The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-06-13
WOMEN AT MONTE CARLO.
Sit Seriously and Solemnly at Tables
and Watch Others.

gaming table is interested in her fel-
low-women. If she has never been
there before she looks instinctively
for their horns, hoofs, and even tails,
in fond remembrance of Sunday
school Literature on gambling. But
she gets a great surprise, for she
might almost fancy herself, so far as
dress and appearance 60, enjoying \
pleasant Sunday afternoon in a non
conformist chapel in the provinces,
says the London Chronicle.
Women sit as seriously at the
tables as they might do at their pray
ers. And after studying them pretty
closely for nearly two months, 1 am
inclined to say that if gambling is
at the root of male human nature, it
is also at the branch, bud and BIOS
som of the female!
Women have wonderful luck.
While men work out elaborate "sys-
tems," and sit frowning over figures
the mysteries of which would take a
very Napoleon of finance to elucidate,
and then play-and lose, women
simply plank their money on the
number they are "sure is going to
win," and they do win!
It is not at all an uncommon thing
to see woman sitting against the
wall, her husband by her side waiting
to put pieces on at her command.
While he trots to and from the tables,
telling her what numbers turned up
last, fussing and fuming, and worry
ing what to do next, she calmly sur
veys the figures she has jotted down,
gives him another 'piece" at the
psychological moment to put on, and
her big velvet embroidered bag
grows wider in circumference every
hour. The ive-franc pieces are even
heavier and clumsier to, carry than
our crown piece. But she is so thor
oughly used to it in quantities she
does not mind it all, but says: "The
heavier the better!"
These ladies play with sang
froid, an Indifference as to whether
they lose or win, which is only equal
ed by their menkind. l have seen
one of the Vanderbilts lose a for
tune in an hour without seeming 70
notice it. And I have seen man
whose stake of 100 francs won him
over $4,000 the next moment have to
be tapped on the shoulder by the
croupier to pick up his winnings. He
had forgot that he had stake on:
Good luck and bad alike are taken as
calmly as a lake receives rain.
It is scarcely in human nature,
perhaps, to know when to stop gamb-
ling after one has once begun, and
hence all the sad tales of the broken
banks of those who have been to
Monte Carlo.
The game of roulet itself is per-
fectly fair and open and above-board.
You know what you may lose and
what you may win to half penny,
which can scarcely be said of any per-
fectly respectable business transac-
ton. Anything of a shadowy or
questionable nature in the Casino is
due to the human beings in it, not
the games played; and am sorry to
say that when there is anything
wrong it is generally a case of
"cheerchez Ia femme"
The officials at the door have in
structions to be very particular as to
the men they will allow to enter.
Even a Duke would not dare to ask
for card of admission while wearing
flannel shirt and collar, for in
stance. But, judging from the frows-
mess of some women, one would
fancy that in their case anyone can
pass the portals.
This is the more strange when one
notices that women win where men
lose, and, as I have said, are mostly
at the root of any evils that arise.
There are women by the side of whom
it is dangerous to play. They will
pick up your winnings under your
very nose, and then brazenly declare
to the croupier they are theirs. This
happens not very frequently, but
sometimes twice or thrice in day.
The croupier generally pays both par
ties. There are women, also, who
make a practice of sitting by men
and asking for a piece of their win
nings. They must be well known to
the croupiers at least. 1t is pity
tho nortore cannot leave their nOStS