Rock Island Argus., 1904-05-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
At the Pavilion.
IOriginaI.l


dressed.
The game. was one most commonly
| played in those parts-faro. The deal
| er, a redheaded, sandy bearded man i'll
a woolen shirt, sat at one end of the
| table dealing cards from 4 tin box.
while the patrons of the pavilion"
as it was called. placed their money on
other cards arrang ged in oval form on
! the table.
All were too abs orbed in the play to
| notice the entrancesof 4 man who under
| other circumstances would have been
noticeable even in that motley crowd.
His clothes were in tatters: his sunken
cheeks and eyes told story OF long
! continued hanger. Shutting up to the
faro table. lse chose Il card on which to
bet and, opening his Ciutched fingers,
| placed Il silver dollar upon it.
The dealer was proceeding with the
| usual precisiOn-eXpOsing 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 n win
ner for the stranger. Not only was
| his dollar still his own. but the dealer
laid five more dollars beside il.
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 the
| deal. Again the stranger won. There
was hum Of interest in the matter as
the dealer coOlly laid $50 beside the
| $50, aggregating in all S2fG. 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 Il few moments there was the
sound of heavy breathing, then per-
feet quiet.
Before exposing the next, card the
dealer waited Il moment to, see if the
stranger would not draw his money.
lie sat perfectly still, his face turned
down to the heap before him, and as
he gave no sign to take it in the dealer
went on with the game. There was
multiplicity of chances that the win
nings would go back where they came
from-intO the possession of the pa
viIion." Indeed there had been Il null
tiDlicity of chances that they would
IL L
verse chances We're 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. y burst of eX-
carnations told that again he had won.
Tie dealer gave Il 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 Il 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
10 motion to touch the money he had
won, sitting apparently unmOved while
the dealer was counting it out and set
Ting 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.
Hes goin' to try it again."
"FoOlr'
'Idiot.'
Let him alone He'll break the
bank"
Hes gone to sleep"
'Wake him up"
The dealer, who was cocksure that J
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 pa$1ns of his hands and fell 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 Il man opposite.
The shock was not sufficient to pre-
vent one of the players who had a
grudCe against the house. from motto
ing that the dealer was not paying.
Down with the dustr' he cried.
Down with the dust!'' repeated the
man who had recognized the stranger,
putting his hand to his hip. His wife
and children are starving down in the
Eulch. They shall have his winnings"
The dealer. seeing the temper of the
crowd, counted out $6.4SO, which by
common consent was intrrsted to the