The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-08
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chips are worth"
The boisterous voice rejoined: You've
| got nearly ten thousand pounds worth Of
chips in front Of you. Mr.. Finlayson. and
here am buying two thousand I'VE hun
dred more Well be ruined II this goes
on"
But II had no idea" In Uncle Jacks
tremulous tones there was no hint Of an
inclination to cackie. Really. you know.
this kind of thing In quite out of my
iins-aItosether out Of my line. II new
er sambled in my life. I'm not a gam
bier"
II don't know about being gambler.
Mr.. Finlsyson. You've won several, thou
sands Of our money"
But IL had no notion we were play
ing for such stakes What am I to do
with these-these chips? We've none of
US raid for them"
I'll pay for mine right now. sir, IL
you don't mind. It's the general custom
for gentlemen in the circles in which I
move to pay for their chips at the end
Of the game. But since you put II that
way. I'll put my money up" This was
unmIstakab.y Chicago Charlie. I won
dered how much money he really had
that was money. Here. Mr.. Grifiths, is
two thousand 1--WE hundred pounds In
Bank OF England notes" Although /
could not see them. I doubted. You're
banker: perhaps youn just go through
them. and at the end of tho game pay
this gentleman with that money for any
OF my chips he may have won. And
while I'm at II. III have two thousand
five hundred pounds worth more. And
here are the notes, sir.
But. my dear sir. repeat that never
dreamed Of playing for such stakes"
1T the stakes are not large enough for
you. Mr.. Finlayson, the value Of the
chips can be raised. We are not chill
dren. sir. Arthur. It's you to deal. Mr..
Finlayson. your very good health. 1 like
a good game once in while. I've brought
a little money with me here tonight. and
may you win It all-you'll md me all
smiles II you do. Won't you drink to
me, sir?''
fancy Uncle Jack did drink to him
in imagination I could see his state Of
huster. his tremulous hands causing him
to take a biggF drink than he had meant
to-and he was In q state In which every
thimbieful counted Comparative silence
reigned. Then. after an interval OF sew
eral minutes, the boisterous voice was
raised.
It say, you know. I don't mind a rous-
ing good game. but isn't this getting
rather serious? I don't know. Mr.. Fin
LAWSON, IL you're keeping count of the
Iosses-Miss Parsons keeps ladling out
the chips-and now you're cleaned out
again. How much has Mr.. Finlayson
had?"
I've got II all down on this piece of
paper" II was Miss Parsons who re-
piled. That last lot makes twenty !
eight thousand six hundred and fifty |
pounds"
"what"' This was . sort Of shrek
from Mr.. Finlayson-
Sure you're right7' This was the
man with the besterous voice.
II don't pretend to be very good at ad-
dition. I put down the figures as I gave
him each lot Of chips. You'd better add
II up yourself
I took II that q paper was handed to
Mr.. Grifflths, who cast up the various
amounts which were on II.
That's all right-twenty-eight thou
sand six hundred and fifty, didn't you
say? There were ten thousand which he
had from me. I don't know how far |
you're prepared to go, Mr.. Finlayson. but |
that makes nearly forty thousand"
I'm good to go on all night I'm spoil |
ing for a rousinE gamble. What's forty |
thousand pounds?" This was Chicago |
Charlie.
There was another silence: then Mr.. |
.Inlayson began to speak in weak. quav- |
ering accents which made II impossible |
for his words to reach me. The crisis was |
approaching-I had to hear what he said.
turned the handle noiselessly-to find that |
It opened inwards and that 1t was
screened on the other side By curtains. so
that I was even able to glance between |
them and abserve what was happening in
the room beyond.
1t was a large room. well lit by several
inverted incandescent gas burners. There
was a card table in the center, at which |
four men were seated-Chicago Charlie, |
on his left Mr. Poyntz, opposite Mr.. Fin
layson. on his right a buIlocky sort of |
man. whom 1 took to be Mr.. Grifiths.
there was a little table between each two
men, on which were glasses; evidently |
Mr.. Finlay.on. for one. had been drink
ing more than he should have done, pos
sibly assisted by Mrs. Hammond. who
sat on his left to see that his glass was
kept filled. and possibly also to inform