The sun., 1908-10-18
LooKiNa oN AT MoNrA CAnEa
conrtlahl. lpos. pr ". %. Ho.eeIIal

Z.
Monte Carlo was In every way tempt
ipe. A vast oblong. brilliant With Aowsre
10 ardato patterns, stretched Upward
from the Casino, and there was an aeses-
eble, park whore one might d.. On every
other aide there were costly hotels Ind
costly restaurants, including that Of tie
unexampied, the unsiirpaaeahle ol5os
where one cav people eating and drink-
Ing at the windpwa Whenever one pAesaai
by day OF night. Beyond The Casino eeaa
ward were the beau tifui terraces. pIAneea
with palma and other tropio growtAe,
where people might come out ana Blu
themselves when they had nothing iast
10 lose but their lives; and aGainat the
dark green Of their ffonds tha, teWpie
Of fortune lifted frosted cakelike ffohf
OF long extent. do not know jnnt wiaas
type Of architecture Il ID Of. hut II dlss
tinotly susgests the art OF the pastry
cook when he has triumphed IN some
edifice browning the centre Of The tahla
ut great public dinnsg. Whatr mare
the pleasing effect most In detail which
enforces this suggestion. for the region
OF the Casino 10 thckly frSduented By .
species Of black doves, and when these
gather In close lines Of black dots along
the eaSes they have exactly the effect
OF dies clustering on the suga-y surfaces
OF the cake. Az intervals are bronze
statues of what seem sort Of adolehoenf
chSrubs. but which have, !. do not know
why, d peculiarly devilish appearances.
No doubt they are harmless enough, but
certainly they do nothing TO keep the
flies OF the cake. es0
In fine. % an edifioe the Casino disaps
points. and II one 10 not pressingly osfri4
ous about the interior one rather fingers
on the terrace overlooking the sea. and
the lines Of the railroad following the
shore, and the panorama Of the several
towns. 1t is charming to cit there. and R
it is' In the afternoon you may see an
artist there painting water colors Of the
scenery. Even II he were not painting
you cotld not help knowing him tot an
artist, because he wears a black velvet
jacket and knickerbochers and q soft
slouch hat. and has Q cnrled black nias-
taohe and pointed beard; there 10 no mis-.
taking him; and at given moment.
after he has been working long enough.
he puts above his sketch tho sign sFor
Sale, as artists always do. and then. IL
you want a masterpiece. You 60 down Q
few steps from where yod are eitting
and buy It. But never did that any more
than took tickets for tho charity auto
mobile. though there is no telling what Z
might not have done II had broken the
bank when at last I wentinto the Casino,
It seems to open about II o'clock In
the morning. for gamblers arc hard work.
ing, impatient people, and do not want
TO lose time. A broad stretch OF red
carpet is laid down the steps from the
portal and they begin TO 60 In at onoe,
and people keep going In until l know
not what hour at night, But i think
midafternoon ID the best hour TO see them,
and it Is then that will invite the reader
to accompany me, instructing him to
turn to the left on entering, and get his
gratis billet OF admission to the rooms
from the polite officials there In charge.
who will ask for his GARD and inquire his
country and city. but will not insist upon
his street and his number init. Thisfor
Ii apparently TO make sure that you are
not a resident OF the prinoipality ahd
that II you suffer In your morals fromyour
visit to the Casino you shall not be q
source OF local corruption thereafter,
They bow you away, first audibiy pro-
.nounoing your name with polyglottio
accuracy, and then you are freq 10 wander
where you like. But probably you will
want to gyyat once from the large, nobly
colonnaded reception hall or atsfum
into that series OF salons where wickeder
visitors than yourself are already closely
seated at the oblong tables and standing
one or two deep around them. The salons
OF the series are four, and the tables in
each are from two TO hve, according
10 the demands Of the season; some are
trente ct quarante tables, and some,
by far the greater number. are roulstte
tables. Roulette seems the simpler game
and the more popular; I formed the notion
that there was q sort OF aristocratic quail
ity in trente ct quarante and that the
players OF that game were Of higher
rank and longer purse, but I can allege
no reason justifying my notion. All
that can say is that the tables devoted
10 It commanded the seaward views and
the tops OF the gardens where the players
withdrew when they wished to commit
suicide. 80.
The rooms are decorated by several
French painters OF note. and the whole
interior Is designed by the famous archi-
tect GARNER. to as little eject Of beauty
as could well be. Il Ia a. II these French
artists had worked In the German taste
rather than their own. and In any case
they have achieved in their several ale
gories and impsrsonations something
uniformly heavy and duh. One might
fancy that the mood Of the players at
the tables had impaired itself to the
figures in the panels. but very likely this
IL not so. for the players had apparently
parted with none OF their unpleasing
dulness. They were In about equal
number men and women and they par
took equally OF look Of hard repression.
The repression may not have been wholly
frozn within; little away from each table
lowered. with an air % detachment. oer-
tain plain and quiet men who. for all
their apparent inattention. may have been
agents Of the administration. vigilant TO
slbdue the slightest show Of drama In
the players. I myself saw no drama.
unless may call 30 the attitude Of a
certain tall. handsome young man who
stood at the corner of one Of the tables
and with nervously working jaws staked
his money at each invitation OF the crgt1-
piers. did not know whether he won or
lost, and / could not decide from their