The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-22

manner that made the old stagers that
fringed the tables hold their breath.
well sir, Major Kennedy had to be
dragged away from that roulette table,
a little after midnight, the possessor of
$4,000. His eyes shone; his speech was
thick, like that of an intoxicated man.
I can't lose he kept repeating; the
thing is a dead certainty; and any one
,, may win If he stakes on my system
Alas, how often had heard that story!
Next morning I accompanied the
Major to the Casino, again at his re-
quest. He called me his mascot and
| laughingly said that he couldn't win
without me. I sat with him all day,
literally struck dumb with the most
astonishing run of luck, fortune-cail
it what you will have ever seen.
That night the. Major arose the pos
| SCISSOR of 100000 altogether. His ex-
element was Ditiable.
"Come and sleep with me, Montalt!'
he said hoarsely My valise and port
manteaux are stuffed to bursting with
notes and gold I humored him, ana
slept in his room by the side of pair
of loaded revolvers.
Next day the Major was at it again
By this time his notoriety had spread
over the French and Italian Rivieras,
from Toulon to Spezzia, and adven-
turers came thronging from all parts
AS we crossed the palm and flower
gardens into the Casino. we were be-
sieged by curious crowds-some of them
business-like enough, however, ana
highly anxious to stake on the same
System as my fortunate Major.
"On the third day Kennedy arose with
the enormous sum of 100000, or 2,00O,-
600 francs. Talk about breaking the
bank! Time after time the table had
to be replenished with funds from the
great vaults, yet the suave and inn
passable croupiers kept literally shovel
ing out whole fortunes at a time.
'On the fourth or fifth day 1 said:
Look here, Kennedy, I'm neglecting
all my own work; 1 really can't be
with you today He was 10th to part
from me, but that day went to the
Casino alone. Next morning he came
and told me that his luck had chang
ed, that he had that day lost 5000
Il ought to have told you before that
our friend-not, indeed, counting his
chickens before they were Matched, but
with the money actually in his possess
sion-had planned out his future career,
which was so vastly changed by his
brief visit and the losing of one ship
on his way out to India. He had tele-
graphed at great length to a big firm
in London, instructing them to buy for
him one of those magnificent country
places so dear to the heart of the Eng
lishman of middle age. He had also
sent in his papers as the military man
has it, to the War Office, and was. of
course, about to leave the army and
set up as a country Squire.
Alas! Man proposes and God dis
poses. He began to lose enormous
sums daily; but what was more re-
markable nothing would stop him in
his wild career.
Why said I to him. you have
enough left even now to keep you in
aff1uence for the rest of your life. Why
| not be satisfied and withdraw
But he wouldn't, and seeing his end.
1 practically acted as his purse bearer
and promptly diverted $780, 600. intending
| to put it safely away. In those days
! there was no Smiths bank at Monte
| Carlo itself; the nearest bank being a
| branch of the Credit Lyonnais at Nice
| To this last-named bank I sent the
money, While the Major continued to
| plunge. VIII it be believed that this
mailman sank right down to his last
| louis once more! I then told him joy
| fully of the nest egg I had laid by for
| him.
! Saints above!" said Montalt ref1ec-
| lively, how funny human nature is!
| Instead of being grateful, the man
| abused me furiously. If I had had that
| money said he, furiously, I know my
| luck would have changed, and 1 should
| have begun to win once more
Filled with disgust I gave an order
| on the Credit Lyonnais to pay the
money and he lost every dollar.
| Yes, sir. this same man, who had in
| his possession $400, 000. all made out of
| $50 in three or four days, is now living
| somewhere in England in comparative
poverty"
The Casino no longer lets one play
the limit: but sets apart sum for
each days play, beyond which it will
not go. But it really needs no such
protection, for it wins 80 per cent of all
the money that comes into play" and
its net profits are. estimated at upward
of $4,000 600 annually.