The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-02
The Piece of Gold.

he had sQuandered the best years OF MS
youth; listened 10 the light jingle Of gold
on the cloth-covered table; felt that he
was ruined. lost: recollected that he had
at home the pair of regulation pistols
| which his father, General Hem, then a
| simple captain. had used so well in the
attack Of Zaatcha; then. overcome by ia
| t!gue, he sank into a profound sleep.
When he arose. with a parched mouth,
| ne saw by the clock that he had slept for
barely half an hour and felt an imperious
need for breathing the night air. The
| clock hands marked quarter before mid
| night.
At that moment old Dronski-a pillar Of
! the gaming house, the classic Pole-ap-
preached Lucien, and muttered a few
words in his grizzled beard.
| Lend me a five-franc piece, monsieur.
It's now two days since Eve stirred out
of the CLUB, and for two days the sew
enteen' has never turned up. Laugh at
me if you like, but III suffer my hand
to be cut off if that number does not turn
up on the stroke of midnight
! Lucien Hem shrugged his shoulders. He
| had not even enough in his pocket to meet
| this tax, which the freQuenters of the
! place called the Poles hundred sous.
He passed into the ante-chamber. took
his hat and fur coat, and descended the
stairs with feverish rapidity.
| Since 4 o'clock, when Lucien had shut
| himself up in the gaming house snow
/ had fallen heavily, and the street-a
street in the center of Paris. very narrow
and built with high houses on either side
was completely white.
The ruined gambler shuddered under his
furs, and walked away, his mind still
teeming with thoughts of despair, and
more than ever turning to the remem-
brance of the case of pistols which await
ed him in one of his drawers; but after
moving forward a few steps he stopped
suddenly before heart-wringing sight.
On a etone bench, placed according to
old custom near the door of a mansion,
a little girl of six or seven years of age.
| dressed in a ragged black frock. was Sit
ting in the snow. She was sleeping. IN
spite of the cruel cold, In an attitude of
| frightful fatigue and exhaustion; one Of
the wooden shoes had fallen from her
foot.
With mechanical gesture, Lucien put
his hand to his waistcoat pocket, but
moment afterward he recollected that he
had not been able to find even forgotten
piece of twenty sous; yet, moved by an
instructive feeling of pity, he approached
the little girl, and might, perhaps have
taken her in his arms. and given her
nights lodging, when in the wooden shoe
hich had slipped from her foot he saw
something glitter.
He stopped It was gold coin.
Some charitable person, doubtless some
lady, had passed by, had seen on this
night the little wooden shoe lying IN front
of the sleeping child, and, recalling the
touching legend, had placed there, with
secret hand a magnificent Offering. so
that this poor abandoned one right be-
lieve in presents made from the Savior,
and preserve, in spite of her misfortune,
some confidence and some hope i'll the
goodness of Providence.
A gold piece, 1t was several days Of
rest and riches for the beggar, AMI Luz
Glen was on the point of waking her to
tell her this, when ne neaf1 near his
ear. as in a hallucination voice-the
voice of the Pole, with its coarse, drawl-
ing accent, almost whispering:
hts nov two days since 1 stirred out
of the club, and for two days the Seven
teen has never turned up. III suffer my
hand to be cut off If that number does
not turn up on the stroke Of midnight"
He was seized with mad, hys;erical,
monstrous desire After glancing on all
Sides to make sure that he was alone
in a deserted street, nc bent his knee,
and, carefully outstretching his trembling
hand, ne stole the gold piece from the
fallen shoe!
Hurrying, then. with all his speed, he
returned TO the gaming house, scaled the
stairs two and three at stride and en-
tering the accused playroom as the first
stroke Of midnight was sounding, placed
the piece of gold onsthe green cloth, and
cried:
Il stake on the seventeen"
The seventeen won.
With a turn of the hand, Lucien push
ed the Sc louis to the red"
The red" won.
He left the 70 louis on the same color
The red" again won.
Twice he double" times-always
with the same success. He had now be-
fore him a pile of gold and notes. and be-
gan to scatter stakes all over the board.
All his bets were fortunate. His luck
was unheard of, supernatural. 1t might
have been imagined that the little ivory
ball dancing in the roulette was magnet
lied, fascinated by the eyes of this player,
and obedient TO him. In a dozen stakes
he had recovered the few wretched thou
sand-franc notes, his last resources,
which he had lost at the beginning of the
evening.
Now. stalking 200 or 300 louis at a time,
and aided by strange run of luck. he
was on the way no regaining, and more
besides, the hereditary capital he had
squandered in so few years. and reconsti-
tuting his fortune.
In his eagerness to return to the gam
ing-table, he had not taken off his fur
coat. Already he had crammed the large
pockets with bundles of notes and rou-
leaux of gold pieces, and, not knowing
where to heap his winnings. he now
loaded the inner and exterior pockets of
his frock coat the pockets Of his vest and
trousers. his handkerchief-everyth
that could be made to hold his money.
And still he played. and still he won,
like a mailman. like a drunken mau!
Only something like a red-hot iron was
in his heart. and he thought Of nothing
but of the little mendcant sleeping III the
snow, whom he had robbed.
rs she still at the same spot7 Surely
she must be still there? Presently-yes.
when i O'Clock strikes-I swear it, I viii
Quit this place I will take her sleeping
in my arms and carry her to my home.
I will put her into my warm bed. l VIII
bring her up. give her dowry, love her
as If she were my own daughter. care for
her always always
But the clock struck l. and then a quar-
ter, and then a half. and then three
quarters.
And Lucien was still seated at the in
fernal table.
At length one minute peIore o Ctoch-
the keeper Of the bank arose abruptly and
said in a loud voice:
The bank is broken. gentlsmen-enoush
for today"
With A bound Lucien was on his feet.
Roughly pushing aside the gamblers who
surrounded and regarded him with envi-
Gus admiration. he hurried away quickly
sprang down the stairs and ran all the
way 20 the stone bench. IN the distance
by the light OF the lamp. he saw the lit
tie girl.
Heaven be praised" he said. ''She IS
stiu there
u. 100000 -. - tccr La- s--ze-