
The tables were gradually deserted.
Soon there was but one left lighted
the roulette table before which I sat,
and at which one persevering CANISTER
was trying his luck. Finally he, too,
wearied, and was left alone with the
banker, who was the proprietor Of the
gambling hell"
do not know why, but I began to
feel uncomfortable. However, he con-
tinued:
THE banker looked at me inquiring-
ly. l half rose to retire. I had fully
determined to blow out my brains in
the street, and that did not do so Is
owing to one of the strangest Of cir
cumstances-so strange that you will
not blame me for wondering whether
1t was supernatural. l half rose, say,
and as l did so, l saw upon the floor
round, bright object which had silver
simmer as the gaslight fell upon it. 1t
was coin, a"
"A peseta," Interrupted, breathless-
ly.
Yes" he went on. "a little bit OF
silver coin-only a peseta. But it
saved my life. I placed my foot upon
it, and, motioning to the banker. said:
ga peseta on the seventeen
1.-THE banker knew me well-he had
cause to-and without making any in
quiries he repeated my wager after me,
and set the ball a-whirling. 1t stopped
In the seventeen.
Seventeen wins said he, and on
the seventeen changed seven silver du-
ros.
Again it stopped at seventeen"
Seventeen wins said the banker.
again left the glittering pile upon
the seventeen, and again it won. Sew
en- several times did the goddess For
tune smile upon me. And when I !
stopped it was not because feared to
venture further, but because had bro
ken the bank. The poverty stricken
wretch who few moments before had
contemplated suicide was now veal
thy"
"And the peseta," said I, you have
that still, Of course"
NO." he replyied, with a strange
smile.
"Why!" exclaimed I, with surprise,
"had l been you | would have kept it
all my life"
NO" he replied, with a strange
culiar smile, you would not have kept
It."
"And why not?"
"When l stopped to pick up the coin
I found-nothing"
Nothing" l echoed. "Why-what
where"
THAT which I had taken for peseta
was not coin. The round, silvery OBJ
ect on which the light had fallen and
deceived me was"
|