Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

294 numbers or all the odd, the first eighteen or the last eighteen, the black or the red. One of the attendants spun the wheel by pressing a lever. Another tossed a little ivory ball so that it ran in a groove around the outside of the wheel. The players craned their necks, watching the progress of the fateful pill with bated breath. Bets were still being placed on the board. When the ball began to slacken the attendant an- nounced in his indifferent singsong: “ Rien ne va plus.” Finally the little ball fell into one of the compartments of the wheel, and a sigh escaped the watchers. “ Vingt-six, noir, pair, passe,” announced the attendant, and the croupiers began to draw in the chips with their little long- handled hoes. So close was the press around the table that at first Diantha and Sutliffe could see onty by peering over the shoulders of those in front. Immediately in front of them was another young couple, the girl a mere child of a gamin prettiness, with discon- tented eyes and writhen scarlet lips; the youth square and sullen. She did the play- ing and always lost. | “Play on shorter odds,” he urged. “You'll get more of a run,” “ There’s nothing in it,” she retorted. Finally when she lost he muttered: ‘“‘ Got no more,” and pulled her away from the table. Sutliffe and Diantha instinctively squeezed into their places. The other pair lingered for a moment within hearing. ‘Get some more chips,” the girl said. “1m cleaned out, I tell you,” he said sulkily. “ Can’t you borrow?” (x4 No! ? “ Well, I can, and I will!” ‘“‘'Marjorie!’”’ There was a curious sug- gestion of agony in his tone. Her only answer was a laugh. Diantha suddenly became aware that Sut- liffe was holding out a handful of red chips. She had no idea where he had got them. She violently shook her head. “ Go ahead!” he murmured. “ We can’t keep these places if we don’t play.” “No, no, no!” she whispered. “ Play for me to bring me luck.” The general excitement infected her. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Scarcely knowing what she was doing she took a chip and placed it as she saw others doing on the intersection of two lines in the center of the board so that it encroached on the spaces of four different numbers. The wheel spun and the little ball rolled. Sud- denly she perceived that the croupier was pushing a little pile of red chips toward her. ‘* All these? All these?” she murmured. She laughed, and something gave way inside her. : “ Put ’em all out!” whispered Sutliffe in her ear. She needed no further urging. CHAPTER XII. THE BLOW. UYON entered the casino with the scowling, downcast air habitual to him of late. He kept his eyes down because he wished to avoid the deceitful- friendly, contemptuous looks of his ac- quaintances; he did not care to see the meaning glances they exchanged. He knew they were saying to each other with an un- holy glee: “ Guyon’s hitting the toboggan, all right!” He went quickly to the nearest roulette table. The place afflicted him with a slight nausea now, but with the tragic wrong- headedness of youth he whipped himself to it. A place was made for him. Guyon’s play had become the newest sensation of the club. Wild tales were told of his gains and losses. His indifference to either en- dowed him with a sort of infernal distinc- tion in the eyes of the other players. He looked at no one. The wheel was spinning. When the result was announced a slight sound from across the table knocked on his naked heart. It was merely a half suppressed exclamation of chagrin. His startled eyes beheld Diantha’s tormented face, Sutliffe, at her shoulder, glancing at her with an evil smile of which she was un- aware. They had not discovered Guyon. He received a hideous shock. Diantha held out her hand, and Sutliffe dropped some chips into it. The action raked Guyon’s breast with sharp points. He dropped back from the table. CoMmicloolkxs C©