Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29

yet one hears astonishingly few disputes
perhaps one an hour at each table. A
young F'renchman at our hotel told me yes
terdaY how he discovered an extremely
ntce-looking, well-dressed lady differing
from him in this way and never said word
except to ask her not to trouble herself any
r more
Il was playing in stakes of five louis
$500, and sitting just in front of me was
this nice-looking lady he said. LAS it was
very troublesome for me to reach over each
time she asked me, Shall hand it to your
eff you will l answered. Very much
obliged
Il was very lucky" he continued land it
was only toward the end of my run that l
carelessly counted the gold pieces she hand
ed up to me. Instead of ten there were
only nine. That made me think The next
time | handed her six gold pieces to put on
the black; then hastily, as if changing my
mind ! borrowed a rake from a neighbor
and pushed my six louis over to the red
In doing so l knocked the little pile over
and saw there We're only five gold pieces
in it.
She had knocked down one gold piece
each time
Yes, with a little shoemaker's wax in the
palm of her glove. Madame I said to her.
I fear l am giving you too mach trouble.
Henceforth | will place my stakes and take
in my winnings with this rake
Take my chair she replied smiling
sweetly, L was just goingp''
And the moral of it is 1 began
THE moral of it is that l had better let
her go on stealing from me-" answered the
young Frenchman. From that moment I
began losing!'
She Really Knew How.
When the lady gave the chair up to her
victim it must not be forgotten that she
gave him back the equivalent of one of his
81 gold pieces. At least fifteen gray-headed
old sure winners make their daily bread
and daily stake by giving up their chairs
to the wealthy and impatient
1 know no more pathetic figure at Monte
Carlo than that of ''Old Joe,' as the Eng
lish regulars call him. Like each one of
his dozen or more confreres, "Old Joe" has
an understanding with the Casino authori-
ties. Out of very delicate kindness their
little industry is tolerated. Every morn
ing they are on hand punctually the
doors of the Casino open. Punctually they
| take their regular places at the various
roulette and trente-et-quarante tables. Ac-
cording as they may may not be in
funds, they stack up ostentatiously in front
of them their little pile of gold or silver
pieces-or their solitary silver dollar!
Very often it is but a silver dollar. 1t is
not to play with. 1t is for looks. Then
''Old joe gets his slips of paper ready. He
has stubby little pencil. This he sharp
bank roll" They are seated at their
places. The early public has pre-empted
all the other chairs The clock strikes II
am, and the croupier, who turns, speaks up
in his official voice: "Messieurs make your
game! The ball begins to ROLAND "Old
Joe" begins his daily speculation.
To all appearances he is a gambler like
| the others. And he is. Only he must pru-
| IDENTIFY sell his seat before he starts on his
daily gamble. Meanwhile he keeps tab
| on the game
| These old chaps have their customers
Sooner or later some imperial cocotte or
dashing society woman or good-natured
careless plunger will tap "Old joe on the
| shoulder and slip him a gold piece. Then
| "Old joe will rise gracefully and whisper
will monsieur accept this chair? l was
about to leave the table!''
Points in the System.
| If it be 81 gold piece, the old sport will
| ask for change in silver dollars and pack
| two Of them away in secure pocket. They
are sacred-his days living With the
other two he is now free to gamble All
| the prudence and the foresight with which
| ''Old Joe" lays out his first dollar on the red
| or black. as may be! He has kept tab or
| the runs and still continues. Perhaps he will
| wait for red to win seven times consecutive
| ly before risking one o. his two dollars or
| the black. And such is the cynic super
| stiton of the hardened gambler there is
| always some one waiting for "Old Joe" to
| make his first two and perhaps, only bets
each morning. Does '.Old joe back the
red? The plunger will put 80 louis on the