Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-08-27

n ~
croupier rake the gold and silver In,
with sort of lavish Indifference to
| It's value There was something sup
erb, too. in the careless ease with
which he pushed about to the success
full players the various multiplications
| of their stakes. AS each winner pick
cd up his gains she regretted that
she had not put down louis just
where he had put his. She wondered
what would happen if she did. She
wondered whether the obscure, blind
power that was throwing destinies
about would have anything in store
for her.
"If l knew how, I'd do it." she said
to herself, looking up and down the
table to see exactly what the others
did.
Just then man across the table
threw down a ten-franc piece on pair.
She had seen him do it several times
| in succession, and on each occasion
he had lost. 1t was an easy conclu-
sion that if pair lost impair would
win. 1t was the simplest form of the
game, and before she realized what
she was. about her own ten franc were
down. The wheel spun and slacken-
ed speed; the ball clicked and stagger-
ed and stopped. She held her breath
with her eyes fixed upon her stake.
"If he rakes it In" she thought, I
shall know I've lost"
| But no! From the ends Of tha
tatle the sure, relentless hand swept
up the gold and silver into one cen
trail pile. Here and there a few isolat-
ed stakes were left, her own among
the number. A minute later she found
two gold coins where she had put
down one.
She picked them up timidly, and
looked across at the young man,
Pair had lost again, and she felt sorry
for him. He was not in evening dress
and she guessed, from slight indica-
lions, that lie was poor. Her first
thought was thai it was pity for
him to waste his money; her second,
that the stake she had won was prac-
tically that which he had lost. At
the idea the tiny furrow deepened for
an instant between her brows, and
the gold piece clinched in her hand
seemed to burn through her glove
She had confused, mistaken notion
that she had taken the money from
him, that if she had not played he
might have won.
81 oughtn't to have done It," she
said to herself, half turning to &c
away. But the young man threw
down another ten-franc piece on pair
1t was an opportunity, she thought
had taken from him. 1t was not like
lily that she would win again, and beI
loss must of necessity be his gain
Once more she, put her stake down or
impair, and, with eyes fixed on it
awaited the result
Again the croupier raked the gold
and silver in, and the young mans
stake went with the rest. This time
the very coin he had forfeited was
pushed across the table to her shE
picked it up and slipped 1t into be
glove, looking over at him, to SEE
! what he would do. If he stopped
!, she would stop; If he went on Sill
would give him a chance to viii
l his money back. She was sure it wiz
: his money, and she felt some humili.,
ton in going home with twenty fran
that belonged to passing stranger
Unconsciously to herself her interes
was the more sincere because of tn,
fact that he was tall and good-looking
Certainly a gentleman she com
mented, "and with such a strikin,
: face"
For an instant he seemed to hes
! tate; then his bit of gold fell on pair
!, A second later Paula's fell on impail
: The result was the same as before
! IN
On the sixth spin pair won and in
pair lost, but with the seventh i'm
pairs run of luck began agar
r Paula felt herself growing desperate
' The palm of her left-hand GLOW
S seemed bursting with gold, but i
honor towards the poor young ma
y she could not stop till he did. Sh
9 did not reason that he could wi
a back his money from the bank; sh
t thought it must be from her. OF Oh
thing she was glad; he had nc
i noticed her at all or glanced In he
J. direction. She could, therefore, loo
e at him, with her money in her han,
d ready to throw her stake when b
Q threw his.
s The widow was celebrating ne
arrangement Of her system, takin
l. coin after coin from a small blac
< bag. The girl in the blue veil we
i playing with two louis instead of on
t. gesticulating her orders to the crou
n Ter as to where they should be pla
e ed. The lad who had put his stake e
k plein was now playing it cheval.
d "Rien ne va plus!"
eI Paula started and looked at tt
l. young man across the table. He hs
n put nothing down. He had evident
}. lost all he could afford. What ST
d had won she should be obliged
y keep. The obscure powers of chant
d had been true to their reputation, al
" had given the luck to those who he
!. no need of it.
n Her hand, with the glove full
" gold fell heavily at her side. Perhal
n the unfortunate man had lost ever
It thing he possessed and would
e driven to take his own life, as 81
e understood ruined gamblers general
20 were. She had wild thought of as
10 ing her father to go and beg him