Show A magia ht bit of silver salvor it I 1 want to ask you a question comez 1 well my may dear boy what I 1 ii it 1 where did you got gat your money 1 2 the question was an abrupt one it was almost impertinent but gomez do bonilla was an am mend friend of mine a good fellow and we had dined to bay truth we had bad not only dined but bat wined and it visa via over some excellent poat to in the shape chape of further wine and fragrant fradra t of cigars ars that I 1 haa asked the question but I 1 bad long wished to 0 o d do aso so and I 1 will tell you why two years before gomez WAS no na poor as aa a church mouse ha was always a good fellow but then you know there hero is a difference between fellows fallows rich anti and good follows poor 00 A and ad to torn my shame be belt it spoken itla I 1 think isalt I 1 liked bacu better rich than well as I 1 said bald he was almost soar as littile he bad a profession it is true he be was a lour journalist nail but in spain the gatna gains of the stormily of the pen were tact not large e what little he dill earn went vent to t tho 0 bail bad for he be wits was an n bat troia a coverty poverty stricken journal lag I 1 he be sudden y blossomed out into a mm mail of wealth he had th the finest horses he belonged to the most farbion able abla club he had bad purchased tile the country teat seat ol of IL delayed is 0 a 1 I grandee he bail ba d tile tha best beat cook in madrid and ho he moved in the best beat society aop oven even in spain the goldon golden it key by ig to open all porta Is but bat ilo do not thick froni from who what I 1 majr 11 y that flint gomez WAI wag not a 9 anti ekau tor for lie he came of on an nt family well as I 1 said bald we had bad just finished an excellent dinner and over the wal val unto and the wine vine I 1 nut pat ray my question que aHon is 11 gomez where did id you got get your 2 he looked at me thoughtfully and knocked the ash from life hia cigar 11 where did I 1 set get my money it he r repeated a ted slowly and what says DAMO dama kumor I 1 el morning concerning it pedro ro 1 there are arc all sorts aorta of stories 1 I replied some boma probable proba e some wildly I 1 m ablo some good humored more il ill lyo natured atred you will pardon my frankness if I 1 tell you that I 1 heard hear sem borno people call your wealth I 1 ill got t ten gains i whisper of 01 retired high waymon and the like ik there are others othera who hint darkly fit at counterfeiting among the lower classes there i is widespread belief thai you have sold bold yourself to the doyll and ana I 1 hire have even met intelligent people who hinted it at supernatural means 11 I 1 perhaps they wore were right was his iaconio reply I 1 stared at him 11 liston listen and you may perhaps tell lell me whether the means were ril nl or no I 1 have never liever been able to jo decide iho th reason that bat the source of my fortune has never caver been diso discovered ove red was because the oal only y man who know of it left the city the day after he paused 11 the day after what I 1 qu mueriel eriel 11 well I 1 will twain begin at the the story ia a carious one and should bertoldi ba tola in sequence he lit a fresh afresh cigar and then began you yoa know knew raa two Y bearg 61 a ago when iwas I 1 wa poor you yon 1 also I biati knew w as did all of my lay friends that I 1 had bad a fusion for gaming you would all of yon chorus when speaking epe aking of me poor lie he has ban the worst of vicea he is ia a desperate gambler you wore were ell 1 1 wrong I 1 did not play piny simply for 1 love 1 0 of it I 1 played because became I 1 was wa poor I 1 was not a goi abler I 1 was a peculator I 1 hied fired upon a certain bum which I 1 considered a competence compete aoe I 1 saw no way of it by my profession feg fes sion no do I 1 devoted myself to the green een cloth low Y yon OU know lie he smiled at the expression of assent which involuntarily flitted flirted over my countenance watched the smoke wreaths wreatha curling over lii big head bead lot for a moment and continued 11 one evening I 1 was feeling unusually blue I 1 sever rever drank RS as you yon know that in iii never cerer to sud and certainly barer ver to do what Is ia called I 1 drowning ia gorrow 1 my resource was the gaming his able unfortunately I 1 had bad in my possession a considerable amount of money which had bed been in trusted to me ma by a friend for the purpose of ps ing soma debts he had bad been suddenly nd donly y c called awa otray from tho tb city I 1 entered the gambling hoi hell and bested myself at the roulette table fortune was wai against in BOB the tha low law dum that biel caged to mo me were soon boon gone something seemed to I 1 1 I 1 I 1 kl I 1 I 1 I 1 we luo that tbt night I 1 was nut myself I 1 all what I 1 never should live hive dreamed myself capable of doing staked 0 J my in y friend arienda iri enda a money I 1 staked it and 11 I 1 lost it oil all 1 I 1 WM was about to speak do not condemn me ho he ue rap rop teil tell you could buy nothing saver er than were my bak f reproaches long I 1 it at I 1 hero her glaring lah r lloid at attlia the other players As aa I 1 tl ca tho lory ball spin round my brain seemed to io ho leaving me iad i I 1 koltai if life were no longer louger ilear dear to me and gunj what was there left to civo for As aa these thoughts cassad through my working brain the night wore on OB the clavera placers dropped oil ono by one ona the ia tables lea were gradually graj nally deserted boon there wai but bat oua one left lighted abd tbd rou letto ablo before which I 1 sit bit aad at which one persevering gamester was trying his hia luck finally he be too wearied bud I 1 was wag 16 left ft alone with tho the banker who was wa a ills iho proprietor of tho the gambling bell oil oh I 1 remember I 1 interrupted jose ferrau Il errara who so BO a 4 couple of years ago 11 the bamo ammo rep replied liel bonilla llou illa axing his biu eyes keenly upon me ido I 1 do not know why but I 1 began to feel uncomfortable however ho he continued 11 tho the banker looked at mo me inquiringly I 1 half rose to retire I 1 had fall tally determined to blow out ray my brains in tho street and thail that I 1 did noldo not do so BO Is owing to one of the strangest of strange that you will not blame me for wooded wondering g whether it was on per natural I 1 half rose I 1 say bay and as I 1 did so BO I 1 saw upon the floor a round bright object which had a silver shimmer so as the ga slight gaslight fell upon it it 1 t ws w as a coin a 1 I 1 interrupted breathlessly 11 yes he went on 11 blittle a little bit of silver cois cola only ap esela bu 11 tit atit saved my life I 1 placed my foot upon it and motioning to the banker said A peseta on the seventeen 1 11 I 1 I 1 the banker know knew me well lie he had cause to and without making may any inquiries he ha repeated repe atod my wager after me and set the ball a whirling I 1 it t stopped in the seventeen 1 I seventeen wins wine said he ha und lead ou on the seventeen clanged seven silver duros do you leave it there lore 1 7 said he be 1 I nodded again the ivory ball spun round and again it at sevene seventeen een ill 1 seventeen vius said tho the banker 1 again I 1 lett left the glittering pils pile upon the seventeen and again it won seven haven several times did the goddess fontano smile mile upon me an anil w alin hen I 1 topped stopped it was waa not baoit iise I 1 feared to venture further but bat because I 1 had bad broken the bank the poverty stricken wretch who a lew few moment bontem con tem plated was waa now wealthy I 1 I 1 an and d the peseta 1 said I 1 I 1 I 1 you lave have th that at still boillot of course co ursa 2 no ho he replied witia a strange smile amile 11 why exclaimed I 1 with surprise 11 hail had I 1 boon been you yon I 1 won would d lava kept it al all I 1 my life V no 0 he to plied with the same pe pa culiar smile you yon would not 11 leave aye kept it and why not I 1 1 when I 1 stopped to pick up the coin do I 1 a I 1 found round 11 nothing I 1 echoed 11 why what where that which I 1 hail had taken tor for a desala was not a ooin coin the round silvery object on en which the light hall hail fallen and deceived me was 11 what T 11 A drop ot of water |