The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-26

muck Tartars. commissaries, croupiers and
! AZ their head dAcurha. the Portuguese
| half-caste, bounding them forward. halloa-
ing and whoo-hooping them on They were
2 pack of fierce, merry fiends from whom 1
ned hopeless with slow leaGen footsteps, in
/ everlasting anguish, expecting momentarily
/ TO he run into and torn to pieces, yet still
| permitted, purposely to prolong my agonies.
| TO go at large
thought my $4,000 had been dearly
| bought when awoke a wretched wreck.
still torn and harassed by the distressing
| memories of the night. Had l been free to
| do so, would have taken the very first
train for Monte Carlo and Travelled straight
home to England. But polite intimation
| from the authorities request that was
really an order, invited me to remain in the
principality until justice had been done to
the thieves. could not help myself. but if
/ had to stay, the tables should see me no
| more. maze a vow, entered into a solemn
| and binding compact with myself, that l
would stick to my winnings; that one per-
| son, at least of the many hundreds upon
whom fortune smiles-for short space
| should hold on TO the unusual and unex-
| pected gains.
| 1 kept my good resolutions all that day.
| So long as daylight lasted l could control
| the craving that was on me as strong as
| that Of the drunkard or the opium eater to
! taste the noxious pleasure again. Towards
| evening I fell--it was in that quiet hour
| just before dinner, when the rooms are
| comparatively empty, when the herd is
feeding, and only few habitues and one or
| two of the better sort of visitors come in in
| evening dress to try little hutter" before
| they dine.
| l., 100, ITlGn my luck In6n ana IOunQ II
| distinctly adverse. 1t was the old story, old
| and familiar to all who are versed in the
| strange ways of gaming. 1 dropped my
money, and, had / brought much with me,
| should have lost it all. But 1 was some
| $500 pounds the poorer when was COM
| PEELED by want of funds from following the
| customary, the almost inevitable rule, with
| unsuccessful players, of trying to recover
lost ground
| Here was a plain warning: to be satisfied
| with what was still left to me, but-again
| according to every precedent did not take
! Nine o'clock saw me back in the rooms
| with thousand pounds in my pocket and
| a lie on my lips to myself. For l told my
| self that did not mean to play, that
in this transparent thinking 1 still wore my
| light covert coat, showing that | was just
| walking through to see what people were at
| and how the game was played.
| The shallow pretence did not last me long
| within half hour / had ventured a few
| coins with varying luck, and presently l
| was again committed to the game, playing
| hard and high, and finding-strange vicissi-
tude of fortune!-that l was again winning
| considerable sums
How long it would have lasted I cannot
| imagine. | seemed to have no control over
myself, no power of Independent volition.
Play 1 must, and play as some secret voice
told me. What brought me to an abrupt
| and sudden stop the face of d. Acunha
watching me from the other side of the
expressed so many of the worst passions OF
our fallen human nature-"enVy, hatred,
and ah unchartableness,' all in their deep
est and most concentrated form. Why this
change? L had done him, knowingly, no
harm, quite the reverse. AS the reader is
aware, 1 had saved him from spoliation,
maltreatment possibly murder. 1 could
only look back in amazement and still
asking why, wonder whether the shock OF
the previous nights affray had unhinged his
mind. or whether he was still suffering from
the effects of the drug, which,, as l be-
lieved, had been administered to him;
had seen nothing of him the whole day.
The answer to my inquiries was that he
would keep his room, that he had been
greatly upset by the attack made upon him
but that he was most grateful for my timely
rescue and would thank me in person later
on.
ing me with the most malevolent hostility!
From his aspect he might have wanted my
blood then and there, 1t might be pure
jealousy, of course for | had heard from
the gossip that went round the table. and to
which till now l had turned deaf ear, that
he had been steadily going downhill, that
he had lost repeatedly, continuously, that
his famous system had played him false, and
that the blind chance had come to my side
Yes; it was no doubt jealousy, unm1tigated
and overpowering: for the next minute he
was standing behind he at my elbow, and
heard his voice kissing fiercely in my ear;
You stole it from me! Stole 1t! Stole IT.
Now l know" | did not answer him
had no wish to be mixed up in any esclandre
in the rooms, so, stuffing my winnings in
nv pockets anyhow, without counting Them
although L knew they must be more than
double those of the previous evening, L lett
the CASINO.
AS before, 1 deposited my cash with the
manager, and then, for the first time, as
went through the notes, plaques ana
louis d ors, / made up my total pIunder LOT
the two nights to something near 9l3,OO0.
The stolid German cashier who made me
out my receipt said nothing but MS eye
twinkled as he swept the parcel into the
caVernous depths of the safe, and followed
his thought that the money would soon take
wings again. He called me back, however,
as l turned on my heel.
This is yours, Herr Major. Did you
mean to keep that also? 1t can be nothing
of very great value.
enamel in the shape of heart. bood-red
in color with streaks of fine gold inlaid.
1t had the appearance of an amulet or
charm. or a votive Offering such as one
hangs upon a saints figure or holy picture.
mo; not mine l never saw the thing till
this moment. l can't have given it you
Then came a mad Shrek of unutterable
joy and a hand from behind closed on the
enamel.
1T is mine, mine. mine! He stole it from
niche robbed of my luck. my life, my
god!,' The speaker was dAcunha, and L
could see that he was convulsed with in
You may have it for me-" I said con-
temptuously. rs it worth making all this
fuss about, man? l tell you l never saw it
i dropped it; lost it last night. 1t was
that they were after, ! am sure, although
give me, Major innes, but ali this has quite
unhinged me. l fear 1 have used language
which is unsuitable, but, butt have suf-
fered terribly since that attack" He
clutched the enamelled heart nervously in
his trembling hands, kissed it, talked to it,
and behaved in such absurd fashion that he
clearly valued it above measure.
/ never got at the rights of 1t all. He
told me next day, when he had recovered
himself a little. that he had bought this
precious amulet from some Russian soldiers
who had got it in the sack of Kirghiz
town. Its properties of bringing luck to its
! possesSorS were firmly believed in by those
who sold it, but they saw their advantage
in taking a high price for it. My own be-
lief is that d'Acunha stole it, and that the
recover it, Their failure at Monte Carlo
has landed them in prison but they are
pretty sure to renew the quest when once
more at large.
That the amulet brought me luck was an
incontrovertable fact. AT the first night S
play ] was in my covert-coat, and no
doubt it had fallen during the ARRAY into
one of the pockets. 1t was still there on
the second night, when / again wore the
coat, but did not do so during my unsuc-
cessful play earlier in the evening. / believe
d Acunha again invoked it's aid and with the
same result, but he did not remain long in
Monte Carlo after the trial of the would-be
thieves.
For myself left at the very first mo-
ment I did not tempt my luck again. al
though | had grave scruples about keeping
my winnings. These scruples are not alto
gether silenCed even now. But for the pres
emit / hold my G13000 in good securities, safe
and easily convertible should my conscience
Major Arthur Griffiths, in English Illus