The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-11-04


Its now two days since | stirred out
of the club, and for two days the
seventeen has never turned up. I'll
suffer my hand TO be cut off if that
number does not turn up on the stroke
Of midnight"
Then this young man of three-and-
twenty. descended from a race of hon
est men, who bore a proud military
name and who had never swerved from
the path of honor, conceived q fright
full idea. He was seized with a mad.
hysterical, monstrous desire. After
glancing on all sides, to make sure
that be was alone in a deserted street,
be bent his knee, and, carefully out
stretching his trem milling hand. he stole
the gold piece from the fallen shoe!
Hurryng, then, with all his speed,
he returned to the gambling house,
scaled the stairs two and three at a
stride. and entering the accursed play
room as the first stroke of midnight
was sounding, placed the piece of gold
on the green cloth, and cried:
II stake on the Ill"
The II won.
With a turn of the hand Lucien
pushed the SO louis to the "red."
The "red" won.
He left the ~ louis on the same color
The "red" again won.
Twice he 'doubled"-three times
always with the same success He had
now before him a pile of gold and
notes, and began to scatter stakes all
over the board. All his bets were for
tunate. His luck was unheard of,
supernatural. 1t might have been i'm
agined that the little ivory ball da1c-
ing in the roulette was magnetized.
fascinated by the eyes of this player,
| and obedient TO him. In dozen stakes
he had recovered the few wretched
thousand-franc notes, his last re-
sources. which he had lost at the begin
ming of the evening.
Now, stalking 200 or 800 louis at a
time, and aided by a strange run of
luck. be was en- the way of regaining.
and more, besides. the hereditary cap
ital he had squandered in so few years,
and recoBstituting his fortune.
In his eagerness to return to the
fur coat. Already he had crammed
the larger pockets with bundles of
notes and rouleaux of gold pieces. nd.
not knowing where 10 heap his win
nings, he now loaded the inner and ex-
terror pockets of his frock coat, the
pockets Of his vest and trousers, his
handkerchief-everything that could
be made to hold his money.
And still he played. and still he won,
like mailman, like drunken man!
Only something like a red-hot iron
was in bis heart, and he thought of
nothing but of the little mendicant
sleeping in the snow, whom he had
robbed.
us she still at the same spot? Sure
| ly she is still there? Presently-yes.
when one o'clock strikes-I swear it!
| will quit this place. l will take her
sleeping in my arms and carry her to
my home. ! will put her into my warm
bed. will bring her up, give her a
dowry, love her a. if she were my own
daughter care for her always, al
ways."
But the clock struck one. and then a
quarter, and half. and three-quar-
ters.
And Lucien was still seated at the
internal table.
AT length, one minute before two
o'clock, the keeper of the bank rose
abruptly and said in loud voice:
THE bank is broken. gentlemen
enough for to-day"
With bound Lucien was on his
feet. Roughly pushing aside the gam
blers who surrounded end regarded
him with envious admiration, be hur-
ried away quickly, sprang down the
stairs, and ran all the way to the
store bench. In the distance by the
light of the lamp he saw the little
girl.
Heaven be praised!" he said. "She
is still there"
He approached her. He took her
hands.
"oh, how cold she is. poor little
one!"
He took her under the arms and
raised her. 50 hat he might carry her.
Her head fell back without her awak-
ing.
How soundly children of her age
sleep"
He pressed her against his bosom to
warm her, and. seized by vague dis
quietude and with a view TO rousing
her out of this heavy slum Der, he
kissed her eyelids.
Then IT was that he perceived with
terror that these eyelids were half
open, showing the eyebals-glassy,
lightless, motionless, Upon his brain
flashed horrible suspicion. He placed
his mouth close to that of the little
girl. No breath came from it.
While with the gold piece. which
he had stolen from the mendlcant. Lu-
Glen had won fortune at the gam
ing table, the homeless child had died
died of cold.
Al the present time Lucien Hem is
lieutenant in the First regiment of
Chasseurs d'Afrique. He has only his
pay to live upon, but he contrives to
make il suffice being a steady officer