The Bismarck tribune., 1924-08-08

l.
Now, forewarned, would not, no
! matter what the temptation, permit
my holiday to he infringed upon by
business. The PaAsian detectives
have brains.
Still, as / checked my hat and
\ coat, and sauntered through the out
| er rooms into the Cercle Prive, the
more exclusive salons, and beheld the
precious stones that cleaned from
the throats and arms and hair of the
women here, ! could understand that
| not even the Casinos force of detec-
tives, or the importations from Paris,
could deter attempts at theft. Also
l speculated on the difficulties that
might be involved in raid upon
the cash of the Casino itself. But
that was Il job for an organization.
And |. AS have said before, walk
alone
. ! went to booth and exchanged
half dozen mile notes for chips.
Then l slipped into a vacant seat at
one of the tables glanced at a card
kept by the man next to- me, = saw
that red had been turning up With
great frequency, decided that it was
blacks turn, and began backing up
my judgment. had made three
successful coups. when an exclama-
tion from my left-hand neighbor
made me turn and look at her.
She was we'll worth the glance
gave her. l have seen few lovelier
women than this young American
she was patiently that-who sat be-
side me. Black hair and blue eyes
lent to her an exotic air that was en-
HANGED by the olive hue of her skin
! judged that in her ancestry might
be found some grandee of old Spain.
She was dressed prettily, but not
nearly as expensively as most of the
other women present. And she wore
no jewelry whatsoever, save a mar.
row gold wedding ring. Nevertheless
she was the most striking looking
woman in the room
But it was not her beauty alone
that made me stare at her. 1t was
| the expression of despair upon her
face. Her exclamation had been one
OF almost hysterical tlismay. Beyond
her sat youth of twenty-five, good
looking, with that fresh complexion
50 common to the English. His color
was more florid just now than usual.
l imagined. For he was crimson with
embarrassment at his wife's cry. As
II looked, he placed hand upon her
wrist. 1t was this action that made
me assume they were husband and
wife.
n"Dont, Margaret he said to her.
We'll get it back in moment" AS
Ne spoke, he placed plaques aggre,
eating six thousand francs. on the
red.
jacx, you mustn't! Take it back"
S&e was frantic in her pleading.
Behind her stood a tall, black,
bearded man, broad shoulded and
powerful. His huge nose, mottled
skin and pouched eyes told of man
who knew no restraint upon his de-
sifes. He leaned over now.
But what does it matter, Mrs.
BeresfOrd?" His accent told me that
he was Russian
ut matters tremendously" she re-
piled ,angri,y. And then the crou-
pier droned his cry as the little ball
settled irto Number Eleven.
"Onze, impair, noir ct manque."
Eleven, odd, black, and the first
eighteen. His cry was music to my
ears. for l had staked two thousand
on the black. But as ] reached for
my winnings, wished that red had
come. For ] was near ncighbor to
one Of those all-too- common tragedies
of Monte Carlo, the proofs of which
are to be found in the defalcations,
forgeries and embezzlements that fill
the Continental papers, and in the
hushed-up suicides of che cliffs.
How can it matter?" demanded
the Russisn. 81 an here, and | have
money"
She flashed'a look of scorn at him.
l could read the little story as easily
as If it were set before my eyes in
print. / have seen too many elderly
gentlemen befriending young wives.
She rose from her seat. "Come,
Jack" she said.
Her husband looked at her in des-
perate appeal. "That's all we have,
Margaret" he told her. "Unless the
Prince lends money, we have moth
ing"
Horror leaped into her eyes. She
looked accusingly at the prince. "You
encouraged Jack"
Continued in Our Next Issue)