Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-02-01
Playing For
a Wife
By ELlNOR MARSH

bduu year. l. HIS WAS uOI euOuSu.
She could not possibly get on without
two thousand. She gambled and lost
all her money except few thousand
dollars.
Steady girls make good wives, and
there is not much to be.expected from
unsteady ones. A gambler is not like
ly to make satisfactory companion
for a man. Nevertheless men are not
prone to marry woman because she
is steady. They marry the woman
who fascinates them, and reckless
woman is sometimes more fascinating
than careful one. At any rate, Fred
Molineaux fell in love with Miss Win
terton and asked her to marry him.
But he was poor, and she declined him.
Had he been wealthy she would have
married him, because she liked him.
But Mollneaux did not know this.
Molineaux went away. Everybody
said that he could not remain In the
same place with the girl who had re-
fused him. This was before she In
herited her $4,000 or had taken to
gambling. One day several years later
he returned.
One evening the two met at bridge
party and were opponents in four
handed game. Miss Wlnterton took
5000 away with her Mr.. Molneaux
told her he had brought back with
him several thousand dollars and
would be pleased to have her win 1t
from him. She said she would rather
win some one else's money, but he in
sisted, and she consented.
When they sat down to cards Moli-
neaux asked his opponent what game
she preferred She chose bridge, and
they began two handed game. Moli-
neaux told her he couldn't lose his mon-
ey to her fast enough without playing
high. She was not averse to this, and
they kept doubling" and "going back"
till there was much money passing.
But instead Of Miss Winterton win
ming Mollneaux's money he won hers.
She was reduced to few hundred dol
lars, the remains Of her Inheritance,
when the luck turned and she began
to win, and 1t was not long before she
had recovered all she had lost to him.
From this time on Molineaux play
ed with apparent recklessness, which
would have indicated to an uninter-
ested observer that he was playing
purposely to lose. A thousand dollars
Of his money went to Miss Winterton,
then another thousand and another
till $4,000 had changed hands. Then
he drew FIVE 500 bills from his pocket
II thought" said Miss Winterton,
"that you had brought back only
few thousand dollars"
II am not yet at the end of my pile
he replied, dealing the cards.
Molineaux continued to lose steadily.
His adversary expected every time she
made a big haul he would announce
that he had been frozen out. But his
funds seemed to hold out amazingly.
The more Miss Winterton won the
more excited she became. The more
Mr.. Molineaux lost the cooler he ap-
peared. When Miss Winterton had
won $4,000 she was so absorbed in
the game that she forgot about her
opponent having only few thou
sand. She played high. but Molineaux
played higher. Occasionally he won.
They had been playing many hours
when Miss Winterton paused to count
her winnings. She had won $4,000.
''How would you like to throw hand
at poker double or quits?" asked Moli-
neaux.
Miss Winterton caught her breath.
She had regained the amount of her
legacy. Should she stop and live on
$1,000 or risk all by trying to secure
sum that would satisfy her-$2,O002
She was under the influence of the
gambling demon.
Suppose you lose," she said doubt
fully, "have you the money to payf"
Molineaux drew a certified check
from his pocket for $4,000 and laid 1t
on the table His adversary looked
surprised.
Il thought you were poor?" she said.
"Since / saw you last l have made
this money. l have come back to-
He paused, uncertain how to finish.
Buck against me. Your purpose is
or was to clean me out, then offer to
take care Of me as your wife,"
Proceed with the game and you will
know my object Is 1t double or quits?"
She peered into his face, endeavoring
to read what was at the bottom of all
this. 1t was inscrutable. Then she
said:
Double or quits it is. Deal the
cards."
He dealt her pair of tens and scat
tering. His own cards were all scat
tering. She called for three cards, and
he dealt himself new hand. Throw
ing his cards on the table face up, he
showed king high. Miss Winterton
turned her cards over and showed two
tens. lmperturbably as ever, Molineaux
pushed the check over to her.
II was only at the latter part of the
play that Miss Winterton's attention
hap been directed to what was going
on between her and a man who had
proposed to her. Somehow now she
forgot what she had won in his possi-
BILE object
Are you cleaned outT she asked.
"Yes; made this money on a spec
ulation and CANA hack IN ioea u 90