The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-05-28
THE POOL Of FLAME
CHAPTER III,

dwindled to the negligible In a black
temper with himself (wh0m alone he
blamed for the deception to which
searched blindly for fresh tie, found
it somehow, and knotted it round his
collar in the most haphazard fashion
Then he shrugged dress
coat upon his shoulders and marched
forth to dine.
In this humor he propelled himself
with determination into the public res
taurant of the establishment, and, OBJ
livious to the allure of many pairs of
bright eyes that frightened all too
readily to challenge his. insisted upon
table all to himself, and dined in soli-
tary grandeur, COMFORTING himself
openly as a morose and misunderstood
person, and to his waiter with a man.
ner so near rude that the latter be-
gan almost to respect him.
After some time he was disguised to
discover that he felt better. An Inn
pulse toward analysis led him to probe
the psychology OF the change, with the
result that he laid the blame for 1t at
the door-or the neck-of half-bottle
of excellent burgundy. So he ordered
another, and, resolutely dismissing
from his mind the woman who had
no right whatever to be able to sing
a certain song the way she had, set
his wits to work on the riddle of To-
morrow.
To a man whose trade was fighting,
the world just then was a most dis
tressful place, too peaceful entirely.
Over his coffee the adventurer nod.
ded in despair and frowned in dis
gust; then rousing, he summoned the
waiter and paid his reckoning 18th a
secret grin at himself, a f1fty-franc
note and a gesture which splendidly
obliterated altogether every trace OF
suspicion that he intended to take
back any part of the change due him
Trimming and lighting a cigar, he
reviewed the restaurant with a list
less eye which discovered no one Of
his acquaintance; therefore, with
neither haste nor waste Of time, he
| rose and betook himself to the Casino
that is, to the one place where one
! may feel certain of encountering, soon
er or later, everybody who Is anybody
within the bounds OF the principality
This night, more particularly thar
on any preceding it, now that he haG
| made up his mind to seek bettermen'
of his fortunes elsewhere, he played
| heedlessly, little concerned with the
fofn nf hot ho Lod oh
He had set aside reserve fund suffi
| cient to settle his hotel bill and carr,
| him considerable distance into thu
unknown which he was resolved tt
| beard, and was resigned to lose
the remainder. 1t was a tenet Of hi
creed Of fatalism that chance seldom
favored him when he had money IL
must be at its lowest ebb ere it turn
ed. His policy then was obvious
childishly plain: he must fling to tn
winds all that which he had.
Now never was there a man VIII
| played to lose who didn't win hi
point. Colonel ORourke's case can b
cited as no exception to this rule E
|
less old lady from Terre Haute, VIII
risked her. minimums with the ferC
c1ous jealousy Of a miser making a.
unsecured loan, on the other with a.
intent little Austrian gambler absort
ed In the workings of his System,
/ the adventurer scattered gold upo
the numbered and Illuminated grit
| l.
had been matching shillings, and say
the coins gathered in by the greed
rake as often as the little ivory ba
ceased to chatter on the wheel.
i For the better part of an hour thi
continued. And the little group c
sycophants which had gathered b.
hind his chair to watch his play IL
sensibly dissipated A whisper ra
through the ranks OF the habitues tina
the luck Of the mad Irishman had turr
ed; and forthwith he ceased to be a
object Of interest. Only the littl
Austrian, having risked the numbe
OF stakes prescribed by his system 70
one evenings play. put away his not'
book and pencil and, surrendering bi
place to another, fingered benin
ORourke's chair, unable to resist tn
fascination Of watching a man VIII
could at once lose money and retail
his composure.
AT length, inexpressibly bored an
too impatient to defer the inevitabl
by niggardly wagers. O'RouIke raj
sacked his pockets and placed the pr
ceeds-several hundred francs-I al
as ignorant Of the amount as he wa
Indifferent to it-upon the red
There fell lull, the croupier hol,
ing the wheel to permit an unbake
cub OF Chicago millions to cover th
cloth with stakes too numerous fc
his halfdeveloped intelligence to kee
count Of and the adventurer shifte
IL his seat, reviewing the assem- blag
For some moments, through the my
! ferrous working Of that sixth sens
which men are pleased vaguely to d
nominate intuition, he had been SUI
consciously aware of being the obje.
OF some persons fixed regard, thu
: somebody was not only watching, bl
weighing him. He sought the soure
OF this sensation and. for a little tim
sought 1t unsuccessfully Annoye,
he persisted. He heard the croupier
mechanical Rein ne va plus" follow
, ed by the whirring OF the wheel, b,
cared so little that he would not tur
\ to watch the outcome. Only an e
, clamation Of the Austrian's appraise
him OF the fact that red had won. H
glanced istlessly round to see tt