f 1 1
OR,
THE WITCH OF MONTE CIO.
A ROMANCE OP THE RIVIERA.
By ST. QEOIIQE TtATHBOHNE,
Author ef "Mt$ Paullnt, ef Xtu Tcrk," "Thi
Spldtr'$ im," "Mhi Ctprlu," ti tte.
Copjrlf ht, 1900, Street and Smttb, New York.
CnAFTBK IX. (Contlnnetl.)
That was only to bo expected, and
Bcores of others did tbo samo thing,
Bomo for tidy amounts.
No one deigned to notlco him as
rot, but Jones was not seeking noto
riety ho would In good Umo havo all
that ho cared for, and more, too.
Llko othor great men, ho could bo
patient, knowing that ovorythlng
comes to him who waits.
Jones won again.
Ho never touched his stako, but
cast his eyes down to tho whlto cuff
of his shlrt-slcovo, upon which a fow
apparently hieroglyphic figures had
been marked.
Merrick swept a glanco around.
As usual thero wcro numorous spec
tators back of tho players, though no
groat crowd was In attendanco.
Ho quickly discovered tho ono ho
sought, and bowod across tho tablo
to Constanco Dare.
Tho count sat closo to Jones, and
followed his play with a much small
er stake.
Evidently ho believed a halt a loaf
was bettor than no broad, and In
tended sharing the coming glory and
vindication of Darragh's system.
Llttlo Jones cared.
It was not so much tho money ho
desired as tho demoralization of tho
gaming faculty, which was yearly
Bending its deadly blight all over Eu
rope, and oven reaching out Its ten'
taclos across tho sea to tho young re
public of tho west.
As tlmo passed and Jones' llttlo
pllo upon tho tablo grow In quantity,
lomo of thoso near by began, to show
&n lntorest in his work, bolng forovor
on tho lookout for a phenomenon.
Still ho won, with only an occa
Blonal set-back.
Tho doalor condescended to shoot
him a glanco of curiosity as ha shov-
ed a glittering mass in his quarter,
though at tho same timo a cynical
imile momentarily flitted ovor his
lallow features.
Ho had seen thorn beforo, lots of
thorn llko tho old soxton, It was only
I quostlon of time with him ero ho
gathered them In.
Of courso.tho keen eyes of tho deal
er had ere now dotected that Jones
ivns proceeding upon a regular rou
tine of play possibly ho had dlscov
Bred tho marks upon tho cuff, as It
was an old dodge.
When Jones won again ho becamo
Interested enough to mako somo llttlo
remark across tho board as ho pushed
i goodly heap of gold uither.
For tho limit had been reached.
Should Jones bo lucky enough lo
win again, ho must begin to stow his
fains away.
Of course, this might happon, but
tho dealer, In his superior wisdom,
rested undor tho belief that it was
ibout tlmo a decided chango took
place
Ho would smllo in his usual ironi
cal way when tho collapso camo, and
that was all.
To him it was an old story.
Another rako off for Jones.
Ho calmly drew out a formidable
buckskin bag, and rattled tho thou
lands of francs Into it as nonchalantly
is tho dcalor passed them ovor.
Indeed, his very action seemed to
lay that ho certainly expected moro
!o follow, for tho mouth of tho capa
Slous bag yawned hungrily botweon
kls knees.
Tho whisper had gono around, and
ill Interest was now centered at this
point.
Keen eyes watchod tho action of
Tones as ho changed to red after win
ling a certain number of times on
black.
Rod won, of courso his system had
parked beautifully thus far, and if It
tept up tbo ruin of Monto Carlo was
tenured.
Moro intense grow tho excitement
nil old failures wero forgotten and
ino moro hopo revived In hearts that
Jad grown sick with waiting.
7 The worst of It was when Jones
yon ovory ono raked In with him,
llnto none dared to go contrary to
luch extraordinary luck.
So that tho bank was losing heavily.
There was a chanco that it might
ecoup when tho turn came, If it ovor
lid.
Jones played on without a tremor,
Tho crowd, pressod Ave deep
tround tho table, now took such amaz
ng lntorest In Jones and his fortunes
.hat each timo bo won a buzz of ox-
litoment and covetous sympathy
lurst out, whilo an occasional loss ex
tited dcopost commiseration.
Jones looked llko a winner.
Ho was a trlflo flushed and his oyea
lowed with righteous fires, hut his
land showed .no sign of trembling as
! calmly added each hoalthy contrl
lution to his stores.
Although tho hour had grown late,
he crowd had apparently doubled
ather than dwindled away, as was Us
vont
Old gamesters rubbed their palms
ogothor and chuckled somo of thom
ihok hands with ono another after
ach glorious success with as much
thn as though they had a personal
iharo in the victory.
For the bank was the enemy of
thom all Its Insatiable maw had
swallowed their filthy lucro, and they
gloated over tho fact that Its day of
doom had apparently come at last.
Tho dealor now began to cast anx
ious glances up at tho clock as though
In hopes tho hour for closing opera
tions was closo nt hand.
But this was folly and ho know 1L
Tho gamo must bo played to Its
conclusion.
Seldom did a slnglo cog slip In
Jonos' wheel, and tho conviction at
last seized upon thoso who looked on
that a wonder had arrived with n
systom that must revolutionize all
games of hazard from this Umo on.
Tho end was In sight
Jones novor let up.
His buckskin bag had a duplicate,
and both wcro well leaded, a fortuno
In oach.
Ho felt that ho could keep up this
business ns long as tho bank was ablo
to stand it; but tho losses of that
hitherto impregnablo Institution wcro
simply enormous.
Finally tho croupier throw up tho
spongo, and as ho shoved moro gold
across tho tablo In tho direction
whenco all the rest had gone, ho re
marked in that motalllc votco of his,
now tinged with real alarm:
"There can bo no further play hero
to-night, ladles and gentlemen for
tho second tlmo In its existence tho
bank is broken I"
Tho most tremendous excitement
followed this dramatic announcement
on tho part of tho veteran croupier,
when circumstances entirely boyond
his control compelled him to an
nounco tho bursting of tho bank of
Monto Carlo.
Jones was tho cynosuro of all eyes.
Ho could not complain of any lack
of attontlon now this wonderful feat
mado him for tho tlm3 being almost
a god.
Tho old gamesters crowded about
him and wrung his hnnd with all
manner of congratulatory phrases,
which ho could of courso accept at
their true valuo. The man who suc
ceeds has no lack of friends. Jones
was human, and rejoiced at tho trl
umphant vindication of his work.
Tho count and his Russian ally had
no reason to complain, slnco they
wero In for a goodly pllo; but what
thoy had won was a mere bagatello to
what tho future hold for tho posses
Dor of that magical chart.
And well thoy know It
Jones had mado all preparations for
just such an emergoncy, oven as ho
had supplied tho buckskin reservoirs
for sacking tho bank.
For an amateur bank burglar he had
covered hlmsolf with conBldorablo
glory.
True, thero was Merrick, sturdy
enough to stagger under ono of tho
sacks, but to reach Nice In safety
might bo a problem.
Mark was engngod Just then, hav
lng found an opportunity to address
Constance, and this In his mind was
far moro to bo desired than tho task
of guarding a troasuro trovo.
Llttlo Miss Millions Mad novor
gambled n cent In her life, and yet alio
had been dreadfully Interested In
Jones' daring raid she who had
hunted springbok and hartobeast, per
haps oven tho Capo buffalo In his na-
tlvo wild, knew what danger and ox
cltement meant, and her llttlo hands
had dono their best in applauding tho
bold plunger when victory camo.
Tho llttlo chat Mark had with tho
girl gavo him somo pleasure, and ho
was glad to know she was now in tho
caro of tho English colonel who had
been a friend during her girlhood
days undor the far dlstani sklos of tho
Transvaal.
It was tlmo they mado a movo If
desirous of getting back to Nlco that
night, as tho last train would prcsont
ly bo going.
So Merrick said good-night and
turnod to assist his comrade
So strange a spectaclo had rarely
been seen in tho last ten years, and a
groat crowd of enthusiastic pcoplo
formed a body guard to conduct tho
successful raider to tho train.
Really It was a triumphal march
Merrick could not but secretly
laugh at tho absurdity of It all at tho
samo tlmo ho would hardly havo boon
human had ho failed to onjoy tho po
cullar sensation that comes with
such wondorful success.
On tho following night It would bo
his turn to play tho systom, whllo at
tcntlon was directed to Jonos, who
would win and loso alternately.
Hard lines had fallen upon Monte
Carlo, and If this thing contlnuod long
tho glory of tho great gaming resort
would havo departed.
A fevorlsh unrest possessed tho
town, and on every corner knots of
people could bo seen eagerly discuss
lng tho tremendous catastrophe
And what would becomo of the
prlnco's famous deop-soa lnvcstlga
tlons If the prldo of Monte Carlo was
humbled in tho dust?
Tho station was reached In safety,
with tho men carrying the spoils, and
our two friends ensconced thomsolvcs
in a carriage, giving tho guard a clou
cour with Instructions to keep others
out unless thero was a positive no
cessity for an intrusion on account of
lack of space.
"it's worm an it cost to sco such n
thing as that affair to-night," said
Mark, reflectively. "I never shall for
got it, never. Talk about human na
turo at Its wildest, why, there wero
men In that crowd around tho table,
yes, and women, too, crazed by tho
gaming habit, who glared at you
Jones, like so many mad wolves. Tho
stack ef Napoleons appealed to their
cupidity as raw meat would to a
starving beast. UnhJ It will haunt
mo always, that fearful Insight I had
to tho depraved human heart."
Jones chuckled as he watched tho
eager glances cast Into their compart
ment by the passersby.
very gooa, my aear ooy, every
word of what you soy Is true, and only
emphasizes my determination to 'Kill
this beastly dragon by fair means or
foul, ero ho uttorly demoralizes tho
world. Dut I am of tho opinion
that what you Baw to-night will not
hold a candlo to tho show to-morrow
evening, when wo onco ngaln tackle
tho tiger in his lair."
H'in! porhaps not; but I shall bo
too busy thon to sco much of it, thank
hcavonl"
"Tho nows will travel far and wldo.
and hundreds flock to Monto Carlo to
see for themselves If at last a system
has been discovered to beat tho bank.
Ono defeat will not do tho business
thoy may oven survlvo n second, but
If wo keep on Monto Carlo will closo
shop boforo a week Is out."
If thoy hoped to hold undisputed
possession of their llttlo fort thoy
wero doomed to disappointment. Just
boforo starting tlmo Merrick heard
the guard in conversation with soma
ono, and nt sound of tho volco ho
know they wero undono, for ovon
humblo railway omployos bowed tho
kneo under tho magical spoil of tho
Russian princess' dulcet volco.
And, suro enough, with abject apolo
gies tho chnrmcd guard opened tho
door and ushered In a radiant collec
tion of silks and Jowols and beauty
that at onco illumlnod tho hitherto
rather dingy carriage
OIIAPTEIt X.
Tho Enchanted Knight
Merrick wns provoked.
With hor entry camo tho peculiar
Oriental porfumo sho always patron
ized. Merrick had onco thought it
tho most fragrant in tho world, but
somehow ho had grown to detest tho
Bamo, slnco It represented one he had
no reason to love, or who would It pos
sible wreak Injury upon Constanco
bocauso, forsooth, sho stood botweon
tho advonturess and success.
Tho princess was vory gay.
Merrick had settled hlmsolf back in
a corner, whoro ho could look on and
keep from bolng dragged Into tho con
versation.
By nppoarlng to bo very drowsy ho
was ablo to thus keep pretty much to
himself, and it n question wcro flrod
at him ho answered in tho slow, stud
ied manner of ono who battled with
tho demons of slumber.
Thus ho was ablo to obsorvo out of
tho cornors of his oyes tho maneuvers
by1 means of which tho witch of Monto
Carlo lured hor victims on.
Would Jones succumo?
Ho was a confirmed bachelor, who
had doubtloss stood successfully
many a stcgo.
What of that?
Ho had novor mot such an enomy as
tho charming Oglavltch boforo.
Moro than ono confirmed woman'
hater In Paris had sucoumbod to hor
enchantment
Bcsldos, Jonos was unfortunate in
that ho had no amulot to ward off tho
ovll Influence.
So Morrick, whllo listening to tho
merry rnttlo of her tonguo and watch
ing tho pocullar influence her flashing
orbs seemed to oxort ovor tho poor
victim upon whom her battcrloa woro
turned, fell to speculating a3 to what
sho expected to accomplish.
Merrick romombered that sho ap
peared to bo In lcaguo with Count
Leon and tho blond Cossack. Sho had
certainly boon Instrumental In lu
volgllng Constanco to tno dlnnor on
board hor English cousin's steam
yacht
Did that unholy nlllanco still oxlst?
If so, what desporato gamo was
now being played?
Was tho princess ablo to mesmerize
tho two comrades by tho brilliancy of
hor conversation or tho wonderful In-
fiuenco of tho mystic porfumo that ac
companied her debut upon tho scono,
which, having boon successfully per
formed, would allow tho allies to en-
tor tho carrlago and seouro tho plun
der?
(To bo continued.)
Speaking Italics.
A piece of parliamentary ropartco
quite as good as tho famous retorts In
tho houso of commons nnd our Con
gress comes from n New England unl-
vorslty. Two students, ranged against
each other in debate, grow very warm
and took to commenting on each oth
er's oratorical manner. Ono of them
spoke with much omphasls, lotting tho
stress of his volco fall explosively on
certain passages.
His opponent oponed his apeoch by
faying: "My friend on tho negatlvo
thinks to win this dobato by speaking
exclamation marks and Italics."
Tho othor could do nothing nt tho
moment to turn tho laugh which this
speech raised, but when his turn camo
ho "got back" at his opponent with
this retort:
"My frlond on tho affirmative says I
speak Italics. I should say that ho
uses ltullcs In the way they nro used
In tho English Blblo, not, to omphaslzo,
but to mark what Is not original and
Inspired." Youth's Companion.
How Lightning Affects Watches.
An electrical storm seoms to havo
a peculiar effect on somo tlmoplcces,"
remarked tho Junior partner of a
big dpwntown Jewolry firm. "Every
time lightning and thunder get actlvo
In this vicinity ono of tho results Is
that our watch-ropalrlng department
Is overworked for sovornl days there
after. Tho damago wrought chlolly
consists of brokon mainsprings.
"When businoss gets dull with us,"
added tno joweior jokingly, "wo ro-
qulro all our employes to pray for a
thunder storm. Falluro to comply
with this order Is consldored sufficient
cause for tho discharge I am unablo
to make clear tho whys and where
fores, but It is an established fact that
after the lightning has frolicked
awhllo in como the mainsprings
wrecked." Washington Star.
Come From Abroad
SLIPPING INTO THE SEA.
Inverness Is Going, But It May be
Quito a Long Time Yet.
Inverness, tho capital of tho High
lands, Is threatened with a tcrrlblo
calamity, according to Dr. Davidson
of Birmingham, an authority In seis
mology. It is known of geologists
that Inverness occupies n most Inter
esting position at tho outlet of tbo
great crack, or crevasse, in trio geo
logical formation of tho northern part
of tho island, which, ns tho Caledo
nian canal, cut3 tho country in two,
sayB Pearson's Weekly.
Dr. Davidson warns tho Inhabitants
of Inverness to bo prepared for earth,
quakes periodically. Tho earth's crust
In tho Inverness district Is gradually
slipping seawnrd and Loch Noes (ono j
of the chain of lakes which form tho !
cnnnl) In a few "hundreds of thou
sands of years" will bo part of tho
sea.
COMES TO TEACH JAPANESE.
Eminent Scholar to Occupy
Chair at
Chicago University.
Shortly after tho announcement
that It would add tho study of Rus
sian to Its curriculum, tho Unlvorslty
of Chicago followed it with tho stato-
mont that It had decided to admit
tho study of Jnnanoso also. Qhon-
Ichiro Yoshloka of Toklo was chosen
as instructor. He is a culturod Jap-
nncso and speaks sovcral languages
fluently. Tho advancement of Japan
among tho commercial nations of tho
world led tho faculty to Introduco tho
study of tho language, nnd It Is ex
pected that tho now department will
almost Immediately spring into popu
larity.
Pattl Still In Capital Voice.
"Be careful of your high notos,"
said Adollna Pattl's mothor when tho
diva was yot a moro girl. Tho daugh
ter wisely heeded tho advlco and to
that fact attributes n great deal of
hor wondorful bucccss. Sho sang ro-
contly at a London concert nnd tho
critics woro unanimous In roferonco to
tho extraordinary preservation or n
volco which has boon thrilling hear
ers for ovor forty yonrs. Ono votcrnn
wrltor declared that her volco seemed
as resonant nnd powerful as when
sho first astonlshod London.
HER MIND STILL CLOUDED.
Amerlcan Beauty Suffers Under
In-
slnuatlons of London Artist.
Miss Holon Vandorbllt-Wackorman,
tho young nnd beautiful Amorlcan
model whoso mind gavo way last No
vember undor excitement nnd distress
caused by tho allegations of tho artist,
Horbort von Horkomor, has arrlvod at
Now York from London.
"I want to paint tho pictures of tho
most beautiful woman I hnvo ovor
soon In my life," Horkomor Is roport-
od as saying after ho first met Miss
Wackorman.
Tho young beauty was porsuadod to
sit for a picture For this sho vlsltod
awhllo tho artist's home Then fol
lowed tho abrupt request by Horko-
mor that Miss Wackorman lcavo his
homo. Ho refused explanation.
Miss Wackorman was stunned by
tho artist's insinuations. Immediately
afterward sho apprlsod her frlonds In
London of the troatmont accorded hor.
Letters wero sont to Horkomor de
manding explanation and vindication
of tho young woman's character, but
all wero accordod tho samo troatmont
thoy woro Ignored.
A special trip was finally mado by
Mrs. Wackorman to hor homo In Buf
falo, with a view of securing funds
from her husband, John Vandorbllt
Wackorman, with which to prosocuto
a suit, but tho matter was later drop
ped. Miss Wackerman's mind has nev
er fully recovered.
; In the Public Eye I
RUSSELL SAQE NOT ILL.
Great Financier Saya Ho Is In
Fair
Physical Condition.
"Protty tol'ablo, thank you, for n
youth of my tender years," was what
Russell Sago hnd to sny about his
health after ho had returned from n
drivo In Contral Park, Now York, with
Mrs. Sago. Mr. Sago took tho drlvo
on tho ndvico of his physician, who,
finding his pntlont chipper, concluded
that tho host modlclno Mr. Sngo could
tnko would bo a drlvo In tho flno
woathor.
AccordltiKlv. Mrs. Sago'B victoria
was ordorcd around to tho houso and
sho and Mr. Sago drove for something
moro than an hour. When ho got
back Mr. Sago was suro ho felt much
better than ho had folt In a month.
Feather Prayer Stloks.
Feathers hold groat lmportanco in
tho religious and social ceremonies of
tho Indians. Among tho Nnvajocs and
Pueblos thoso plumo emblems aro bo
Hoved to havo tho utmost ofllcacy for
good or bvll. All about any Puoblo
town may bo seen carefully whittled
sticks, each with a tuft of downy
fcathors, gonorally whlto onos, bound
nt tho top of It. Thoy aro prayer sticks
and nro qulto as curlouB ns tho prayor
wheols of Burma nnd tho paper pray
ora of tho Chinese. Tho foathers, Btlck
and manner of tying tho fcathors vary
nccordlng to tho nnturo of tho prayor,
Tho Indian who wlshcB to nBk a favor
of tho "Trues" proparcs his feather
prayor with great secrecy. Thon, tnk
lng It to a proper spot, ho prayB to
Uiobo nbovo, and, planting his stick,
leaves It to contlnuo his petition.
HEAD OF NEW CABINET.
French Senator Has Been Chosen for
Prominent Position.
Senator Jean Louis Combos, who
has boon soloctod as tho now prhno
minister of Franco.hnsbeon prominent
In Fronch politics slnco 1870, whon ho
mado his first raco for membership In
tho chamber. Ho was born nt Cas-
trcs, in Tarn, In 1830, and early ac
cumulated a fortuno In businoss. In
tho beginning of his enreor ho had
conBldurablo dlfilculty lu securing his
election to tho national legislature
Slnco then ho has been n promlnont
figure In tho chnmbor and tho sonnto,
and has numorous friends In both
bodlos.
Too Much Local Color.
Sho had soldom boon down to tho
business district, nnd sho watched tho
ondlcss tide of hurrlod men that
passed and ropassod below hor hus
band's office window with deep lntor
est "I'm sorry to keep you waiting,
my dear," ho remarked, "hut I'll bo
through dlroctly." "Oh, don't hurry
on my account," roturnod tho lntor-
ostcd observer; "I'm absorbing quan
titles of local color." A startlod look
crossed hor husband's faco and ho
sped to tho window. "You are, In
deod," ho snld, eyeing tho now black
dresB ruefully and loading hor away
from tho freshly painted wainscot,
"and I regret to say tho local color is
buff." Now York Evening Sun.
A Famous "N.M
This slgnaturo of Napoleon an N
mado by Intersecting linos slashing
tho nanor was traced at Erfurt on
tho 13th of Octobor, 1813. Tho em
poror, who at first slgnod all his lot
tors Napoleon, abridged llttlo by llttlo
hU signature, which becamo In turn
Napol. and Nap, and thon sitnplo N
p)eath
POOR OUTLOOK IN RUSSIA.
Little Improvement Noted In Condi
tion of tho People.
Tho Russian population cannot b
regarded ns prosperous, or oven fair
ly well to do, when It consumes por
capita only ono-twenty-flfth of an
ounce (nbout one-third or a teaspoon-
ful) of tea and two-fifths of an ounco
(about a tcaspoonful nnd a half) of
sugar por day. But thero nro othor In
dications that tho railroads, nnd tho
vast sums of money spent In their con
struction, havo not materially bene
fited, ns yet, tho laboring population.
Tho commission appointed in 1899 by
tho ministry of flnnnco to ascertain
tho reasons for tho progressive im
poverishment of tho pcoplo In tho so
called "black-earth" provinces tho
moBt fortllo part of tho empire han
recently mndo n preliminary report In
which It snyB that In European Rus
sin ns n wholo tho pcoplo aro now
sowing 35 per cont less grain per capl.
ta than In 1805, and that In tho "black'
earth" provinces tho decrease
amountB to 44 por cent Outlook.
PROMINENT DUNKARD DEAD.
Career of President Arnold Brought
to a Sudden End.
President C. E. Arnold of tho Mo
PhorBon Gorman Baptist collogo, died
nt McPhorson, Kan., after an opera
tion for cancer of tho kldnoy. Ho was
30 years old. Ho early boenmo a
teacher and rocelvod his higher edu
cation at Brldgowator collcgo, Vir
ginia; tho Ohio Normal unlvorslty;
Kentucky unlvorslty, nnd tho Illinois
Wosloyan university. In 1890 ho was
elocted proBldont of tho Gorman Bap
tist collogo, with tho chair of peda
gogy and philosophy. Ho early attain-
od fnmo throughout tho west aa an
oducator. When ho accepted tho presi
dency of tho collogo It wns heavily
lndobtod, and tho school was disor
ganized, but by his ablo and porslBt
ont efforts, sccondod by othor mem
bers of tho faculty, ho brought tho
collogo to tho front of tho Christian
collcgos of Kansas, and mado it ono
of tho lending colleges under tno
supervision of tho Dunkard church.
His wlfo and a daughter survlvo him.
To 8cale Highest Himalayas.
An attompt to climb tho hlghCBt
Himalayas will bo mado this year by
a party consisting of throo English
men, two Austrlans and a Swiss. Dr.
Jacot-Quillarmod. Thoy aro accom
panied by Swiss guides. Thoy will
begin with tho Godwin Auston, 28,250
foot high, and Dapsang, 28.GC5 foot
high. If thoy nro Buccossful thoy will
thon try Mount Everest, tho hlghost
mountain In tho world, 29,000 foot
high. Tho Himalayas record Is hold
by Sir Martin Conwny, who cllinbod
tho Pioneer Peak, 21,000 foot high,
ton yearB ago.
SAD FATE OF CHICAGOAN.
Alderman Kent Burned to Death In
Recent Hospital Fire.
Tho blind mombor of tho Chicago
city council from tho Fourth ward,
mot death in his lockod room wncn
tho St. Luko socloty hospital burned
laBt week. Ho had long been proml
nont In political circles In tho Windy
City, and waB popular with his con
stituents and colleagues.
Prof. Vlrchow's First Success.
Prof. Vlrchow, who recently passed
his eightieth annual mtlestono, and 1b
still halo and hearty, took a loading
plnco In tho medical world nearly six
ty yearH ago. Ho was thon sont on
a government mission to study n
typhus epidemic in uppor Silesia. His
report attracted attontlon all ovor
Europe and It almost might-bo said
that from that momont be was a noted
man.
I