Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-09-19

Wny. the man after all, was play.
ing hit-and.miss game. Just Aka An-
rest of them.
Many Of them breathed a great sigh
Of relief, f,r with Monte Carlo smash.
ed their desire to live would have
been reduced to zero.
About this time attention began to
be directed to the other end Of tho
table.
The croupier's rake showed little
piles Of filthy lucre in that quarter
with astonishing regularity, and sci.
dom dragged any back.
Another Richmond in the field!
The excitement burst out greater
than ever.
And Merrick played on with just
the faintest sign Of smile upon his
resolute face. played on and won four
times where he lost only once.
Jones had managed to reach the
elbow Of his friend-no one else. even
royalty itself, could have had pas
sage opened to him through the dense.
ly packed audience, but they SEEM
ed to recognize a superior being in
Jones, the master wizard Of it all, and
that he had right to be near his COM
rade.
To Merrick the experience was one
he would never in all his life forget
its novelty alone was enough to stamp
it indelibly on his mind.
Between deals, he occasionally look
ed up calmly and the faces along the
table were-not the blur one might rea-
sonably expect under the circum-
stances, with his heart beating like
trip hammer. and his mind devoted
to following the line OF play marked
down in Darragh's brilliant system.
A few more moves must complete
the play for this night. >
Realizing that they were up against
the very toughest argument that had
ever fallen upon Monte Carlo, the
dealers were not at all anxious to con-
tinue playing indefinitely.
The sooner they admitted the grave
fact that a third time the famous bank
must cry quits, the better for them.
Merrick had done well.
Not a single slip or mistake had
been made. There was but q unani-
nous opinion among the nerve-racked
spectators that these two men really
held the game by the throat.
If they could be bought of, the
future Of Monte Carlo was assured,
since despairing players would take
new lease of life in the kowledge that
after all it was possible to eternally
win If one but knew the wonderful
plan by which each carefully arrang-
ed move was to be made.
The scenes of the previous night
were repeated, though upon a larger
scale.
When the dealer stood and raised
his hand to announce that the bank
had again gone under, a deathly ST.
lence hung over the dense crowd.
Then one man, big-voiced Ameri-
can congressman, who had been
haunting the dragons den for month
or more, against the prayers of his
pretty little wife, threw his silk hat
into the air excitedly, jumped on it
when it landed, and roared out:
"Hurrah for Jones-he pays the
freight" .0 ~
It would be next to impossible to
adequately describe the scene that
followed.
Shouts and laughter and stentorian
cheers rent the air, while pandemo-
mum reigned-men shook hands,
others fell into the arms of friends,
and several women tainted dead away.
Few left the place.
The hour was still early, for the
play had been unusually bold and Wig.
orous. 80 .
Another chapter had been closed in
Jones' account book, another page
turned; but he seemed the same af-
fable, mild-mannered gentleman, not
to be affected by fattery or threats.
Merrick heaved a genuine sigh OF
relief when the elimination OF his
play occurred. .
him, of course, and now that it ha4
fallen aside he experienced a momen.
tary weakness, which he speedily
shook off. 49, !
He had seen Constance just short
time before-surely the colonel had
waited to witness the rout of the enc
my, horse, foot and artillery. They
would be found, doubtless, listening to
the music or else enjoying a last
saunter among the palms and exotics
of the garden. - r..
So Mark set about a search. ,..
He had been watched.
Numerous eyes were fastened upon
him as a bird well worth plucking.
Perhaps there were .sanguine hopes
that he might prove a more profitable
subject than had Jones with bis two
cuffs covered with mysterious hero.
glyphics, utterly unintelligible to the
average person, for it was reasonable
to believe he carried the system some
where about his person.
Jones was In no hurry to depart.
Go8ee2, &c S6d8s2 &C s1Goz ct s0ch
desire, but moved hither and yon
with the air of a man quite well salts.
fed with his surroundings.
Perhaps, as an artist hovers near
his picture on the line, to hear COM
ment favorable or otherwise, the hero
Of this memorable and dramatic
smash Of Monte Carlos bank was de-
sirous Of discovering how the habi-
tues of the Casino considered the
prospect, and thus feeding his philan.
thropical soul with the thought of the