The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-04-30


~ ing particu ularl.
genial, as he drew a handful of chang
from out his trousers pocket in orde:
to reward the attentions Of the waiter
As he did so the quick eye OF tn,
professor took note Of a silver piece
considerably larger than O dollar
''That's q curious coin, colonel" h
remarked, leaning forward over ths
table.
fThat's Louis" said the colonel
picking it out from the other coins ir
his hand and passing it over to tho
professor.
'tI always imagined that Louis
was gold piece" remarked young
| Jack Hawley.
'sThey are generally gold," replied
the colonel; ''but evidently some sill.
yer Louis were coined, f 7 here is
one
- have never seen nor heard Of one
BEFORE" said the professor, looking
with interest at the large, clumsy coin,
with the heavy countenance of Louis
XVI, and under it the date ITS. 81
suppose this must be both rare and
valuable"
'sI prize it more highly because OF
the wonderful coincidence connected
with it," replied the colonel.
'sLet's hear it, " said young Hawley.
''Well," when I was lad," began
the colonel. leaning back in his chair
and lighting cigar. 'tSuch long
time ago that your grandfather, Jack,
was at school at the time and the pro-
fessor's father was probably wearing
kits"
"Oh, hardly as long as that, inter
rupted the professor, laughing, tsI'm
over forty-six myself; you'll make
make yourself eighty at that rate
''Weli,, that would not be so far out
Of the way; I was seventy-four last
month And the old colonel stroked
his white goatee complacently, for he
did not look day over sixty-fve. "It
,as,, was when Twas :; kof eighteen,
that this coin first came into my pos
session: At that time, as you know,
a great many Spanish, Mexican and
French coins were in circulation in
this country, and I took this one in
my wages. The face of the unfortun-
ate French monarch rather took my
fancy, and I kept it for a pocket piece.
But before I go any further I want to
ask whether either Of you gentlemen
see any marked peculiarly about this
coin?" And the colonel tossed it
upon the table.
The professor examined it closely.
'tI notice that it bears the date of
American independence" he said.
"Well, that's hardly peculiarly.
There were doubtless others mintedin
the same year"
''I don't see anything else.''
The colonel smiled. "Well, there
IS, and I'll let you endeavo- to find
it out while T tell you the history.
'sIn the year 1915 I went to Mex
leo. Silver mining was what I went
there for, but did about everything
before 7 left the country, and ended
by going into Taylor's army when the
war broke out.
"One day was seated in gaming
house at Saltillo. Oh, I wes wild
enough in those days, Jack Hawley,
and hardly week passed that Dave
Cranston and Pedro Blanco (they
were my two partners), and I did not
come into town for little game Of
'brisca.'
"Well, on this day-ever to be
remembered by me as the last time I
sat down to a game of chance where
the stakes were money"-here the
colonel took e long pull at his cigar
and expelled the smoke slowly-'l
was having particularly hard run of
luck and lost so rapidly that in less
than an hour after first sitting down
T was cleaned out. ! had not had
nearly enough excitement for my
money, and wanted badly to keep on
playing. Searching al my pockets in
the hope Of finding stray coin I drew
out this Louis, which I had carried for
over four years. The thought at once
flashed through my mind that per-
haps on this piece my luck would
change, and I might retrieve my shat
tered fortunes. So 7 tossed it on the
table and took another hand at the
game.
"And not only won. back your los
ings, but such a large sum in addition
that you wisely resolved never to
tempt your luck again." interrupted
young Hawley.
s:Inside of five minutes" said the
colonel impressively, II arose from
that table, having lost this piece and
everything OF value that I possessed,
down to the silver mounting on my
horses bride, and I would have
staked the horse himself had not Dave
Cranston and Pedro dragged me away
from the table, and putting me on the
animals back, rode of with me be-
tween them to our camp. I'm not 60
ing to read you q lecture on the i'm
morality Of gambling, young Hawley.
nor lengthen out this story with an ac-
count of my life in Mexico. Suffice it
to say that I kept my resolution in re-
gard to gaming, and whatever fortune
have made was not amassed in Mex
ican mines"
'sI suppose you got this piece back
by purchasing it from the winner"
remarked the professor, dropping It
on the table aad putting down his ear
TO listen to the ring.
'To my great chagrin he left Sal