| Show BEING reminiscences of EXCITING PERSONAL MONSIEUR MARTIN DIRECTOR of the ay the CHEVALIER WILLIAM LB THE CASCADE OF GOLD I 1 was sitting one bright afternoon on the terrace outside the cafe de paris monte carlo idling over a cigarette and a ma it is my favorite resort at about four clock for while skimming the figaro I 1 can it I 1 choose watch each person who ascends or descends the casino steps walle very often the cosmopolitan chatter at the tables in my vicinity Is of unusual interest to me on such occasions I 1 present out the appearance of a well to do parisian and although the pro fess lonal gamblers and the staff are well aware who and what I 1 am the hundreds of thousands of strangers moving through the principality have no idea of my true position As is usual on a sunny afternoon the tables about me were crowded the red coated hungarian band was placing some pretty waltzes the british section of the crowd sipped tea wh ie the french allowed absinthe to dribble into their glasses the place was right with flowers and beneath the rees hundreds of people were sitting enjoying that sweet calm hour before the chill wind comes up from the sea and the italian coast beyond san remo grows purple in the dying day within the hot stifling rooms the perspiring crowds were losing and winning struggling gleefully to snatch up their gains or sighing as they saw their stakes raked in to swell the bank while outside in the balmy air sweet with the scent of flowers all was so pleasant and restful so beau ticul indeed that it seemed ble that such a spot should be the cen ter of all the evil passions which dominate the world it is a vivid con the monte carlo without and the monte carlo within how much of human life one sees at those tables what a strange evil world it is that fevered world of rouge et noir pass ing daily across those polished floors and vainly striving to win fortune even the colors of the roulette wheel possess an obvious signification the red tor blood and the black tor crime As I 1 sat in a lazy attitude my thoughts far from my surroundings some words uttered in a man s voice caught my ear and brought me back to a consciousness of where I 1 was the words were unexpected and spoken in a curious squeaking voice the owner of which I 1 knew without turning to look at him he was an old man named pasquale an ate 1 layer who had been known in the rooms for many years he hied in nice and regularly twice or thrice a week the whole year round he came over and played throughout the afternoon always with great care and precision one of his was that when in the rooms he car ned in his hand a huge bag like purse worked in colored beads of the style of a century ago and legend had it that he believed this bag brought him good fortune he having used it on one celebrated occasion when nearly 20 years before he had made an ally large coup this bead purse was often remarked upon by his fellow players who smiled at the old fel lows eccentricity hal inclined to pity his seeming senile in beci lity he was however no tool inched few shrewd er men frequented the rooms than francesco pasquale for when he played his eyes were everywhere and as he stood behind th croupier hand ing him bis pieces and giving him in in a low half whisper as though he were acting in contravene con traven alon of some rule he certainly presented a mysterious figure yet he was one of the mo it clearheaded gamesters I 1 have ever known I 1 have seen him lo 10 e ten and even fifteen thousand francs in an hour with perfect sangfroid and I 1 have on the other hand watched him win lar amounts and then walk back down the steps to the station without even affording himself the luxury of a demitasse or a back he hated what we always term the small change crowd namely the people who after collecting a few odd five franc pieces come to monte carlo expecting to gain a fortune and he never failed to vent his sarcasm upon them the words he had uttered were how ere puzzling I 1 kept my ears open in the hope of something further but the old fellow maintained a discreet silence his comi anlon laughed and when I 1 gave a furtive glance in their diorec tion I 1 saw that the man sitting opposite him was an ugly hunchback small of stature with a face pale and drawn black hair and a thin scraggy beard one of the features of monte carlo is its hunchbacks by many players the sight of them Is supposed to portend good fortune perhaps nowhere else on the continent is there such an infinite variety of the deformed as you may see in the rooms of course the thing is quite easy the elder man observed at length ly puffing at his cigarette for the gau bier never indulges in cigars until after play is over when he goes out to the cafe to change hio luck and elal that terrible thirst one develops in those crowded rooms he whiffs his laurens and quaffs the grateful bock would a very large capital be re the hunchback inquired in a tone of affected carelessness I 1 dont think so fifty thousand francs the sum you mention would be quite sufficient the old man re spondee but of course there s a risk a terrible risk A single blun der would be disastrous the deformed man laughed to blunder would be quite out of the question he said to effect such a coup the arrangements must be perfect but isn t it unwise to dis cuss the matter herec he added in a lower tone some one might over hear you know pasquale agreed and both rose and crossed to the casino again later that day owing to instruct alons I 1 gave the doorkeeper I 1 dis covered that the hunchbacks name was paul of vienna and that he was staying at the grand ho tel my suspicions being aroused I 1 accidentally lounged into the hair dresser s in the rue de la scala next morning and while waiting dincov ered the hunchback there he spoke enthusiastically of the beauties of the principality the atti actions of the play the excellence of the music and as far as I 1 could judge was a highly educated and refined man no he had not lost yesterday he had won two zeros at roulette staking a louls each time on the night of the battle of con betti at nice having another matter in hand I 1 found it necessary to go to the redoute or bal masque on the jatee promenade that pier like ture which is the most prominent fea ture of the esplanade I 1 chose a pier rot s dress of the carnival colors mauve and vert d ea u and entered the theater about 11 clock just as dancing was in full swing only those who have spent a carnival at nice and at tended the balls know the wildness of the dancing and the mad arol there masked like all the others I 1 made my way with difficulty through the throng in search of the man upon whom I 1 had for several days been keeping observation a young russian who was wanted by the moscow po lice but of whose identity I 1 was not sufficiently certain but though I 1 searched through room after loom I 1 could not fend him and concluded that be had been prevented from coming for fully halt an hour I 1 wan dered about dancing now and then with unknown partners until sudden ly in the fine moorish room used or dina rily as a reading room I 1 saw a dwarfed figure in a dress represent ing the english punch he was seat ed in a corner with a lady dressed as a clown in black satin studded with silver moons whom from the lower part of her face and the plump white ness of her dimpled hands I 1 judged to be oung and attractive he spoke and in an instant I 1 rec the voice ot the hunchback just then a lady passing me laughed merrily in my face and eager for any excuse to remain in that room I 1 invited her to dance with me Is very kind answered a well modulated voice in french which however was not quite perfect in its accent but tor the moment I 1 prefer to remain here it Is too hot and crowded in the theater I 1 noticed she was looking across at the lady in the clown s dress A pretty dress that Is it not I 1 remarked yes she replied and it I 1 mis take not its wearer Is even prettier you know her I 1 inquired eagerly yes it ashes the lady I 1 mean her name Is madame de Gour leff and she comes from petersburg and you madame are russian al so eha I 1 inquired what makes you think that she asked with a low laugh only a russian can pronounce the word petersburg as you have just pronounced it I 1 answered at that instant I 1 noticed that at her throat beneath her domino of mauve satin she wore a brooch with a tiny watch enameled in blue and set with diamonds it was a beautiful little ornament and i marked its appearance well some days later however I 1 met the hunchback in the roulette room he was accompanied by a young dark eyed pale faced lady whom I 1 judged to be about the same stature as hia companion at the ball but I 1 could not tell with any degree of accuracy because I 1 had only seen her seated she was not more than 25 and her face wis pretty with a grave intense expression which added to its attract tl veness her dress of dark grey stuff was not exactly of that elegance ally seen at monte cairo yet it fitted well and suited her admirably As I 1 stood watching the pretty oung woman took off one of her gloves the more easily to handle her louis thereby revealing to me a white hand with dimpled knuckles the same I 1 had noticed at the ball by this one fact alone 1 was convinced that she was madame de Goul reft and a few moments later my interest in her was increased by a dumb motion which she made to a tall florid faced fair haired man who was sitting at the opposite side of the table it was as it she desired him to remain pa tient in return he smiled cynically as if tired of waiting and resting both his elbows upon the green cloth con suited the register card before him suddenly he rose and as he passed her closely without stopping to speak she whispered to him you re a fool be patient you know what a single blunder would mean im sick of the whole thing he replied halt turning towards her all except pasquale left the casino soon afterwards but as the old game ster knew me so well I 1 hesitated to speak to him yet fearing lest by so doing it might prevent the truth be coming known that there was some mysterious system about to be worked against the bank I 1 felt assured but of what nature I 1 could only discover by vigilant observation several days went by and I 1 saw them not one morning I 1 noticed remen lounging in one of the wick er chairs in the entrance ot the grand hotel smoking and reading a paper but he did not enter the rooms the fair haired man apparently lived in ace and in order to find out what I 1 could I 1 went over there one morning luddeni Sud deni an object caught my eye as it passed flashing tor an instant in the sunlight I 1 turned and glanced a second time at it to make certain yes it was the little jeweled watch which the fair masker had worn at the ball on the jatee it now hung openly on the smart white serge coat of its owner a well dressed young and rather handsome atoman who was walking alone in the direction of the massena she had passed ere I 1 had time to glance at her therefore I 1 could only catch sight of her pro file but in an instant I 1 made a resolve and turning followed her that she knew more of the mysterious nina de kourieff Go than she had told me was evident and I 1 intended to make a strenuous endeavor to dis cover all I 1 could As I 1 got level with her I 1 raised my hat and claimed acquaintance at first she was inclined to repudiate having met me but when I 1 explained by what means I 1 had discovered her identity behe laughed heartily and we began to chat as we walked along together with infinite care I 1 led up the conver to the woman de Gour leff but in an instant her mouth closed and she glanced at me with a quick look of suspicion in the course of our careless gossip she however let drop the tact that she intended going over to monte carlo that afternoon therefore resolving to meet her again there as if by accident I 1 wished her au revoir opposite the hotel des an aglais glais and we parted about three clock that same after noon I 1 was in the bureau of the ad ministration when my fair tance entered and to obtain her card of admission presented her passport bound up in one of those neat little gilt edged books which the better class russians carry unobserved I 1 glanced at it as it lay in her hand and saw lipon the gray paper headed with the russian arms a vise which caused me a start of surprise her name it stated was vera severene Sever lne and when i quarter of an hour later I 1 her in the rooms and addressed her by the name she looked at me with mingled annoyance ani surprise madame has no necessity to dis uise her identity from me I 1 ex calmed in a low voice I 1 am chief of the surveillance here my name Is martin antohne martin she laughed rather nervously and admitted that she had heard of me I 1 noticed the vise on madame p I 1 exclaimed it bars the pedal stamp of the ministry which shows madame to be an agent of se cret police in such there Is assuredly no need for crets between us I 1 can aid you command me As you know I 1 am lo 10 weekly communication with your cen aral bureau in st petersburg I 1 presume that the person who interests ou la this madame de Gour leff eh you have guessed aright she ad as we strolled down the rooms together she Is a revolutionist president of the zurich council ot twenty the president I 1 exclaimed then ashes a and your orders to watch her closely aided by my husband I 1 have been keeping observation upon her for these last three months she has no money and has come to monte carlo to replenish her funds and this austrian what of hima she has only lately made hie ac from what I 1 have observed there Is some compact between them she Is to meet him here this afternoon scarcely had this handsome woman whose passport gave her immunity from arrest throughout the czar s em pire uttered these words when we saw the pair approaching and moved away to escape observation they walked on to the right hand brente et quarante table where pasquale was already seated and stood for some time intently watching the game madame severene Sever lne left me to wander about alone having agreed that we would both keep the pair un der enervation I 1 saw her later on seated at the old italian s side playing quite as eagerly as any other gam bier but her manner was perfect A seat at last becoming vacant next to bruzel the tall leur the ugly little austrian in an instant marked it by flinging down a louls then leisurely seating himself with his companion standing behind his chair he commenced playing with precision and care suddenly just as two blustering men one of whom was the fair haired player who had bously expressed impatience demanded gold in ex change tor notes madame de drew from her pocket a paper con kalning about a thousand francs in gold and in her haste to stake a louls upon the table the paper broke and the gold fell to the floor in a per feet cascade the louls rolling away beneath the feet of the players under the chair and under the table this created hopeless contusion for nearly everybody rose in order that the attendants tend ants might collect the fallen money while madame red and con fused uttered a thousand pardons even the chef de partle descended from his high chair and glanced around to seek the missing coin the hunchback uttered a word of apology to bruzel that his fair corn canlon should have caused any such interruption in the game but soon afterwards all settled again and there sounded the well known invitation messieurs baltes vos beux nina de Gour leff with a gamblers I 1 fear lest her gold once fallen should bring her luck took some notes from her pocket and placed 12 the maximum on the noire while strange ly enough the deformed man acted in a similar manner blen ne va plus cried the tall leur and he dealt the cards swiftly in two ranges beux deux six rouge perd et couleur gagne bruzel exclaimed loudly a moment later raking in the stakes |
