Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-04-15
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Outcome of a.Game.
Eoriginal.l

|
chums after his marriage, although /
confessd was greatly disappointed that
Grace Horton married him instead OF
me. That his marriage did not break
off our intimacy was due entirely to
| Otis, who was ignorant of my attach
ment for the woman he married, and /
could not turn away his invitations to
be frequent visitor to his house. Day
| by day 1 grew irritated against him.
Otis had one weakness-a passion for
| gambling; not that he visited the regu-
lar gambling houses, for he did not,
| but he played at home. He would gath
er party of friends nearly every night,
and the play was always very high.
This his wife did not know. She was
aware that he played for money, but
supposed the amounts were trifling.
Otis gradually collected all sorts of i'm
plements for gambling.
One Saturday afternoon; in June, as
was about to leave my Office for half
holiday Otis dropped in and told me
that he had bought roulette table.
Would 1 go with him and see the ball
spin? He insisted. 1 yielded.
On reaching his house we went to
vested ourselves of our coats and vests.
lighted cigars and sat down at the rou-
lette table. There is something fasci-
mating in watching the little ball spin
rapidly around for awhile, then begin
to coquette with the different pockets,
rolling toward one, striking point and
nearly being knocked into another,
poised for a moment on the edge of
third, never settling into its choice till
the excitement of the watchers has
reached fever heat. Otis was banker.
He won all the money had about me;
then 1 began to give him due bills.
About O'Clock 1 added these amounts
and found that l was bankrupt.
1t was plain TO me that Otis had
grown frightened at my large bets.
He had wife and a child, and if in
stead of the bank having broken me
had broken the bank it would have
been terrible The fires of hell were
burning within me. This man had de-
prived me of the woman upon whom l
had set my heart. and now he had TAX
en- every dollar l possessed. AS q
drowning man will catch at straw
ran my hands through my pockets and
felt coin the size of n half dollar. i
drew it from it's place and in doing so
dropped it. and 1t rolled under lounge.
arose to get it. SEE ESQ
Never mind" said Otis What was
it,"
Fifty cents, believe"
every well; it's safe. Make your
bet
1 bet on the number giving the high
est returns. The ball spun around,
dallied here and there, then dropped
into my number. From this on 1 had
an astonishing run of luck till l had
won back 500 of my losses. 1 played
on, the luck continuing with me-. Din
ner was announced. but we, paid no at
tention TO it. At II O'Clock l had re-
gained all l had lost besides q consid-
cradle sum from Otis. He figured his
losses and in a trembling voice an
nounced that they were $4,000, or near
ly $1,000 more than he Could possibly
pay. l had broken the bank.
The revenge l had coveted now that
it was attained suddenly turned bitter.
After the first exciting moment of
realization that l had saved. what ]
possessed, won all Otis had and placed
him in the position l was in when
found the half dollar n revulsion came
over me- He was my friend and had
never injured me. l had loved the
girl who was his wife. and his child
was devoted to me. Nevertheless /
had ruined him and ruined his wife
and child.
"Otis," l said, "when l had lost all
this afternoon l found n half dollar
with which 1 retrieved everything and
broke your bank. 1t rolled under that
lounge. Go and find it and see what
you can do with it. My opinion is that
there's rare luck in it."
He went to the lounge, got down on
the floor, found the piece and brought
1t to the table. 1 noticed curious ex-
preston on his face and turned my
eyes from it to the coin. 1t had rather
the look of german silver than the true
white metal.
That's no half dollar" said Otis.
ats a check for something"
1t was a check for an umbrella that
/ had carried for a week. 1 had re-
gained my fortune and won Otis for
tune on a valueless bit of metal. We
stood looking at each other while the
truth was breaking over us. His for
tune was bis own, and he was entitled
to mine.
The remembrance of that moment al
ways gives me great satisfaction. In
stead of experiencing disappointment
felt pleasure. preferred that Otis
should possess the money. His wife
and child would share it with him, and,
as for me. 1 was young and would dou-
BILE my efforts to retrieve my losses.
There was a CRATE in the room, and
Otis, without speaking, gathering the
due bills, both his own and mine, took
them there; then, striking a match, he
lighted them. When they were burned.
he came to me with outstretched hand,
saying:
THE games a draw, old man, and
l..s.