Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-09-05
enjoying the spectacle.

enjoying the spectacle.
presently | found myself in a small
parlor. | can see it now as plainly as at
the moment | first entered it-a room
hung in cherry aud satin, lighted by a
large golden candelabrum holding tall
candles About the room were several
mahogany tables with green cloth tops.
Seated at these tables were elderly gen
tlemen, resplendent in their many deco
rations, and all absorbed in card playing.
They conyerSed in low tones, as if in a
church, and only the strains of distant
orchestra occasionally interrupted the
whisperings of the gamblers. These
sights quite oyerpowered me, and just as
| was about to quit this sanctuary
heard my name called. ! turned. 1t was
my colonel who had spied me. He pro-
posed a game of ecarte. / bowed ac-
ceptance and took the chair just vacated
by his partner. Several persons were
standing around our table, and | can re-
call the feeling Of vanity | experienced
ut being seen in public with my supe-
rior. The colonel proposed a stake Of .
forms, to which | agreed. We cut for
deal. He drew a seven spot, | drew q
jack. In this first hand | captured all
the tricks. In the next hand he swept
the board. We were now even-two and
two. 1t was now my turn to deal.
''While shufling the cards / noticed
that the card at the bottom of the pack
was the king of diamonds. How bright
it looked in its scarlet color. At sight OF
it | was seized with an uncomfortable de-
sire TO steal it. For the moment | i'm
agined myself at home, at my own table,
under the lamp, my wife opposite me,
and quietly-unobserved, | thought /
drew from the bottom that king of dia-
monds, which l played at the proper
time, exclaiming with feigned surprise,
Hello, have the king" Hardly had
uttered the words when l felt a pallor
spreading over my face. The colonel no.
ticed it, stopped playing and looked at
me in silence My breathing became
rapid. | was so overcome with shame
that l could have died on the spot.
"From a rear room came the sounds Of
the orchestra playing 'Life's joys The
colonel kept his eyes right on me-a
steady, penetrating, hard look, full of
contempt and sadness. Finally he turn
ed his eyes away and remarked coldly.
We'll, since you have it mark it. Then
as he arose from the table he pushed to-
ward me with the finger tips of his white
gloves the torins, remarking, You have
won, sir | had not yet recovered my
equanimity, so completely had my grief
prostrated me, but | could not let my
colonel 20 away in that humor.
Il said to myself: He is worthy man.
father of family. | will tell him that
did that act unconsciously, and he'll
laugh it off. No doubt he'll consider it a
joke. He'll pat me on the back, and
that'Il be the end OF it / caught up
with him. As soon as l was by his side
/ said to him in low, suppliant tones,
Colonel, cOlonel'-But | could not utter
another word. He stopped, gazed at me
as he had done at the card table, and his
look again penetrated me burned into
my very soul Then l understood that
was lost, dishonOred in his estimation.
felt that no matter what | might have
said in extenuation Of my crime he would
consider 1t simply lie, so l hung my
head kept silence, and he went away.
From that day l have never loved my
profession, although l was the most not
ed among my comrades.
''No matter where | went, whether in
quarters or at drills or in the houses
where we had our reunions, | felt that
look OF the colonel-that silent look
which always seemed to say, Lieutenant
Malten, you're n thief"
in course OF time | was made a cap
tain. Then l lost my beloved wife with
whom / used to cheat at cards. Then
came Sadowa, which, you know, put an
end to my military career. And so you
have my story. I may have spun it out a
little too long, for which l apologize, but,
gentlemen, you must play without me-
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