Evening star., 1922-03-19

cried again:
'1Iessieurs, faites vos jeux!"
(. In the instant the crowd, among
whom were many wealthy Americans
and Russiahs-those people who
haunt Monte Carlo year in and year
out-began to follow the lucky young
woman. On, all sides 5 franc pieces,
golden routssand 1oo-franc Danknotes
were being placed around the num-
ber twenty-eight.
=; But the handsome Italian GIRL lav-
Ing screwed up her big bundle of
notes into her purse. did not make a
further stake. She simply sat there,
amused.
She smiled across to the old man.
and just before the next throw OF the
ball upon the revolving wheel yerng
Grant, who was dressed In light gray,
bent and whispered some words into
her ear.
She smiled and nodded assent.
Then the wheel was turned, the
ball fell. and all who had staked on
twenty -eight and it's surrounding
numbers lost entirely-for zero turned
up!
The crowd at that particular table.
excited by. the pretty Italian girls
winning Of. the maximum. played
coup after coup, but on each occa-
sion they lost. while the 'dark-eyed
siren seated there amidst them. with
the old spaniard opposite her and
the young Englishman standing he
! hind her, did not venture to play
again. ,,..-
All three. however, watched eagerly.
The eyes Of each were fixed On the
| wheel Of fortune. The chief of the
party, who. in other words, is chief
of the table and who sits In his high
chair behind the chief croupier.
| watching that the play is fafr-and
here let me say that no games Of
chance are fairer than those played
! at Monte Carlo-hardly noticed what
| was in progress.
That somebody should win the max
! imum was in the ordinary course OF
events. AS against those few who
win there are SO many who lose, and
who at last apply to the bureau for
their vfatique-their fare, third-class,
to their home, be it Peterborough or
Petrograd, New York or New Zea-
land.
< y ! i.
i0N the day following the coup Of
" the handsome Italian girl, she
| made, about o'clock In the evening,
| when nearly every one had gone to
dinner, another coup which brought
her nearly $500 pounds.
And she had not lost one sou!
Disregarding dinner, she sat in the
same seat. the old man in front Of
her, the young Englishman standing
behind her.
Few people were around the table
at that hour, for from $3.50 to $3.50
the rooms are always practically de-
serted. At o'clock the eager crowd
surge in again through those gilded
salons in which the degenerates Of
the world assemble.
Just before 8 Anita played again,
suddenly, upon number twelve, plac-
ing the maximum upon the number.
and upon all the numbers around.
namely, the numbers from seven to
twelve, on twelve and fifteen, twelve
and nine, and twelve and eleven. as
we'll as upon the red.
The wheel was spun. Again she
won. 1t was the curious fact shat
she had not staked a single sou since
her last win that first aroused the
curiosity of the automatic officials
at the table.
Having won again, she too.. her
winnings and. laughing merrily. went
out with the young Englishnian.
They strolled across to the Ho.a!
de Paris, where they both dlned ex-
pensively. paying the equivalent of
1 pounds sterling for their dinner.
Yet the girl was not in the east
excited. Her attitude. of confidence
was of a person who knew she Lad
all to gain and nothing to lose.
Indeed, later on, at GAS that night,
she won still another $4,000 francs.
and smiled as calmly as though she
had only won a couple Of louis.
After the close Of the play the mat
ter was reported to me by Paul Camo-
let, chief Of our surveillance depart
merit, which looks after those who
are lucky, and also those who are so
unlucky as to apply for the viatique
or take their lives, the big fools
for fools commit suicide.
Camolet came to my room at mid
night and related to me what have
just disclosed.
dismissed it, saying:
"Oh, they'll lose it all, my dear
Paul. Have We not often seen others
" in big sums, but they always lose
it again in the long rum"
YES" he replied, rather hesitat-
ingly, 'but in this case .he girl and
her friends are so entirely confident.
I have discovered today that old Sig
nora BerteHi, whom we have all
known for years, died two months
ago in Bologna. Why should her
niece and her dove return here with
this Spaniard?"
"cTRANGE that she should win each
- time she decides to play" said.
Then, laughing. I added: well. let
them continue. They will come to
ruin sooner or later. To win always
is, as you know, quite impossible.
Those who break the bank return
again and give US back all they have
taken-with one or two exceptions"
Marlborough took 10000 pounds
from us not long ago." he remarked.
"Tfue. A lucky chance. But this
young woman will soon pay us back
all she has taken-and more. Never
fear!'
went home that night quite con-
fident that the trio were doomed in