Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-05

calmly he reviewed his situation Yes,
he said after his careful, Clean-eyed survey.
I'm all in. The jig up" He fumbled in
the pocket of his evening waistcoat finally
took out the little bottle of strychnine he
had bought. In almost any circumstances
but just these, he would have spurned the
idea as Cowardly. In all his restless, chaotic
career with its occasional ups and its many
savage downs, he had never met situation
he could not boldly face. Poverty, crime,
peril of liberty and life, all the worst storms
of life had ragged at him, had buffeted him,
without breaking his courage. But this
What was there to do but die, and free her?
The doctor would smooth it over, mightper
haps so contrive that she'd nevet know just
how he happened to kill himself; and she
was young and would recover, and would
forget.
He put the whole bottle back in his
pocket he had taken it out merely to make
sure that i'll luck had not pursued him even
to the point of somehow cutting off his one
line of retreat with the remnants of honor.
"When they lead me away to Jail, " he said
to himself, "Ill make a quick sidestep
Not before. I've nothing but two spot
left in my hand; but I've got to play it. !"
He gazed into the beautiful night, with the
moon just rising. Z" Her windows are on
this side of the house" he reflected The
moon there is shining on her. Well, kitten
one more play
He went back to the game, his long cigar
in the corner of his mouth, his straw hat at
a rakish ANGLE but his face was sick
CHASTITY white, and his eyes looked out
through heavy blue-black circles. They
were playing jack pOts-ten dollars to come
in, ten to open. Jack tossed two red chips
into the heap, drew two cards for a flush,
missed. Cemegys, the copper millionaire,
bet ten; Falon saw it, raised it ten. Jack
looked at his hand, found he had caught a
second queen, called. Cemegys had opened
on aces, but had given up one of them to try
for flush; he had caught a second knave.
Candless glanced toward Falon. "What
you get?" asked he.
"Queens-a pair, said Fallon.
Me too said Jack. What's high?"
"King."
"Ace, said Jack He laughed that cool,
pleasantunplcasant laugh of his-the laugh
that made men set him down cold propo-
sitiOn"
First time you've won tonight" said
FallOn with a sheer. He had been losing
heavily to Cemegys, and was no more
pleased at being separated from his money
lllil any OlllcI sport, l)IOtoSlOlldl OF OlllcT-
wise
First time I've won in two weeks re-
piled Jack. It's the bunch from fate I've
been waiting for. No7o the Candlcss fam
lily begins to play"
In the next two hours, he lost only once
a pot of about two thousand dollars but
it made no impression on the mountain of
his winnings. When Harper was too weary
and Cemegys too drunk to continue to
game, Jack Candless had twelve thousand
dOllars-the largest sum he had ever pos
sessed at any one time in his whole life
Good business, Jack" congratulated
Fallen, as he was bidding him good night,
after the settlement.
Fair" conceded Jack, dividing his win
nings into three great rolls for as many
pockets.
But never knew you drank like that"
Drank? WHAT"
''You emptied two quart bottles of rye"
Candless looked at the stained and lit
tered table, laughed. I" thought it was
water" said he.
"You're a lucky dog, Jack. thought
you were headed straight for hell"
81 was" replied he 81 went through it
came out on the other side. The road
to heaven runs straight through hell you
know. The point is not to stop. Crowd
EN-, always crowd EN-" And he went
jauntily away, presently to march with al
most swagger into the parlor of that ex-
pensive suite But there his manner and
his heart-changed. He stood beside his
sleeping bride, his strong young shoulders
4 4 1.