Ellsworth American., 1904-06-01
AT THE PAVILION
torIginal.l


finds beyond the borders of civilization.
There We're teamsters, COW punchers
and a sprinkling Of men fairly well
. ssed.
The game was one most commonly
! played In those parts-faro. The deal
or. a redheaded. sandy bearded man in
a woolen shirt. sat at one end of the
/ table dealing cards from a tin box.
while the patrons of the pavilion"
as it was called. placed their money on
! other cards arranged in oval form on
| the table.
| All were too absorbed in the play to
notice the entrance of a man who under
other circumstances would have been
noticeable even ia that motley crowd.
! His clothes were in tatters: his sunken
| cheeks and eyes told story of long
continued hunger Shutting up TO the
faro table, he chose card on which to
bet and, opening his clutched fingers.
placed a silver dollar upon it.
| The dealer was proceeding with the
usual precision-exposlng the card that
was to win or lose, gathering in the
money the house" had won and pay
ing that which was lost like a slowly
working piece of mechanism grinding
out the fate of those who came within
its feeder. He had just gathered in his
gains on the card exposed when the
stranger put down his coin. First cast
ing his eye over the board, the dealer
| exposed the next card. 1t was win
ner for the stranger. Not only was
his dollar still his own, but the dealer
Lard 1--WE more dollars beside it.
When the bets had been settled it
was noticed that the stranger left his
money just as it was on the card he
had placed his first bet. 1t won again.
The dealer laid $50 on it, settled Up
the other bets and went on with tie
deal. Again the stranger won. There
was n hum of interest in the matter rs
the dealer coolly laid $3.50 beside the
S36. aggregating in all S216. Several
players looked up into the face of the
| winner to see how he took his good
luck. but his hat was drawn down over
his eyes, and they could not see his fea-
lures He sat with his elbows on the
table, his chin resting on his hands.
| For few moments there was the
sound of heavy breathing, then per-
feet quiet
Before exposing the next card the
dealer waited n moment to see II the
stranger would not draw his money.
| He sat perfectly still. his face turned
down to the heap before him. and as
he gave no sign TO take 1t in the dealer
went on with the game. There was n
multiplicity of chances that the win
nings would go back where they came
from-into the possession of the pa
vilion." Indeed there had been Il null
tlplicity of chances that they would
not win the third time. And these ad-
verse chances were multiplied against
its winning the fourth. When the card
which was to decide the matter was
exposed the eye of every one present
was on it, forgetful Of everything save
the seedy mans case. A burst of ex-
carnations told that again he had won
The dealer gave a dissatisfied grunt
turned to his Golfers TO replenish his
exchequer before paying the loss, then
dumped several pounds of gold on the
table before the winner.
| Again the crowd looked at the fortu-
nate man to see how he took his Won
derful run of look, but there was no
evidence even at the supremely excit-
ing moment when the card was ex-
| posed of even tremor. No such un-
emotional winner had ever played at
the pavilion" Several of the better
dressed players lost interest in their
own game and became intensely inter
ested in that of the stranger. He made
no motion to touch the money he had
won, sitting apparently unmoved while
the dealer was counting it out and set
tling the minor bets. Then, when all
was ready for the next deal, the stran-
gers heap was still staked on the card
on which he had bet and won several
successive times.
He's goin' to try 1t again"
"Foolr'
"Idiotw
Let him alone. He'll break the
bank"
He's gone to sleep"
w uhe MIN up.
The dealer. who was cocksure that
fortune once more tempted would de-
sert the stranger and return all his
winnings to the house" hurried on
and exposed the next card.
\ wild shout from the crowd showed
that the stranger had won again.
The winner still sat motionless. One
of the bystanders shook him. The
mans head swayed. lost its support on
the palms of his hands and feu for
ward on the table. He was lifted up,
his hat removed and his face exposed.
He was dead.
Tom Higgins. by thunderw ex-
claimed man opposite.
The shock was not sufficient to pre-
vent one of the players who had