LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2641, 23 September 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

"MAKE SOUK GAME.” A TBW GAMBLING STORIES Some years ago, when the boards of green eloth at Baden Homburg, and other continental waterng places were still m full swing, I male the acquaintance at Spa of a ▼€ffy intelligent sail agreeible brenebman, •r, as he might be more accurately described, cosmopolite, who regularly passed his summers at wh : ohever of these live y resorts appeared to him most alt active for the time being, and, as It happened fortunately lo* me, had on this particular occas'on selected for his tamp irary sojourn the abovenamed little Belgian paradise, the Casino (or Bedoute, as it was then called) of which was presided over by M. Eavelouis, commonly styled on account of hla extreme parsimony, Daveloird. My neir companion had baan everywhere wad seen, everything, knew a smattering of half-a-dozen languages, and might have •erred as a reliable guide to most parts of JEarop*, including the highways and by-ways of oar own metropolis. At one period of bis life he had occupied tfae post of private secretary to an emperor, and at another, when hla fund* were at low water, tad been a constant contributor to the “ Time*.” His store of anecdote on every conceivable topic was prodigious, and even a common ■laoe story g lined point and relish from his manner of relating it; while on the subject - moat appropriate to the place where we were the public gambling tables his experience, de.ived from personal observaware to me (then a mere novice In each matters) peculiarly interesting. He played bat little himself, and only by fits and starts, as the f*ncy prompted him, immediately desisting U fortune proved unkind. * Never back yonr ill-lnok ’ was his motto, and he invariably acted up to it. We had been talking one day of the autocrat of Homburg and Monte Carlo. It is not surprising (he said) that sc well known a millionaire as Blanc should have been constantly applied to for pecuniary assistance by unlucky players, whose requests for a sufficient sum to enable them to return home were usually granted, and by penniless adventurers to whose supplications—mot considering himself bound to be genersob, except where the credit of his establishment waa concerned —he invariably turned A deaf ear. Once, however, ho was c impelled In self defence to depart from his wtial principle of * non-In tor von lion,’ aa the fallowing anecdote will show. Among the visitors at Homburg in the year preceding my arrival at Spa waa a certain C mnt E , whose right to the title borne by him was, according to all accounts, to aay the least, contestable.; and who, having lost at roalette what little cash he originally possessed, was at an early period of the season literally without a son, A schema occurring to him bv which he proproposed to replenish his coffers, he repaired one evening to Blanc’s private abode, and Inquired of the servant in attendance at what hoar in the morning be conld see bis master. •Not before ten o'clock,’ was the reply, ‘ Monsieur la not an early riier.’ ‘That will bo too late,’ answered the count ; ‘I am leaving by the first train, and most see him, aa I have news for him which he will be glad to hear. So, aa the matter presses,’ be continued, slipping five lonis wh ch he had borrowed for the occasion Into the valet’s band, *1 shall count upon yonr showing me into hla bedroom when I come.' This being agreed to after same hesitation OA the servant’s part, the count withdrew, and, as eight o’clock struck on the following morning, was nihered Into the luxuriously furnished chamber where M. Blanc was reposing. Carefully closing the door and bolting it, the count advanced towards the bed, the occupant of which, aroused by hla entrance, started np in surprise, and recognising his visitor, asked what he wanted. ‘My dear Blance,’ said E., composedly seating himself at the foot of the bed, ' £ want ten thousand francs, and naturally come to yon for them,’ ‘But,’ stammered the other still half asleep, ‘ yon are oware, count, that I am not at liberty to <1 lipose of oor funds without consulting my colleagues. Wait till this evening, and ——’ * Not an honr,’ interrupted the intruder ; —.'■you have-only to open yonr safe, and hand f me the money. Will you do it ? ' Yes or no?' ‘lmpossible !’ ‘ Very good; then I must taka my measures ac;ordingly. ’ With these words he rote from his seat, drew from his pocket a strong nail and a hammer, and began to drive the former into the wall, as if about to hang up a picture. Blanc stared in ntter amazement. * What are you doing 7 ’ he gasped, stretching oat his band towards the bell-rope. * lake oars,’ cried E ; ‘if yon touch the bell, as sure as yon are lying there, I will strangle yon before they have timo to break open the door.’ Blano glanced at the tall and powerfully knit figure before him, and shuddered. ‘ I don’t understand,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t yon! ’ ironically retorted the count; ‘yousee this nail ? Well, I have a rope in my pocket, and I am going to hang you. Now, will yon give me the money : ? No f very good and he went on hammering.until the nail was firmly fixed in its place. Then, turning towards his victim, who was sitting upright in the bed trembling in every limb, he coolly remarked that, before proceeding to extremities, he wonld give him one more chance. Blanc, perceiving that matters began to look serious, thought it best to comply with the audacious demand; and, opening the safe, extracted from it a roll of bank notes, which he handed to the count, warning him at the same time that if he remained another hoar at Homburg it would be at his peril. * Yon may bo perfectly easy on that score,* replied -E, who had already pocketed the notes, and was on the point of quitting the --- room ; * now that our little affair is settled, I have nothing to detain me here. Adieu, papa Blano; when the nine o’clock train starts 1 go with it.* And so he did. Somehow or other the story oosed out, and Blano was terribly chaffed by his colleagues. ‘ 1 could have reconciled myself to the loss ot the money,’ he said long afterwards ; ‘ bat I cannot and never ehall get over the nail in the wall.’ One more anecdote relating to this notorious pereopage, and we shall have done with him. When Garoia waa at Homburg, carry* ing all before him by his extraordinary lock, the highest stake allowed—namely, twelve thousand franca—waa raised in hla case as an exceptional favor, and, at hie own request to sixty thousand, an arrangement which, far from benefiting the bank, proved a mine of wealth to the player, whose gains at one moment amounted to nearly two millions of francs. It waa Blano’a custom two or three times in the course of the day to walk through the rooms, and see what was going on, and one afternoon on his approaching the table where Oaroin had just profitted bj a aeries of reds,’ the latter, accosting him In a mocking tone, triumphantly declaring hla intention of despoiling the bank of its last florin. ‘Monsieur Garoia,’ coolly replied Blano, leaning on his cane and peering at the Spaniard through his spectacles j ‘ yon may he right or yon may be wrong; but I will tell yon one thing, I have at the Banqne de Franca a little income of three thousand franca a year Invested In my nume, and I will take good care that yon shall never deprive me of that! ’ Six weeks later Garcia had lost every farthing of hla winnings, and was obliged to borrow a few lonis from the bank to enable Mm to return to Paris. ‘Of all the questionable character*, and they ore many,’ observed.to mo one day my French acquaintance, ‘ who frequent gaming tables,, none are more carfully to be avoided ifcan the so called, or rather .self-styled ‘ pro- i fessocn.’ 'these worthies are almost Invariably men who have been rained by play, and from pigeons have become rooi*; they are easily to be recognised by their close attention to the game, standing opposite the croupier who deals, and assiduously pricking i»ieir cards, but never, for the beat of 'Asoca, staking a son. Their main object is ‘[•cover among the spectators some loos tyro, bleat with more cash than to whom they may describe in the seductive colon their infallible scheme making the bank, and thereby induce aj confide to their tender mercioa a tin sms—th* larger the better--oa their

solemn assurance (hat It most be doubled In a single sitting ; and this is precisely what happened to a young friend ot mine at Baden a year or two ago. Ho waa wat_h« ing with great interest a pretty Kuasian countess, who had been lon Ing heavily for the last half boar, bat who still continued to back her 111 luck without the slightest sign of emotion. Three times in succession she had staked on she wrong color, and was hesitating what to do next, when my friend’s attention was suddenly diverted from the game by an individual standing beside him, who —bnt I had better tell you the story in Gaston’s own words. Ho was, he said, or seamed to be, In a state of considerable excitement, and, af er excusing himself for adireasing me, remarked, with reference to the couplets, that it vexed him beyond measure to see money so foolishly thrown away. ‘ls it not, monsieur, ’ he went on, * the height of absurdity to peraUt in relying on ohanoa instead of on a safe and perfectly intelligible systemT If I had played this deal I should not have lost,’

‘ Why didn't you?’ I asked, Irnooently enough. • Simply because I had not sufficient capital,’ he replied; ‘my wife lost 4000 francs yesterday, and I was fool enough to let her have them. So, as it requires a hundred lonis to carry out my system, I am obliged to wait until I receive a remittance.’

I looked at him attentively for the first time ; ho waa tall, tolerably gcod-looking, and remarkably well dressed, nothing In his appearance betraying the profeeeional hanger on, and cnrloeity prompted me to continue the conversation.

‘ How much,’ I inquired, *do yon generally gain on an average ? ’ ‘ Supposing that I begin with a hundred lonis,’he answered, in a careless tone, ‘ one day's play will double it, and If we pnt the week’s winnings at fifteen thousand francs we shall not be far ont.’ ‘ Have you any objection, ’ I resumed, *to explain your system to me ? ’ His eye brightened immediately, and after a moment’s reflection, probably to satisfy himself ai to my being worth the trouble, ho took me aeide, and, drawing from hla pocket a well thumbed memorandum-book, every page of which was completely covered with hieroglyphics, doubtless intelligible to himself, but assuredly to no oua else, proceeded to unfold his scheme. What with the technical terms employed by him, and the multitude of abstruse calculations, which only ] served to puzzle Instead of enlightening me. j I was as mnoh in the dark at the conclusion of his explanation aa I bad been at the commencement, and preferred from sheer wearl-. ness to aooept at onoe his assurance of the;: Infallibility of his system rather than listen any longer. Apparently, my bewildered looks convinced him that he had batter change his tactics ; for he suddenly stopped, and, affecting on air of bonhomie suggested that, as 1 waa a novice In such matters, it wonld -be more pradeat for me to abstain from personally attacking the bank, and to entrust him with a hundred lonis, which he formally engaged to doable at one sitting, • Up to that time I had no serlons intec tion of risking the money, and rather demarred at the proposal ; all objections oh my part, however, were speedily overrated by -my new acquaintance, and In an unlucky moment 1 drew ont of my pocket two th«nsand franc notes, on which he eagerly pounced, and before I could ntter another word, bad seated himself in a vacant chair, and exchanged them for gold. It strack me that the oronpler who handed him the two rouleaux glanced curiously round the table, as if in search of the probable owner of the notes ; but 1 was too mnoh absorbed In my venture to think of anything else Taking my seat on a sofa commanding a good - view of the game, I watched my friend’s proceeding with palpitating Interest, - and remarked that, although he seemed to ■take his money somewhat at randoms .n-ver failed to plok the card that lay before him. I also noticed that he was. or pretended to be, troubled with a cold In his head, from the frequent me he made of his. handkerchief ; and subsequently ascertained that every time he replaced it In his pocket three or four of the lonis went with It. Neverthsless, at the end of the first deal we were about five-and-twenty lonis to the good ; and, on my suggesting to him that-it would be advisable to leave off, he so strongly combated the idea that 1 reluctantly allowed him to have his way, and returned to my seat. With the next deal, however, the tide of frrtnne turned j my representative’s hand-, kerchief journeyed aa before periodically to and from hla pocket, hut his faculty for' divining the right color ceased altogether, and each successive coup made a fresh inroad on our rapidly deceasing capital In vain he tried to re-asaura me by divers encouraging winks; stake after stake be-i came the prey of the inexorable rake, and In less than a quarter of an hoar the last lonis—those naturally excepted whl b he so carefully stowed about hla person—was swept away. Blalng from his seat with a perfectly unconcerned air, he took me by the arm, and, pointing to the card in his hand, affirmed that in the course of thirteen years’ experience he had never wltneieed so extraordinary » ran of 111-luck. ‘Come to the cafe,’ he added; ‘we shall find my wife there, and a glass of wine will not do us any harm.’ ‘ I absented mechanically, and found myself face to face with an elderly and most unprepoisessing female sitting at a table, with a tumbler beaide her exhaling a suspicious odour of rum. Exohanging a iignifisant glance with my companion, she euayed to improvise a smile,, while he briefly related what had passed, complacently adding that we should be more fortunate another day. Inoensed beyond measure by his patronising tone, I told him in plain words that I should not require bis services a second time. 'You assured me,’ I-said,' that yonr system was infallible, and in less than an hour you have lost every farthing of my money. Had I I known what your promises were worth— ’ - ‘ Monsieur,’ interrupted the hag, with a look of withering contempt; 'my husband has lost more than five hundred thoustnd if races belonging to other people, and this is the first time that anyone has presumed to find fault with him 1' ‘-Scarcely less dangerous,’ continued my friend; ‘ are the light-fingsred gentry who prowl about the tables, leaking to glean a stray coin which may have escaped the notice of its owner, and always ready to claim the money staked by others. Two years ago I happened to bo at Monaco, and strolling into the play-room after dinner with a few lonis i ,in my pocket, pnt three of them.on red, which came np. il left them on the table, and red came np again. While I was debating : whether to risk another chance or not, an individual behind me stepped forward, and was in the act of appropriating the twelve lonis, when I summarily stopped him by saying they were mine- ' Quite the.contrary, monsieur,’ he replied with imperturbable aplomb; * they are mine.* Fortunately for me, the dealer, who was doubtless acquainted with my opponent’s proclivities, interposed, and at onoe settled the question by ordering him to withdraw, which after some show of reluctance he finally did. Meanwhile red came np a third time, and my twelve louis became twenty-four. Satisfied with my evening’s work, I was on the point of beating • retreat, when I Celt a gentle tap os my shoulder, and turning round, beheld to my astonishment the Identical claimant of a few minutes’ back,: who, with an expressive glance at my waist-1 coat pocket besought me to remember that S he had brought me good look after all. 1 am ashamed to say that I was more amused that irritated at the fellows impudence, and tossed him a lonis as I left the room One afternoon, while we wore lounging together In the Alles da Martean, I asked my friend If he oonld Instance mtny players who had been winners in the long run, ‘Hardly one,’ he replied, ‘simply became they never know when to leave off. Very few have the st'ength of mind to husband their capital and bide their time, like a worthy citizen of Strasbourg 1 onoe met at Baden, who, after three weeks’ a j#am in that delightful paradise, confidentially warned a newly • arrived fellow- townsman against the danger of high play, adding that he had regularly tried his luck at roulette every day, and was already a loser of ‘fifteen fronts J’ 1 remember,' continued the narrator, ‘ being told by a countryman of mine at Monaco, the most sanguine believer In bis lucky atar 1 ever oune across, In reply to my inquiry bow fortune had treated him, that he had by no means abandoned hie original idea of breaking the bank, * for,’ ho ■aid, ‘although I certainly did pawn my watch yesterday, £ bare ptUl ray studs and •foSTebattooaleftl”