Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-09-26


where she had sunk her teeth into her
lower lip. Glenister did net fise He
sat, heavy proved and ssilesa. bis jaw
thrust forward his hair low upon his
forehead, his eyes bloodshot and dead.
Eli sit the hand out If you'll let me
bet the finger, !" said he.
Certainly replied the dealer.
When a man requests this privilege,
it means that he viii call the amount
of his wager without producing the
visible stakes, and the dealer may ac-
cept or refuse according to his judg-
ment of the battor's responsibility. 1t
is safe, for no man shirks a gambling
debt in the north, and thousands may
go with nod of the head though never
a cent be on the board.
There were still a few cards in the
box, and the dealer turned them, pay
ing the three men who played. Glen
lister took no part, but sat bulked over
his end of the table. glowering from
beneath his shock of hair.
Cherry was deathly tired The strain
of the last hour had been so intense
that she could barely sit in her seat,
yet she was determined to finish the
hand. AS Bronco paused before the
last turn many of the bystanders made
bets. They were the lease players"
who risked money only on the final
pair, thus avoiding the chance Of two
cards of like denomination coming to-
gether, in which event C.splits'' 1t Is
called the dealer takes half the mon
ey. The stakes were laid at last and
the deal about to start when Glenister
spoke. Wait! What's this place
worth, Bronco?''
what do you mean7''
you own this outft| He waved
his hand about the room. well, what
does it stand your
The gambler hesitated an instant,
while the crowd pricked up its ears,
and the girl turned wondering. trou-
bled eyes upon the miner. What would
he do now?
Counting bank rolls. fixtures and
all, about $4,000. Why?'
"I'll pick the ace to lose, my one-half
interest in the Midas against your
whole layout
There was an absolute hush while
the realization of this offer smote the
onlookers. 1t took time to realize it,
This man was insane There were
three cards to choose from-0ne would
win, one would lose, and one would
have no action.
OF all those present only Cherry Ma
lotte OWNED even vaguely the real rea-
son which prompted the man to do
this. 1t was not 'gameness' nor alto
gether a british stubbornness which
would not let him quit 1t was some
thing deeper. He was desolate, and
his heart was gone Helen was lost to
him-worse yet, was unworthy and
she was ali he cared for. What did he
want of the Midas, with it's lawsuits,
its intrigues and its trickery? He was
sick of it all, of the whole game, and
wanted to get away. If he won. very
well. If he lost. the land of the aurora
would know him no more
When he put his proposition the
Bronco Kid dropped his eyes as though
| AGpdL1I2. lit XIII SdW t4di lie stu
died the cards in his box intently and
that his fingers caressed the top one
ever SO softly during the instant the
eyes OF the rest We're on Glenister.
The dealer looked up at last, and Cher
ry saw the CLEAN of triumph in his
eye. He could not mask it from her,
though his answering words were hest
Eating. She knew by the look that
Glenister was pauper.
Come on" insisted Roy hoarsely;
turn the cards."
You're onI''
The girl felt that she was fainting.
She wanted to scream. The triumph
ef this moment stifled her-or was 1t
triumph, after all? She heard the
breath of the little man behind her
rattle as though he were being throt-
tied and saw the lookout pass shak-
ing hand to his chin, then wet his
parched lips. She saw the man she
had helped to ruin bend forward, his
lean face strained and hard, an odd
look Of pain and WEAKNESS In his eyes.
She never forgot that look. The
crowd was frozen in various attitudes
Of eagerness, although it had not yet
recovered from the suspense Of the
last great wager. 1t knew the Midas
and what it meant. Here lay half Of
it, hidden beneath tawdry square of
pasteboard. With maddening delib-
Grafton the Kid dealt the top card. Be
meath it was the trey of spades. Glen
lister said no word nor made move.
Some one coughed. and it sounded like
a gunshot. Slowly the dealers fingers
retraced their way. He hesitated pur-
posely and leered at the girl, then the
three spot disappeared and beneath it
lay the ace as the king had lain on
that other wager. 1t spelled utter ruin
to Glenister. He raised his eyes blind
", and then the deathlike silence of
the room was shattered by sudden
crash. Cherry Malotte had closed her