Gilpin observer., 1908-08-20
"rhe president," I exclaimed. Then

THE preSident!" exclaimed. Then
she's Nihilist. And your orders?"
ITO watch her closely. Aided by
my husband, l have been keeping OBJ.
servation upon her for these last
three months. She has no money, and
has come to Monte Carlo to replenish
her funds"
And this Austrian, Remenyi, what
of him?"
She has only lately made his &C.
quaintance. From what l have OBJ
served, there is some compact be-
tween them. She is to meet him here
this afternoon
Scarcely had this handsome woman.
whose passport gave her immunity
from arrest throughout the cars en-
pire, uttered these words when we
saw the pair approaching, and moved
away to escape observation.
They walked on to the right-hand
trente-et-quarante table, where Pas
quale was already seated, and stood
for some time intently watching the
game. Madame Severine left me to
wander about alone, having agreed
that we would both keep the pair un-
der observation. l saw her later on
seated at the old Italians side, playing
quite as eagerly as any other gam
bier. But her manner was perfect.
A seat at last becoming vacant.
next to Cruel, the tailleur, the ugly
little Austrian in an instant marked"
it by f1inging down a louis. Then,
leisurely seating himself, with his
companion standing behind his chair,
he commenced playing with precision
and care
Suddenly, just as two clustering
men-one of whom was the fair-ha;red
player, who had previously expressed
mpatience-demanded gold in ex-
change for notes, Madame de Courier
drew from her pocket paper con-
tanning about thousand francs in
, gold, and, in her haste to stake
louis upon the table, the paper broke.
and the gold fell to the floor in a per-
feet cascade. the louis rolling away
beneath the feet of the players, under
the chairs and under the table. This
created hopeless confusion, for nearly
everybody rose in order that the at.
tendants might. collect the falAn
money, while madame, red and con-
fused, uttered thousand pardons.
The hunchback uttered a word of
apology to Cruel that his fair COM
panion should have caused any such
interruption in the game; but soon
afterwards all settled again, and tsere
sounded the wellknown invitation
"Messieurs, faites vos jeux."
Nina de Gourieff, with a gamblers
fear lest her gold. once fallen, should
bring her ill-luck, took some notes
from her pocket and placed 12, the
maximum, on the noire, while, strange
ly enough. the deformed man acted
in similar manner.
"Rien ne va plus" cried the tail
leur, and he dealt the cards swiftly in
two ranges.
"Deux, six. rouge perd ct couleur
gagne!" Cruel exclaimed loudly 80
ment later, raking in the stakes upon
the red.
Both the man and the woman had
won the maximum. and were paid with
the swiftness and precision which
characterizes the fulfillment OF the OBJ
legations of the bank.
Again came the invitation to play.
and both staked upon the black. while
Pasquale. noticing his friends good
fortune, also threw 10000 francs upon
the couleur.
"Quatre, cinq, rouge perd ct couleur
gagne" was Cruzels announcement
a few seconds later. the excitement at
the table becoming intense when It
was noticed that all three had won the
maximum.
Cruel was playing swiftly. when
Madame Severine approached me
hastily, saying
There is some mystery here. Have
those cards counted"
Again the game was made, and a
third time the trio won; then. as the
chef bent over to CRUEL, Madame de
Courier rose quickly. gathered up her
winnings, and left.
The cards were at once counted, and
it was discovered that there were 30
cards in addition to those supplied to
the table that morning!
According to Madame Severines
statement 1t appeared that the con-
spiracy had been very carefully
worked out, and that Nina de Courier
and her two confederates, having cre-
ated confusion, Remenyi had at that
instant slipped unnoticed into Cruzers
hand a pack of prepared cards. Then,
when all became again tranquil, the
players had placed down the max.
imum, confident of success.
The hunchback was arrested down in
the Condamine half an hour later, and
both were, in due course, tried before
the Tribunal at Monaco, sentences OF
two years Imprisonment being passed