Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-17

feeling for man whom he hated most
cordially and with high reason. FOL
low you. hand"
Rios received the box from n hand
Offering il and made his third throw
swiftly. The six again.
where we began, scnor," he said,
grown again impassive.
Eendric was nIl impatient easerncss
to make bis throw, locking like n boy
chafing ut moments restraint against
his anticipated pleasures.
"a six TO beat" he Snid.,
And beat 1t he did. with the odds all
against him. He turned up the nee
npd won $4,000.
In the brief hush which came before
the shouts nrd jabbcrings cf mnny
voices Ruiz Rios companion pulled him
sharply by the arm, whispering quickly.
But this time Rios shook his head.
II nm through" he sold bluntly.
Another time, maybe"
But the fever. 10 which he had 50
eagerly surrendered, was just gripping
kcndric. That he was playing for big
stakes was the thing that counted. That
! he had Won meant less to him than II
would have Ineont to any other man in
! the room or any other man who had
ever been In the room or any othcr man
who would ever come into the room. He
saw that Ruiz was through. But. as
bis dancing eyes sped around among
other faces, he marked the twinkling
hshtS of covetousness In Fat Ortega s
rat eyes and he knew that, long ago,
ort,egn himself had played for any
STAKE. Beside Ortege there was another
man present who might be inclined TO
n aNI
conducted the rival gambling house
across the street and who was Orters's s
| lnnch dcSRised son in law. Long ago
ortosa and Tony had ouarreled. aud
when Tony had run away With Eloi.o
Ortega's pretty daughter, mpn said il
was as much to spite the old man az for
love "f the girls enapping eyes. Tony
might play, If Ortega refused
'lnc throw for the whole thing. Or.
toga,E; challenged Kendric. You and
Have ! 10000 pesos III my pock
e. .leered Ortega. You make me
the big gringo bluff"
HIuH? Call it then, man. Thot's
What bluff. IS for. And you don't need
the money in the pocket. This house
IS yours your cellars arc always full of
expensive liquors; there is money in
your nj and something in YOUR safe
vet, l IL bet my hat. Put up The whole
for it VI
Plainly Ortcsl was tempted. And
| why not! There lay on the greer table
"inSinC VI aluringly at him, 500. 900
His. II simply little cube with mum
6ers on 1t turned in proper fashion
! twenty thousand dollars. He licked his
lat pendulous lips. And, to furthe
tempt him, he estimated that his cptlr,
holding here, bar fixtures, tables. winc
ana cash, were worth not above fifteel
thousand. But then, this was all tba
nc had In the world, and though b,
craved further gains until the cravin,
was acute like pain, still he clur.
aVidiy to the power and the prestige ant
the luxury that were his as owner o
Ia Casa Grandc. In brief. he was to,
much the moral coward to be such
gambler as Kendric called for.
NO he snapped angrily.
Look, said Kendric, smiling. II
shook the die and threw it, invertin
the cup over It so that it was hidden
Il do not know what | have thrown
Ortega, and YOU do not know. vii
bet you five thousand dollars even none
that it is a six or better"
Here were odds and Ortcga jerked U
his head. Five thousand to bet
No he said again. mo. don
play. You have DEVILS luck"
With flourish Jim lifted the cup I,
see what he had thrown. Again hi
utterly inirthful laughter doomed out
1t was the deuce, the low throw. Or
tega strained forward, saw and flushed
Had he but been man enough to sa
"Ics - to the odds offered him he woul
/ have been five thousand dollars richie