Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-27

would Won ike bite oI Sotnethin 10
eat trst?"
At the mere hint OF food n frightfui
pang Of hunger transfixed Il. Sybarite.
Abandoning false pride. p. Sybarite
yielded:
II don't mind II do. thank you"
Straight on back: Petell take care
OF you nll right
A thumb indicated the door in the
rear OF the hall p. Sybarite found the
back room one OF good proportions.
whatever the architects original inten-
ton. now serving as n combined lounge
and grill: richly and comfortably fur
nished in sober. masculine fashion.
Boosting in all three buffets set forth
with n lavish display of food and drink.
In one OF many deeply upholstered club
chairs n gentleman OF mature years
and heavy body. with a scarlet face
and crumpled. wine stained shirt
bosom. was slumbering serenely; two
thirds OF an extravagant cigar cold be
tween his fingers. In others two young
men were confabulating quietly. but
with a most dissipated air. heads to-
gether over a brace OF glasses. At
corner service table a negro in a white
Jacket was busy with a silver chatting
dish. which exhaled a tantalizing
| aroma.
The negro at the entrance OF p. Syb-
arite. glanced quickly over his Shout
der. and. seeing a strange face. clap
ped the cover on the chatting dish.
"Yas-suh-comin'. he gabbled. Its
sho' a pleasure TO see you again."
AT least" suggested P. Sybarite.
dropping into q chair. cit viii be. next
time"
That's right, suh-that's the troofT
The negro placed a small table ada
cent to his elbow. 'Tha's what All
aIlus says to strange gemmen fust time
they comes hyeh. sub; makes 'em feel
more ut home like. Jus femme know
what All kin do for yo' tonight. That |
ere lobstuh Newburg's JUS about |
prime TO eatin' this very minute. eff |
yo' feel a bit peckish."
n spoonful
AN uh Ill drink, sub? JUS one Ill |
inherent cocktail to fix yo' mouth |
right?"
IF you insist. Pete-if you insist"
"Yas-suh; and wifi the lobstuh. sub.
All venture to suggest n nice. cold I'll
ha'f pint of champ2gne?'
The negro waddled away returned
and offered the guest a glass brim-
ming with amber tinted liquid.
Tender morsels of lobster smothered
in cream and sherry. piping hot; dainti-
est possible waters of bread and butter
embracing leaves of pale lettuce: hoi-
low stemmed glass effervescent with
liquid sunlight of n most excellent
bouquet-and then another: these serv-
ed not in the least to subdue +. Syba-
rites internal jubilation.
Finally THE house." through the
medium OF its servitor. insisted that
he top Off with n cigar.
Ten years since his teeth had grip
ped a Fancy Tales OF Smoke:
Now. It mustn't be understood thai
=. Sybart:e entertained any miSappre-
tensions as to the nature of the in
into which he had stumbled.
He had not needed the sound. some
times in quieter moments audible from
upstairs. of a prolonged whir. ending
in several Staccato clicks. TO make him
cogniznnt OF its questionable
character.
So ut length. satiate and n little
by curiosity besides-he
rose. endowed Pete lavishly with "a I
handful of small change. something
over 80 cents-all he had in the world
aside from his cherished Stand slow {
y assembled 10 the second iioor.
Here in remodeIinG the house for its
present purposes partitions had arbi {
trarily been dispensed with. Aside
from that inclosing the we'll of the :
stairway. the floor was one large room :
wholly devoted TO some half dozen
;ames of chance.
Upon sll the gaming tables massive I
electric domes concentrated their light. Z
The walls. otherwise severely I'M I
adorned. were covered with luStrOus (
GOLDEN fabric; the windows were invis- T
BILE. clcaked in splendid golden hang
ngs; the carpet. golden brown in tone I
vas OF velvet pile so heavy that II [
completely muffied the sound OF foot 4
teps. Indeed. the room was singular i
y silent for one that harbnred some '
woscore players in addition to full
orps OF dealers. croupiers. watchers
nd walters. The warmth OF the room {
rms noticeable.
\ brief survey of the gathering con n
-fnced p SybarirS: tsa1 barring the h
ervants. he was a lonely exception TO 7
he rule of evening dress. But this =
discovery discounted him not ut all. =
With an eye alert for the man with
he twisted mouth he strutted from
able to table ostensibly as little I'll at
ase as a press agent in a theater
'bby.
A few minutes sufficed to demon
trate that the owner OF the abandoned
at was not among those present.
'hich fact. coupled with the doorkeep- E.
IS averment that Mr.. Bailey PenfieId
as not. persuaded p. Sybarite that
lie former was neither more nor less
IAN the proprietor OF this gaming
ouse.
But this conclusion perturbed him. an
e couldn't imagine either Miss Les 10
m, or Mise Marian pIass;nr+o, L., ~. er