The Southern herald., 1912-04-26
CHAPTER a.

Rfter that bitter disappointment his
.ausarEs1 In his personal appearance
4EuazAEad to the negligible. In black
sssursa~ with himself (whom alone ne
aGnuseS for the deception to which
NJ bad fallen too facile a victim) ne
,.zarznea blindly for fresh tie, found
x sEzrchow. and knotted it round his
.rmSsur in che most haphazard fashion
EnsNxzzahie. Then he shrugged dress
.,r=se Vonn his shoulders and marched
Gswck cr dine.
Ma ahss humor he propelled himself
uszk dissemination into the public res
aurraEf q the establishment. and 90
EvaNzS 90 the allure of many pairs oi
8rtsfse eyes that frightened all TOO
lenEERE 70 challenge his. insisted upon
n 4zkas aIl TO himself. and dined in soil
aary grandeur, comporting himself
au.-u7g As a morose and misunderstood
uersas. and to his waiter with a man
mar Sa near rude that the latter De-
wsB. almost to respect him.
AfSsr some time he was disguised to
aEsraver that he felt better. An I'M
uul.as toward analysis led him to probe
90 ues-hology Of the change, with the
wxauEe SrrAt he laid the blame for it at
0ass ssnSE-or the neck-of a half-bottle
uE s=rnelEent burgundy. So he ordered
,MznuGAer, and. resolutely dismissing
aassna, MS mind the woman who had
ma r7xht whatever to be able to sing
q. eexrasa song the way she had, set
fEx UEts to work on the riddle OF no
uMsgruw.
Tn a. man whose trade was fighting.
Ifass U-rh Just then was most dis
dsrsmaagl place, too peaceful entirely,
1uRv his coffee the adventurer nod
aEzE "a despair and frowned in dis
1gaR6- then rousing. he summoned the
Wn2Ger and paid his reckoning with a
snEret grin at himself, a tfty-franc
ussG@ ard a gesture which splendldly
afsNaaxrs1cd altogether every trace OF
aass@caon that he intended to take
Hzs.sE 41y part of the change due him
TxfGx7zing and lighting a cigar, he
EeEEe1ed the restaurant with a list
aag8 eve which discovered no one ol
l8za acquaintance; therefore, will
iln7EnSE haste nor waste OF time. ht
smza and betOok himself to the Casino
--aAza Is, to the one place where on'
may GssEi certain Of encountering, soon
Asn ar as1er. everybody who is anybod!
sz2Sikfn kht bounds Of the principally
T&iG 0ight, more particularly thai
,4m any preceding 1t, now that he ha'
zwa{ss w his mind to seek bettermen
mG mrs fortunes elsewhere, he playe
hsswaasEsty, little concerned with tn
lEEaa N what money he had about hin
IEEss aksd set aside a reserve fund suff
gssae 10 settle his hotel bill and carr
tiM n considerable distance into tn
zsafEzG@n which he was resolved t
iAeAE5- and was resigned to los
fsEst@ aaynainder. 1t was a tenet OF h
Gmuasz uf fatalism that chance seldol
113RGea hi, when he had money
gaf4z Fgnchets; the tide OF his affail
znaaG BE at It's lowest ebb ere it tur
-sE AEks policy then was obvious
s-ssTf fanhSy plain: he must fling to Il
sczsm&sa all thet which he had.
.1snw zever was there a man wi
i.7sagsst So lose who didn't win h
,spg5rEs. Colonel O'Rourke's case can
zzfssz Sa.ao exception to this rule I
aEsw Sus Chow on one side with an al
aasaH odd lady from Terre Haute, wi
rEadmA her minimums with the fel
c&BnS SaaJOusy Of a miser making
unsecured loan, on the other with
,Aa6sgaG little Austrian gambler absol
ass& EH eAe workings of his System
ssz.a G&ve1turer scattered gold up
NIhs AEzaaoered and Illuminated gr
Esa@ as 0acoAcernedly as though
SmE asEa matching shillings, and 81
yEisss cazzs gathered In by the gree
frEsaas AS often Gs the little ivory b
egzszEn 20 chatter on the wheel.
Gsr Gke better part of an hour Il
4rrwearSre6. And the little group
,z1MswRants which had gathered
EkaG fA5s chair to watch his play
ssanaf&zy dlssipated A whisper I
@1gtas5s the ranks Of the habitues Il
ssa1 EmGk ct the mad Irishman mad tu
aaF. Gzd eOrthwith he ceased to be
ArtaieQe cf interest. Only the lii
,nAnEzFfaR, having risked the numT
~ esa1ses prescribed by his system
.xzsa @reuing's play, put away his nc
N lksak aad pencil and surreHdering
zsscs 60 another, fingered beh
sgs38nzfc's chair.
A2 hngth, inexpressibly bored q
aza Azgadent to defer the inevita
uw aSuszrdiy wagers, 0'Rourke r
zng8nK ais pockets and placed the 7
nsassl- several hundred francs--I
'ns tszcEunt of the amount as he '
gn6Eaez1f to it--uron the red.
TAuxs fegIa lull. the eroupier hi
- slza wheel 70 permit an unbal
AuaA e Chicago millions &c cover