THE COURIER
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attendant. You watch to sco whether ho pays anything, and how
much. lie pays nothing but receives a metal disc, which ho Blips
into his waistcoat pocket. You have meamvhilo zealously imitated
him, with similar results, and when ho walks across tho corridor
you walk after him. Ho takes his place in a lino of persons
standing in Binglo filo near a bureau of some sort. Hero, then,
is tho receipt of custom. So you watch again to seo what there is
to pay. It is a most amazing place this Monto Carlo. Up to tho
present stage of tho proceedings nobody has lightened his pockets
of a Binglo "brown." Tno people in front of you are getting tick
ets, and apparently getting them for nothing; you had to pay
cothing at tho outer door, nothing at the cloak room, and now, bo
hold, yon are to receive a ticket gratis to tho halls of dazzling
light.
As tho lino moves on you notice that tho people in front of you
hand their visiting cards to a busy little clerk, who scratches first
in a big book and then on a numbered ticket, putting questions
between tho scratches to each applicant. Your mastery of French
enables you to perceive, after a few preliminary tremors, that you
are expected to present your card, and say what country you coiuo
from and what hotel you are stopping at. Warned by tho lin
guistic slips of the parties iu front' you write it all down on your
card. Beyond doubt, you are expected tn vouch for your own res
pectability. But alas! do they want indoreers? Is the busy, scrib
bling clerk demanding certificates of birth, baptism and vaccina
tion? There are hitches in the line. Some of tho applicants go
away empty handed; they attempt argument; the busy little clerk
ceases his scribbling and looks as stern as any dog in office.
Upon him argument prevails not; ho raises his hand in the
most approved tragic manner. Then ho says "noxt" in French,
and your gravo and reverend seignor lays down his pasteboard
of identification, and the busy clerk looks up, and.raises his hand
with a "go away" gesture, and the grave and reverend 6eignor
mutters astonishment, or simulates astonishment in voluble
Gallic.
Tho busy scribbler looks at you and sayB, "Monsieur?" ond gives
an interrogative wist to his eyebrows. You hand him your card;
he makes tho record of your name in his book, he scrawls your
name on a dated and numbered ticket, putting your sir name first
and your Christain name last, in his curious French way. Then
he gives you your ticket and returns you your card, and you make
way for the next man, feeling, that after all. you have a new sen
sation. In the big central corridor of the casino peoplo aro smoking,
walking and talking, but you do not pause for these attractions.
The obvious thing is to follow tho other holders of the buff tickets
of respectability. Your number is 79G, and although the hour is
brit 5 in the afternoon, the numerals give proof of fair attendaneo
since luncheon time. At the end of the big corridor there are
two sets of swinging doors; people aro coming out of one and go
ing in at the other. Eminently grave persons in uniform keep
watch and ward at these doors. You show your ticket, you are
greeted with a bow and a ceremonious wave of the hand, and a
door is swung ajar for your entrance. Another step and you
are in the famous gambling hell of Monte Carlo.
Tho spectacle is familiar. You have often seen it reproduced
in the illustrated papers. There is a range of huge, lofty rooms
not unprepossessing in general effect, but rather too heavy in
style. It would bo li?o finest place in tho world for a great ball
or state reception. Each room in the suite has a couple of long
tables, and around each tablethero are, sitting and standing, a hun
dred persons of both sexes, mosVrf them with a stake in the game,
tho minority being passive on-lobkers like yourself. The few
words that are spoken are uttered in an undertone, except on the
part of tho master of ceremonies at each table, and ho cries oc
casionally a number or a color and cries in a French, which you
readily recognize, "Gentlemen, mak,e your play.'
Then tho ladies and gentlemen throw down their 5 franc pieces
and their Napoleons. There are only two or three tables for cards;
all the rest are for the wheel. Their are six or eight men at each
tablo superintending the game, keeping their eyes on shady cus
tomers and shady practices, and holding themselves in readiness to
settle disputes off-hand. As soon as tho wheel has stopped and the
number is cried there is a prodigious clink of silver and gold as the
pieces aro wheeled in by the banker or unceremoniously tossed to
the winners. The wonder of it is how the officials of the game keep
tally of the winners and the winnings. The business is dono in a
twinkling. As coins Hy about tho table, playershavo to keep u wary
watch bo that they como into their own with usury. For, in tho
press around tho tables, thoro aro respectable-looking persons who
will tako what docs not belong to them if they see a chance. Thoy
say at Monte Carlo that tho women who play much aro tho most un
scrupulous in theso triiles.
You roam from tablo to tablo. Tho groups aro everywhere tho
samo. What most impresses you is tho perfect management of tho
place. A woman loses her temper over a run of ill-luck and begins
to expostulate with tho banker on somo pretext or other. Sho has
no sooner raised her voico than one of the superintendents of the
game is at her sido courteously explaining matters, and by his man
ner of calm preciso authority effectually quioting her. Or perhaps
it is a man who quarrels with his neighbor over Bomo division of
spoils. Before ho can Bplutter half a dozen words his indignant elo
quence is checked by tho appoaranco of authority in a frock coat. If
tho contumacious player persists in his unpleasantness ho is asked
for his card and his ticket of admission, and ho is Bhown tho door,
and his name is put on tho black list.
At tho tables whero tho wheel spins tho gamo is usually for small
stakes and tho players aro commonplace to tho last degree. At tho
card table the gamo goes up many notches in recklessness, and tho
gamesters Boveral pegs in,appearanco. It is at tho card tables that
you look for your wicked dukes and pallid heroes and your ad
venturesses of melodrama and romance. You will probably look in
vain. You will also look for tho clover fellow why is "breaking tho
bank." Ho is a rare bird, seldom shot on tho wing. Ho is for tho
most part ono of tho pleasing lictions of Monto Carlo. You go away
after half an hour intolerably bored.
But you return after dinner. You wish to seo tho Casino lighted
Of course, tho smart folk will como forth then in their finery, and
the general note will bo festive. Mankind feels at ease, having
dined. So you make assay once more and turn again into tho hall
of dazzling light. To bo sure, the crowd is greater than it was in
the afternoon, but is tho samo crowd in different gear. You sit near
tho doors of the first saloon and watih the incomers, I will bo bound
that they strike your sense of tho ridiculous and keep you in a
vuiver of mirth. They comprise tho oddest assortment of "radishes
with heads fantastically carved," as Carlylo said, that you will en
counter on a rootstool. Wickedness! They do not oven suggest it!
For tho most part it is a commonplace, thick-brained humanity
which congregates here; that part of noodledum which seems to take
it for granted that tho bank of tho Casino exists to bo broken. As
for their tailoring and dressmaking the heavens never looked down
upon such a weird array.
Plentiful sprinkling of German dudes with their hair cut pomp
odour, their shoulders of amazing thickness, their trousers of phen
omenal tightness; French dudes, with heads like shoebrushes and
beards like the hirsute adornment of Mme. Tussaud'B wax fig
ures; English swells of all ages, with monocles and spats and, Ameri
can eccentrics, dark-skinned Italians, and dark-skinned Turks, and
many faded, sadly faded, beauties of all tho European countries.
Such a prodigious array of plain and ungainly women can be seen
nowhere outside the Casino at Monto Carlo; such legions of podgy,
uninteresting men; such frumps and frizzled things, Buch seedy
gentility and shabby vulgarity, such colors and cuts of dress can bo
equaled nowhere.
the place is lighted at night by plain lamps swung from the
ceiling to within three or four feet of the green covered tables.
The air gets hot and heavy.
There are no seats from which you can watch tho games. The
few chairs at tho tables do not accommodate one-tenth of the
players.
Monte Carlo's lovely garden, perfect roads, miraculous cleanli
ness, good order and good light, may inspire even the virtious.
After all, the Casino has other uses than that of gambling. It has
a concert hall where you can hear good music, and it has pleasant
reading rooms. You can spend a delightful wee' at Monte Carlo
and not bother your head about the gambling. Yet somehow, tho
trial of the gamo is over it all. You cannot altogether avoid tho
sordid, shabby and flashy ones who come here for their notions of
pleasure. Monte Carlo is paradise with the serpent in possession
Well, the serpent is an interesting creature anyway, but he is not a
tempter.
For fine soda water go to Hawke's Pharmacy.
