The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-11

1 lonesome hollowness. Frenchy stared at
 his cards.
 l Five hundred more!'
 Frenchy winced and shivered. It seemed
 to him that 8 long thin -bladed knife had
 reached out of the silent hollow that sur
 rounded him and stabbed him twice in
 the breast.
 ''Ho, ho, hop went the little devil at
 the back of his head. Stay with 'em!
 Put up the horses-everything on the
 deuces-ho, ho, ho!'
 But can lay down now and save the
 horses" urged the sick heart of Frenchy. "You won on the deuces once!' shrieked
 the little devil; didn't you-didn't you?"
 Frenchy now heard his own voice grow
 ing up out of the hollow Taken; my
 five horses and outfit are good for it. | Then he emerged from the soundless hollow and was aware of the circle of glittering eyes staring down on the field | whereupon he had just stalSed five years of his life and his last cherished dream. Full house-aces on queens" I Frenchy heard the words and grinned
 exultantly. The little spiteful devil was silent.
 -Four kings!''
 l Frenohy dropped his cards face up and
 reached for the bottle. "Ho. ho, ho!" went | the little devil. dancing all over his brain; everything lost on the deuces-dead
 horse for the crows to pick!-he he, he!' | ripple of exclamations ran about the
 circle of loungers as they leaned for
 ward to see the hand upon which | Frenchy had staked all that he owned.
 "Deuces! By the jumping-four dirty deucesl''
 "Deuces?'
 l -Four of 'em."
 Flows that for bluff" Fool playl'
 l A buzzing undertone of comment filled
 the room and steadily grew into a chat | tering as of crows about a spot where | something has just died. Frenchy seemed
 not to hear; he was busy filling and re- | filling glasses. The man with the four
 kings quietly raked in his winnings.
 "And the horses-?" he suggested. 1 Frenchy set the drained glass down with a bang, and with snake-like for
 ward thrusting of the head leered hide
 
 about the horses? He forced the words 1 menacingly through his shut teeth. | A hush fell upon the loungers as they | looked upon the pinched. malignant face
 with the upper lip lifted quiveringly and
 the close set teeth showing beneath. This
 was no longer the Frenchy of legend; that | Frenchy had always been known as one
 who lost or won large sums with the | utter nervelessness of a machine. This | was no longer the face of Frenchy-
 the gay, careless, naughty face of him who firted with Fortune. This was a new 1 Frenchy-a terrible Frenchy with a coiled | snake lurking just behind each glittering | eyeball. This face sent shiver through | the crowd-like the sight of an ugly knife unsheathed in anger. | The loungers with affected carelessness began to move away. With Lightning | guns and banged them down violently On | the table before him. Stay where you ! are gentlemen!' he said; "I'm going to l talk and I want an audience. When I'm 1 done talking, I'm off on the long trail ] and the first man that moves goes with l mel"
 There had always been a winsome some-
 thing In the voice of the man. It was
 now commanding, irresistible. The loung- CTS stood still and stared dumfounded l upon this terrible new version of an old | legend.
 Frenchy picked up four cards from his hand and held them up fanwse before his enforced listeners. Look at 'em" he | shouted hoarsely. Look tat emp Let em burn through your hides into your souls! Oh you don't see anything, eh? Don't one of you dare to grfn!" One hand fumbled nervously with the , guns.
 What do you see? I say what do you see? Four aces? That's all? I'll tell you what 1 see. l see the red. warm hearts of two friends l see diamonds that are cheap beside such hearts I see club black, brutal, treacherous club--that struck down a friend! And l see the Devils spades that dug his grave! That's | what see! Look hard" Frenchy seemed to exercise an uncanny influence over his hearers. Not one moved all stared upon the four upheld dueces "Its the Devils story, gentlemen" he hung by me for three bloody years--it haunts me, I've got to tell it."
 He passed his free hand over his fore head beaded with sweat. Then he whis- pered a question to the spellbound audi ence:
 Did any of you know the Kid-Kid Smth?"
 A momentary expression of infinite kind ness softenened the face of Frenchy, only to give way immediately to deep Quiyer-