Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-07-21
7ze SPECTRAL
GAMBLER

| spending the winter season at San
Reno and lived in a fine room on
| the second floor of the Hotel Eu-
rope l used to visit Monte Carlo
repeatedly and to play roulette and
usually with the same result. l re-
turned to San Reno with empty
pockets.
One evening came back from such
an excursion and went to bed with
fixed conclusions never again to try
the roulette.
Everything in my room was as
usual. At the side of my bed stood
a little table with marble top and
on this was china candlestick. At
the bottom Of the candle sand on
the top of the candlestick was a round
piece of glass through which the can
die was stuck.
l noticed that it was in good shape
and had no crack when l put new
candle in.
l had peculiar feeling when l
was about to blow the light out. l
smelled the smoke of gunpowder and
had the idea as if somebody was in
the room.
| looked everywhere and could not
find anything suspicious or any trace
of smoke, and laughing about my own
foolishness, lay down to sleep. But
although l was very tired could not
sleep, and half awake and half dream
ing, l saw the roulette table before
1,1o
One individual, man who looked
like an army officer, attracted my
attention. He was pale as ghost
and seemed to try hard to hide his
nervousness. He continuously turned
the ends of his mustache and when
he made his play and placed his
money, and the croupier had taken it
away he smiled grimly and finally hav-
ing apparently lost his last five franc
piece he rose and left the table.
Then l fell asleep. l dreamed that
the man whom | had seen was in my
room and looking at me sternly. l
saw a little hole in his forehead and
a drop of blood coming out of it.
Suddenly l woke up. l had heard
the sound of falling glass. l made
a light and found the glass piece
which had been on the candlestick
broken in two pieces on the marble
lplate of the little table. l wondered
how this could have happened, as the
candlestick was not thrown over by
me while l was sleeping and the
candle was still sticking in it.
On the next morning l met friend
a German count, who had nice villa
in the outskirts of the city
told him my experience, and he
found it very peculiar. OF course
did not tell him of my vision OF
the roulette table and about my
dream.
Il In joking kind of way he re
b marked: well, l think the Polish
n army officer who committed suicide
y in your room fortnight ago is
y probably to blame for the broker
D glass. He went broke in Monte Carlo
y and probably wanted to break some
t thing in return"
did not say anything further abou
the matter, but when l came to my
room l investigated the little table
carefully and lifted the marble plate
To my surprise | found eight number.
written upon the bottom of it,
Should the dream, the breaking O
|. the glass and the finding of the mum
a bers have connection? copied the
). numbers and went to Monte Carlo t,
r play them.
I But l was ashamed of myself, ant
did not put silver piece on tn,
r table
Q The croupier called out NO 49,
e That was the first number on m,
g paper slip. smiled; an accident,
k thought. Then came No. 2, the sec
r ond number on my slip. l was sur
il prised and became so nervous that
t could not move. The third humble
n of my slip came, and in succession tn
o rest of the eight.
q Now, was overcome by tn
o thought of having missed the chanc
k to win fortune
t When l slept in my room the fo
J, lowing night | saw the Polish OF
ficer again in my dream, and, smiling
d ly extending his hand to me, he said
o well done, young man. Resist al
Q temptation and let the game alone"
v l could not touch card any more
t and once when l was to join in
poker game felt cold hand holdin
mine, and l excused myself. | hop
the poor soul of the suicide may hav
found its rest