Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-22

why is 1t closed?' you ask OF an attend
ant who comes TO a military salute as you
address him. A polite murmur and shrug
of the shoulders Is his only answer This
Prince of Monaco is careful to place all
the moral responsibility on the visitor. He
throws out lures. His tables must be
deliberately and even patiently sought
The stranger passing the portal of his
temple of chance is halted with a demand
for a ticket. A row of men sit in solemn
Judgment on the newcomer. The dispens-
ing of places here is as solemn a matter
as at a French theater. You select an In
quisitor from the line, and he proceeds:
Your name, your fathers name. your oc-
cupaton, your age, your birthplace and
Give me your passport, he says in mo-
notonous. implacable accents.
Il have no passport, / apologize; only
a letter of credit
Give me your letter of credit
I hand it over with vague misgivings that
this is far from being the purpose for which
amount for which 1t is drawn and the
amount that has been paid upon it. If
there is ever anything that J desire to
know about myself l need only apply to
this man. At last he issues little green
ticket good for one admission to the sale
de jeu But not yet. The cloak room must
have its chance at each conner. A cane or
an umbrella is always a sufficient pretext
upon which to hang the obligation of a
trifiing fee
Some of the people passing through the
vestlbule into this hall of play are un-
usual. Here are two people, man and a
woman evidently left behind by the fash
ionable season at Nice. Evidently the fas-
cinations of Monte Carlo are more to them
than the gayeties of Nice. Once a system
gets possession of players mind the little
roulette marble becomes as memorable as
the stone which Sisyphus was compelled to
roll. The despairing labor ceases only
with the victims financial exhaustion. The
woman was graceful, refined. exqusitely
gowned and had been beautiful. They
talked about the difficulties which were clos
Ing in about some absent friend named
Reggie" Curious how the name Reggie"
seems naturally to associate itself with the
more picturesque phases of hard luck
&&
The big gaming hall, model of spacious
elegance In architecture. revealed many
such people who looked like characters
from one OF the cheap emotional novels of
continental life. Old women with curls and
finery which Knocked the wrinkles about
their eyes lowered with feverish anxiety
from enc number to another on the roulette
tables. losing with compressed lips and
winning without smile. Old men OF
youthful dress and manners sit about the
long tables and study the play as faithfully
as IL winning were a question of judg-
ment instead of the sheerest chance. There
are people of all conditions; there Is but
one rule None Is shabby.
The Prince OF Monaco Is fastidious
ruler, and he permits none save the sleek
and apparently prosperous TO pay this con-
slant and voluntary tribute. Yet he Is not
beloved Caricatures of him are yended
In his own domain of the most uncompii
mentary description. A fayorite one repre-
sents him as Satan welcoming procession
or misguided souls to the internal regions.
Roulette Is the principal II not the only
game. The percentage is more liberal than
that taken by gambling pruprietors, being
only the single naught, whereas American
tables have both single and double
naught to sweep the entire board for the
benefit of the establishment Chips are
not used. the smallest coin being the Ave
franc piece, which looks like an American