Jack and His Seven Foes — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

70 JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES. CHAPTER XXVI. THE GAMBLING SALOON—LUCK BEYOND LUCK—JACK’S LIFE IN DANGER. Jack had as few vices as any young fellow of his age, and above all he was not a gambler. Yet he was nicht. His little stock of money was almost exhausted. | “T do it to aid me in my vengeance,” he said. : He had some knowledge of the world, and had learnt something of the history oi New York, and he turned his steps to a street at the back of the Broad- way. | iixternally it was quiet and respect- able, and a saloon in its centre was quite sober in its appearance. Into this Jack entered. “T want to see the major,” he said to the barman. ‘Third door on the right, sir,” was the reply. ‘Knock three times.” Jack obeyed these instructions, and speedily found himself in a back room, going to gamble that where there were at least forty men, half of them engaged at a roulette- table, the rest drinking. The gamblers were all intent upon the game. Not even the advent of a mere youth in sailor’s dress attracted more than a glance. / The tailleur or croupier governing “the table, was a quick-speaking, dark- -eyed man, with hands that did marvels in the way of paying out his losses and “raking in his winnings. 7 He saw Jack, and with his rake touched the hand of a man who was not playing, and apparently had no interest In the game. | He rose, and Jack took his seat. *“ Many can play as well as one, and ‘one as well as many,” said the croupier. “While the ball is rolling, you can make your game.” Jack put five dollars on the red, an the red turned up. | The croupier paid him five. Next he put half his money on number three, and left the rest on the red. answer. It The croupier smiled to himself. was a fool’s game. But, lo! the fool was successful, and a big pile of dollars passed over to Jack, for the number winning brought him in thirty-five times the amount of his stake. Next he placed fifty dollars on the red, and lost. This appeared to nettle him, and he put a hundred on it—nearly all he had. Fortune again favoured him. | When his money was passed to him, he left it on the red. Several of the players now noticed him, among them a lean sallow-faced man, who looked ravenously at the pile of money Jack had won. Again the red turned up. | “The devil 1s loose to-night,’ some- body was heard to say, and the croupier’s face darkened. Jack put a handful of dollars on number three again. ‘““That’s madness,” said somebody, aloud; “he won on that before.” But madness was triumphant. It was just three hundred and sixty to one against him, but Jack won. The creupier paid out with a nervous hand, and, with amotion of his eyebrows, drew a tall, gentlemanly man, who had been looking cn, to his side. ‘The bank can’t stand another shake,” he said, in a tone that only reached the ears he intended. “Then the bank must stop,’ was the reply, conveyed in words that were spoken without a movement of the lips. Jack put a handful of dollars on the black. ‘A stake for villainy,” he said, un- consciously aloud. “Pardon, monsieur ? ”’ croupler. | ‘“‘T was thinking aloud,” replied Jack. ‘‘ My words had no reference to you or anybody here.” ““1¢ 38 well, monsieur,’ was the ‘Make your game, gentlemen Now! Black said the —the ball is rolling. 3.9 wins! He paid out to Jack all he had with- GOMIGDOOKS GO